Reasons to use WEBP or AVIF instead of PNG or JPEG

Dec 13

From an SEO standpoint, using WebP or AVIF image formats over PNG or JPEG can offer several advantages related to website performance and user experience. Here are the key reasons:

1. Reduced Size of Compressed Files:

WebP and AVIF: WebP and AVIF typically provide better compression efficiency, resulting in smaller file sizes without compromising image quality. Smaller file sizes lead to faster loading times, which is a crucial factor for your SEO, as page speed is considered by search engines in ranking algorithms.
JPEG and PNG: While JPEG and PNG are widely supported formats, they may result in larger file sizes, especially when dealing with high-quality images. Larger files can slow down page loading, negatively impacting user experience and SEO.

2. Improve Your Load Times:

WebP and AVIF: The smaller size of WebP and AVIF images contribute to faster page loading times. Faster loading pages enhance user experience, reduce bounce rates, and positively influence SEO rankings.
JPEG and PNG: Larger image files can slow down page loading, affecting both user experience and SEO performance. Google has explicitly stated that page speed is a ranking factor, making it essential for SEO efforts.

3. Bandwidth Savings:

WebP and AVIF: Smaller image file sizes result in reduced bandwidth usage. This is especially beneficial for users with limited internet bandwidth, leading to faster loading times and improved accessibility.
JPEG and PNG: Larger file sizes mean more data needs to be transmitted, which can be a concern for users with slower internet connections. Optimizing images for smaller file sizes helps in conserving bandwidth.

4. Responsive Design and Mobile Optimization:

WebP and AVIF: Smaller file sizes are particularly advantageous for mobile users, contributing to better mobile optimization. Mobile-friendly websites are favored by search engines, positively impacting SEO rankings.
JPEG and PNG: Larger image files can result in slower loading times on mobile devices, leading to a suboptimal user experience. This can affect SEO, especially considering Google's emphasis on mobile-first indexing.

5. Google's Emphasis on WebP:

WebP: Google has been actively promoting the use of WebP and has integrated support for it in many of its products, including Chrome. Google's PageSpeed Insights tool often recommends using WebP for improved performance.
AVIF: While WebP is widely supported, AVIF is gaining popularity and may become more widely adopted in the future.

6. Image Quality Considerations:

WebP and AVIF: Despite their smaller file sizes, WebP and AVIF can maintain high image quality, often surpassing the quality of JPEG at similar file sizes. This is achieved through advanced compression techniques.
JPEG and PNG: While JPEG and PNG offer good image quality, WebP and AVIF can achieve comparable or better quality at smaller file sizes, contributing to improved performance without sacrificing visual fidelity.

In summary, choosing WebP or AVIF over JPEG or PNG can have positive implications for SEO by improving page speed, reducing bandwidth usage, and enhancing overall user experience. However, it's essential to consider browser support and ensure a fallback mechanism for browsers that do not support these newer formats. Always test and monitor the performance of your chosen image format to ensure it aligns with your SEO goals and provides an optimal user experience. When choosing between WebP, AVIF, JPEG, or PNG for images on your website, consider the impact on SEO, page speed, and user experience. While WebP and AVIF can offer benefits such as faster page loading times and reduced bandwidth usage, it's important to ensure browser support and have a fallback for unsupported formats. Test and monitor the performance of your chosen image format to ensure it aligns with your SEO goals and provides a positive user experience.

Julian Frezin