Image Compression
Category: Technical Process, Optimization
Definition: The process of reducing image file size through removal of data, either lossless (maintaining quality) or lossy (trading quality for size). Critical for website performance while maintaining acceptable visual quality.
Why It Matters: Directly impacts page load speed and SEO; affects mobile experience; reduces bandwidth costs; improves user experience; balances quality with performance; affects conversion rates (1 second delay = 7% conversion loss).
Use Cases: Website optimization, mobile app images, email marketing, marketplace uploads, social media, page speed optimization, CDN delivery.
Example of Real Use Case: An e-commerce site implements modern image compression (WebP format with smart compression), reducing average image size by 65% while maintaining visual quality. Page load times drop from 4.2 to 1.8 seconds, and conversion rate increases by 23%.
Software/Service: TinyPNG, ImageOptim, Squoosh, Adobe Photoshop export, WebP conversion tools, CDN automatic optimization (Cloudflare, Cloudinary)
Common Issues: Over-compression creating artifacts and quality loss, inconsistent compression across catalog, using outdated formats (JPEG only), not optimizing for mobile, balancing quality with file size.
Do's and Don'ts:
✓ Do use modern formats (WebP, AVIF)
✓ Do compress images before uploading
✓ Do maintain quality for hero and zoom images
✓ Do test visual quality after compression
✗ Don't use uncompressed images on websites
✗ Don't over-compress losing visible quality
✗ Don't ignore mobile optimization
Related Terms: Web Performance, Page Speed, Image Optimization, File Formats, SEO
Also Known As: Image Optimization, File Size Reduction, Web Image Compression
