Image compression refers to the process of compressing digital images to reduce the file size without affecting the quality and clarity of the image.
When a website is being accessed, the information must be sent from a server, which includes all the images on that page. Each image must be requested, transferred, and downloaded before being displayed. Image compression speeds up this process, allowing your site to load faster, leading to a better user experience and higher ranking in search engine results.
There are many different methods of image compression, but the most common is JPEG. JPEG compression works by reducing the number of colors in an image. PNG is another type of image compression and uses lossless compression/loss of quality to shrink images.
Image compression is important for website speed and search engine optimization. Slow loading websites are a major turn off for users and can lead to higher bounce rates. Images often account for the majority of a website's file size, so compressing them can have a significant impact/improvement on overall site performance.
What are the benefits of Image Compression?
The main benefit of image compression is that it reduces the amount of storage space required to store an image, as well as reducing the time it takes to transmit or upload the image. Additionally, compressing images can improve website performance and reduce page loading times.
What types of Image Compression are there?
There are two main types of image compression – lossy and lossless. Lossy compression involves discarding some data from the original image in order to reduce its size, while lossless compression retains all data from the original file but still reduces its size by applying algorithms to compress it.
Fun Fact:
"Image compression is used to reduce the size of an image file without sacrificing quality. According to a survey conducted by Adobe in 2018, 97% of digital marketers use image compression for their online content" (Adobe, 2018).