As an experienced WordPress webmaster, I always look for ways to optimize my sites for maximum speed and performance. One of the best things you can do is use next-generation WebP image files.
In this comprehensive beginner‘s guide, I‘ll explain what WebP is, why it‘s valuable, and easy ways to implement it in WordPress.
Contents
What is WebP and Why Should You Use It?
WebP is a modern image format designed to significantly reduce file sizes without degrading quality.
Key Benefits of WebP:
- Up to 25-35% smaller files than JPEG or PNG
- Faster page speeds from reduced image weights
- Lower bandwidth usage and web hosting resource demands
- Improved SEO through faster load times
- Smoother user experience with quicker visual loading
Let‘s compare some examples:
| Image Type | File Size |
|---|---|
| JPEG | 1.54 MB |
| WebP | 1.02 MB |
For the same high quality 1088px × 1500px image, WebP shrinks the file size by 34% compared to JPEG. This adds up to massive savings across all your site‘s images.
According to Cloudinary, WebP can reduce image payloads by up to 70%. For image-heavy sites, this results in enormous performance and speed gains.
As a webmaster, I love WebP because it provides a huge speed boost without sacrificing visual quality. Your images remain crisp and flawless, just in a much lighter file format.
However, WebP is still relatively new, so it lacks support in some older browsers like IE. But most modern browsers now support it, like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Android and iOS.
Overall, I highly recommend WebP for any WordPress site looking to improve performance. The faster load times are well worth the small compatibility trade-off.
Now let‘s go over the best ways to add WebP images within WordPress…
Method 1: Using WebP Images in WordPress with EWWW Image Optimizer
The EWWW Image Optimizer is my plugin of choice for WebP optimization. With over 3 million active installs, EWWW is trusted and proven.
Upon installing, go to Settings → EWWW Image Optimizer and enable the "WebP Conversion" option.
This instructs EWWW to automatically generate WebP versions of your JPEGs and PNGs. It‘s a simple one-click setup.
EWWW offers multiple ways to serve WebP images to supported browsers:
-
.htaccess– Adds rewrite rules to serve WebP images. Fastest method but requires .htaccess access. -
JS WebP Rewriting– Uses JavaScript to detect browser and serve WebP files. Slower but more widely compatible. -
WebP Rewriting– HTML5<picture>tags to deliver WebP images. Slower than JS but widely supported.
I recommend trying the .htaccess option first, for max speed. If that doesn‘t work with your site, JS or HTML rewriting are great alternatives.
EWWW also includes bulk conversion tools to re-optimize your entire media library to WebP:
From the Media → Library page, use the bulk optimization feature. This will quickly convert all your images to lightweight WebP versions.
Overall, EWWW Image Optimizer is my top choice for seamless WebP integration. The bulk tools make it easy to optimize your existing image library too.
Method 2: Convert to WebP Images with Imagify Plugin
Imagify is another excellent WebP-focused image optimizer. With over 300,000 installs, Imagify is a WordPress mainstay.
Upon installing and activating Imagify, go to Settings → Imagify and enable:
- "Create webp versions of images"
- "Display images in next-gen formats"
Similar to EWWW, this automatically generates WebP copies of your JPEG, PNG, and GIF files.
For serving the WebP files, you can choose between:
.htaccessfile rewriting- HTML
<picture>tags
I suggest trying .htaccess first for maximal compatibility. The HTML tags method works great as a fallback option.
The Imagify bulk optimization tool under Media → Bulk Optimization lets you mass convert existing images with one click.
Overall, Imagify provides an easy way to implement WebP images in WordPress. And their bulk optimizer is blazing fast for large libraries.
Method 3: SiteGround Optimizer Plugin for SiteGround Users
If you use SiteGround WordPress hosting, the SG Optimizer plugin is purpose-built to optimize your site.
It includes simple WebP configuration:
-
Install and activate the SG Optimizer plugin
-
In settings, turn on "Generate WebP Copies of New Images" under the Media Optimization tab
-
Click on "Bulk Generate WebP Files" to convert your entire library
And you‘re done! SG Optimizer makes WebP optimization seamless and easy for SiteGround users.
Validating Your Site is Serving WebP Images
Once enabled, here are two ways you can confirm your WordPress site is delivering WebP images:
-
Check file extensions – Open any image in a new tab and look for ".webp" at the end of the URL
-
Browser developer tools – Inspect network requests and validate webp files are loading
There are also online page speed tools like PageSpeed Insights and webpagetest.org that will flag if your site is using WebP image formats.
So give one of these plugins a try and experience the speed gains of WebP images! Let me know if you have any other questions.
