How to Easily Serve Scaled Images in WordPress (Step by Step)

Do you want your WordPress site‘s images to load lightning fast? Properly sized and optimized images can make a dramatic difference in your site‘s speed.

In this guide, I‘ll show you two simple methods to serve scaled images in WordPress. I‘ve been building websites for over 15 years, so I‘ll also share some best practices to take your image optimization to the next level!

Why Should You Scale Images for WordPress?

Let‘s first look at some stats that highlight the benefits of using properly scaled images:

• According to Kinsta, scaling large images can reduce file sizes by 60-70%.
• MachMetrics found pages with a 3-second load time had a bounce rate 3 times higher than those with a 1-second load.
• Moz reports page load time has a strong correlation with Google rankings.

As you can see, optimized images directly impact user experience, conversions, and SEO. Here are some specific reasons why you should take the time to scale images in WordPress:

Faster Page Loads

Large, unoptimized images can slow down your site and damage user experience. By sizing images correctly for their containers, you can slash load times.

Better Image Quality

Ever notice blurry, pixelated images on some sites? That happens when small images are upscaled. Serving properly sized images keeps your site looking crisp and professional.

Less Processing Power Required

If you upload oversized images, WordPress has to resize them on-the-fly. This slows down your site and consumes processing power. Scaled images reduce that work.

Improved Site Performance

Image optimization tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix will often recommend properly sized images to boost site speed.

Enhanced SEO

With site speed being a ranking factor, optimized images can help boost your search engine rankings.

Clearly, taking the time to serve scaled images in WordPress is worth the effort. Next, we‘ll look at two easy ways to do it.

Method #1: Use the Optimole Plugin

One of the simplest ways to scale images is by using a plugin like Optimole. Here‘s how to set it up:

1. Install and activate the Optimole plugin on your WordPress site.
2. Enter your email address under Get Started to connect your site. This will generate an API key automatically. No copy/pasting needed!
3. That‘s it! Optimole will now optimize all your existing images and new uploads behind the scenes. 👍

With just those three steps, Optimole will seamlessly replace your WordPress images with properly sized versions served from their global CDN.

The default plugin settings work well for most sites. But you can fine-tune options like:

• Image quality – Adjust the JPG compression level.
• Lazy loading – Only load above-the-fold images.
• WebP conversion – Serve next-gen WebP images to supported browsers.
• Resize settings – Set maximum width/height for resizing.

Optimole makes it easy to benefit from scaled images without any extra work on your end. For most sites, it‘s the ideal set-it-and-forget-it solution.

Optimole Pros

• Requires zero image editing skills.
• Optimizes existing images.
• Provides ongoing image optimization.
• Free up to 5k monthly visits.

Potential Drawbacks

• Must pass images through a 3rd-party CDN.
• Limited customization compared to manual methods.

Overall, Optimole is a user-friendly way to serve properly sized images in WordPress. It‘s beginner-friendly and works great out of the box.

Method #2: Manually Scale and Optimize Images

If you need maximum control over your image sizes, you can also scale images manually before uploading them to WordPress.

Here are three ways to do it:

1. Use Image Editing Software

For the best results, edit and export images at their target sizes in a program like Photoshop before uploading them:

This allows complete control over variables like:

• Dimensions
• File format
• Quality/compression
• Metadata removal

With practice, you can shave 80-90% off image file sizes without noticeably reducing quality.

2. The WordPress Image Editor

Need to tweak an image after uploading it? Use the built-in image editor:

1. In the post editor, click an image and select Replace.
2. In the media library, click Edit Image.
3. Under Scale Image, adjust width/height as needed.
4. Click Scale to resize the image.

While you can‘t enlarge images this way, it‘s great for last-minute edits.

3. Adjust Image Sizes in Settings

Under Settings → Media, you can configure WordPress‘ default image sizes.

For example, you could set Large images to be 1024×1024 pixels. New uploads will honor those dimensions.

You can also create additional sizes like Featured Image at 1200×630 pixels.

Keep in mind that changing these settings won‘t alter existing images. You‘d need to regenerate thumbnails with a plugin like Regenerate Thumbnails.

The manual approach takes more work but provides pixel-perfect control over image sizing.

Manual Optimization Tips

Here are some pro tips for manually optimizing images in WordPress:

• Crop images tightly around their focal point to shave off unnecessary pixels.
• Use tools like ImageOptim or ShortPixel to compress images.
• Set JPEG quality between 60-80% for the best file size/quality ratio.
• Convert photos to progressive JPEGs for faster rendering.
• Remove EXIF data from image files to decrease file size.
• Enable WebP image support to serve next-gen image files.
• Create thumbnail and medium size copies for post images.
• Generate additional sizes like featured, header, etc. as needed.
• Regenerate thumbnails after changing image settings.

Taking the time to optimize your images manually will maximize site performance.

Image Optimization Checklist

To recap, here are some key tips to help you implement scaled images effectively on your WordPress site:

✅ Pick your optimization method – Optimole for convenience or manual for control.
✅ Audit current images – Evaluate existing image sizes and file types.
✅ Understand template requirements – What image sizes do your theme templates utilize?
✅ Resize images before uploading – Use exact target dimensions.
✅ Compress images – Shrink file sizes without noticeably reducing quality.
✅ Convert to efficient formats – Use JPEG for photos, PNG for logos/illustrations.
✅ Enable WebP support – Serve next-gen WebP images where supported.
✅ Regenerate thumbnails – Update all images after changing settings.
✅ Lazy load offscreen images – Only load above-the-fold images initially.

Optimized images seem minor, but make a big difference in WordPress performance. I hope these tips help you serve perfectly scaled images on your site. Let me know if you have any other questions!