In a previous SEO and the Author series post (see the link below in More to Read), I talked about how to optimize your website images. However, I didn’t touch on what the size of the image files can do to your site.
For the average author website, most use JPGs or PNGs for their images. The problem that may arise is the size of the file. The larger the file the slower the website.
So, why should you care about your website speed?
Because of Google, of course.
When your website takes a long time to load, and we’re talking just an extra few seconds, it affects your website speed.
One of the things Google looks at when they decide to list your site in a search result is the speed of your website. A factos that effects how quickly or slowly your site will load is the size of the images you use.
If your site is slow to load, people who land on it won’t bother waiting – they’ll just leave. This is considered a bounce.
Google monitors your bounce rate. If a lot of visitors bounce (leaves your site before it loads or leaves very quickly for other reasons), Google will note that you have a high bounce rate which means poor performance.
According to MOZ, “A poor performing website results in a poor user experience, and sites with poor user experiences deserve less promotion in search results.” (1)
Okay, that was a bit of a sidetrack, but I wanted you to understand the importance of speed and your website.
Back to Images
Going back to images, the longer an image or images take to load, the slower your website will be. So, when deciding whether to use a JPG or PNG, go for the JPG.
If you’re wondering why, it’s because PNG files are much larger than JPG files, sometimes double the size for the same image.
This means that PNG images take longer to load.
According to Thrive Themes, “Even on a fast connection, large image files can take several seconds to load. And when it comes to website speed and conversion rates, you don't have several seconds to spare [. . .] Loading several, large, uncompressed images can slow your pages down to an absolute crawl and that will send your bounce rate through the roof.” (2)
Why would anyone use PNG images?
While in most cases, the JPG and PNG images may look similar, the PNG files are clearer, crisper. For some sites this difference makes a difference. But for most of your uses, it’s not worth the extra load time and space taken on your computer.
For a more comprehensive look at images types and sizes, read:
(1) How Website Speed Actually Impact Search Ranking
(2) Image Type and Size for Fast Websites
TO READ THE ALL THE ARTICLES IN THE SEO AND THE AUTHOR SERIES, GO TO:
http://www.writersonthemove.com/p/workshops.html
If you’d like more writing tips or help with your children’s story, check out: Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.
If you need help with your author platform, check out Karen's e-classes through WOW:
MORE TO READ
SEO and the Author P6 - Image Optimization
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Build a Successful Online Business: 5 Must-Know Steps
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