How to Serve Scaled Images to Improve Website Performance

PageSpeed: Serve scaled images

Images are a great way to add visual interest and engagement to your website. However, large images can slow down your website’s loading time, which can frustrate users and lead to them abandoning your site.

PageSpeed Insights is a free tool from Google that helps you identify and fix performance issues on your website. One of the recommendations that PageSpeed may make is to serve scaled images. This means serving images in the smallest size that is still large enough to be displayed clearly on your website.

There are a few different ways to serve scaled images. One way is to use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a network of servers that are located all over the world. When a user visits your website, the image will be served from the CDN server that is closest to them. This can help to improve the loading time of your website.

Another way to serve scaled images is to use a technique called sprites. A sprite is a single image that contains multiple smaller images. When a user visits your website, the browser will only download the sprite image. The browser will then use CSS to display the individual images from the sprite image. This can help to reduce the number of HTTP requests that are made, which can improve the loading time of your website.

Finally, you can also serve scaled images by manually resizing them using an image editor. This is the most time-consuming method, but it gives you the most control over the final size and quality of the images.

Benefits of serving scaled images

There are a number of benefits to serving scaled images, including:

  • Improved loading time: Serving scaled images can help to improve the loading time of your website. This is because the browser will only download the image in the size that is needed. This can help to reduce the number of HTTP requests that are made, which can improve the loading time of your website.
  • Reduced bandwidth usage: Serving scaled images can help to reduce bandwidth usage. This is because the browser will only download the image in the size that is needed. This can help to save you money on your hosting costs.
  • Improved user experience: Serving scaled images can improve the user experience. This is because users will not have to wait for large images to load. This can help to keep users engaged with your website.

How to serve scaled images

There are a number of ways to serve scaled images. Here are a few of the most common methods:

  • Use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a network of servers that are located all over the world. When a user visits your website, the image will be served from the CDN server that is closest to them. This can help to improve the loading time of your website.
  • Use sprites. A sprite is a single image that contains multiple smaller images. When a user visits your website, the browser will only download the sprite image. The browser will then use CSS to display the individual images from the sprite image. This can help to reduce the number of HTTP requests that are made, which can improve the loading time of your website.
  • Manually resize images. This is the most time-consuming method, but it gives you the most control over the final size and quality of the images.

Conclusion

Serving scaled images is a great way to improve the loading time of your website and improve the user experience. There are a number of different ways to serve scaled images, so choose the method that is best for you.