On July 14, 2022, Webflow announced support for WebP images. WebP images are better than traditional JPEGs and PNGs, and can improve site performance. WebP images are smaller in size, but maintain the same quality as their JPEG and PNG counterparts. In addition, WebP images are supported by all major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. As a result of these benefits, Webflow is encouraging its users to switch to WebP images. However, there are also downsides to using WebP images: they're not compatible with Internet Explorer. So, if you're still using IE, you'll need to stick with JPEGs and PNGs for now. But for everyone else, it's time to start using WebP images!
What are WebP images?
As a website owner, you're always looking for ways to improve your site's speed and performance. One way to do this is by using WebP images.
For years, the go-to image format for the web was JPEG. But JPEG has some serious drawbacks – namely, that it's a lossy format, which means that every time you save or compress a JPEG image, you're losing some of the original data. That can lead to noticeable artefacts and degradation over time. WebP is a newer image format that offers both lossless and lossy compression. That means you can choose to compress an image without losing any data (lossless), or you can trade some data loss for smaller file size (lossy). Lossy methods can provide high degrees of compression and result in smaller compressed files, but some number of the original pixels, sound waves or video frames are removed forever. Examples are the widely used JPEG image, MPEG video and MP3 audio formats. The greater the compression, the smaller the file. So if you're looking for an image format that offers better compression with no data loss, WebP is worth considering.
According to developers.google.com WebP images can be up to 34% smaller than JPEG images, and they load faster too. This means that your website's pages will load quicker and your visitors will have a better experience.
What are the pros of using WebP images?
There are both pros and cons to using WebP images on your website
The main advantage of WebP is that it can significantly reduce the size of your image files without compromising quality. In fact, WebP typically achieves a 40% reduction in file size compared to JPEG. This means that your pages will load faster and your visitors will have a better experience browsing your website. WebP’s enhanced compression also means less storage space. This is crucial for sites that host a large number of images, and could even save you money on your web hosting. WebP is the only image format that supports the transparent backgrounds of PNG and the animation capabilities of GIF, not to mention it outshines JPEG’s compression.
What are the cons of using WebP images?
While WebP does have some advantages, there are also a few potential drawbacks to consider. One is that not all browsers support the format yet, so some visitors may not be able to view your images. There is a workaround that involves creating a fallback image in HTML, but creating a whole other file as a backup sometimes negates all the extra storage space you save using WebP in the first place.
Additionally, WebP is a great format... most of the time. It's newer, so there are still some bugs that need to be worked out. Despite these flaws, WebP is still a solid format that has a lot of potential. Hopefully, as it continues to be developed, these issues will be sorted out and we can all enjoy the benefits of this efficient image format.
Should I use WebP images on your website?
When it comes to using WebP images on your website, it’s ultimately up to you. However, if you’re looking for ways to improve your website’s speed and performance, then WebP is definitely a great option. Just keep in mind that there are both pros and cons to using WebP images, so you should weigh them carefully before making a decision. If you do decide to use WebP images, make sure to also create fallback images in HTML in case some of your visitors can't view them. By taking all of these factors into consideration, you can make the best decision for your website.
