Images are a major component in optimizing your website because they have a large impact on site speed and overall performance. If there are too many images on a page or the images are too large, the time it takes for the website to load significantly increases, making it more likely that a potential customer will close your site and search for their information elsewhere.

By optimizing your images and using progressive JPEGs, you can lower your page speed, improve user experience, and increase conversions.

The Difference Between Baseline and Progressive JPEGs

Baseline JPEGs are normal images that load from the bottom to the top, making it impossible to see the full image until the entire file has loaded. The image loads in full resolution line-by-line, so, while the quality of the partially-loaded image may be great, users can’t tell what the image is, meaning they are not getting all of the information.

A progressive JPEG, on the other hand, appears immediately as a lower resolution image and then loads the entire image in successions until the image is in full resolution. Instead of loading in segments, the entire image is immediately visible, making it appear to load faster.

Progressive JPEGs Create a Better User Experience

Baseline JPEGs cause several problems for the user. The images are larger files than progressive JPEGs, slowing down the page speed. In addition, because the baseline JPEGs load from the bottom, there is significant white space left on the page until the full image has loaded. This makes it feel like the page loads even slower than it really does. Progressive JPEGs amend these issues and provide other additional benefits as well. Using progressive JPEGs is ideal because:

Smaller File Size and Faster Load Speed

Progressive JPEGs are 2% to 10% smaller than baseline JPEGs, reducing the amount of time it takes for your website to load. The smaller the file size, the quicker and more efficient the requests to the server are. Users, especially those on mobile devices or with a slower internet connection, will have a much better experience with progressive JPEGs. Your site will load faster, and the user will be able to take in all the information immediately, even if the image hasn’t completely loaded.

Visual Appearance of Faster Load Speed

This also improves the overall visual appeal of the website. Instead of white space that distracts and frustrates potential customers, progressive jpegs immediately load a full image, though blurry, that gives the feeling of faster load speeds. The full images fill in space on the page and help it to feel more complete.

Browser Compatibility

Another major benefit of progressive JPEGs is their high compatibility with various browsers. All of the popular browsers like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox are compatible with progressive JPEGs, as well as lesser used browsers like Opera. Even if your website is viewed with a browser that is not compatible, the image will still load. The image will only be visible once it is fully loaded, however.

Contact Ecreative Today to Optimize Your Website

Having a website is essential today and designing a website that is user-friendly is even more important. Ecreative can optimize your website with progressive JPEGs and other measures to improve page speed and overall responsiveness. This will increase your traffic and overall conversion. To learn more about how we can help optimize your website or to start utilizing progressive JPEGs, contact Ecreative today.