1 5.12 Why Some Images Load Slower Than Others
Have you ever visited a website where it feels as if the images are loading a bit slower than others even when you know that you have the best internet connection the world has to offer? The problem might not be an unstable internet connection the images themselves that are causing them to load slower.
Imagify writer Marine Larmier’s article “6 Reasons Your Images Are Slowing Down Your Website (And How To Fix it)” goes over some reasons as to why images can cause website images or is causing your website images to load slower while providing solutions. Larmier’s six reasons as to why some images are loading slow and her solutions to these problems are as follows:
Images Are Too Large
Using too many high resolution images can effect their load speeds. The solution for images that are too large is to use reliable image compression applications. Thankfully there are multiple free websites that help you change image resolution without giving up quality.
Images Have Unspecified Dimensions
It is important to scale images. You don’t want to have an image that is too big or too small. Having a browser scale an image automatically can cause an image to load slower. One solution for this is to tell the browser your desired width and height by using the <img> attribute when customizing your image.
Images Are Not Optimized According To The Device
If the images on your website are not optimized accordingly, certain devices such as tablets and smartphones can have a difficult time loading them. You can fix this by appropriately scaling an image or if you have a WordPress website, you can use the tools available to make sure your image is optimized for all devices.
The Browser Starts Loading Images All At Once
Browsers automatically start trying to load everything at the same time, the more images you have the longer it will take for them to load. You can prioritize which images should be loaded first by using certain plugins.
You Are Using Heavy Formats
Using formats like a Tagged Image File (TIFF) or a Bitmap Image File can cause slow load times because they are uncompressed. An uncompressed format or file will have a more detailed picture at the cost of using more data and storage space. Using Portable Network Graphics (PNG) or Joint Photographic Experts Groups (JPEG/JPG) can help reduce load times. Don’t forget that compressing images can also help with loading times.
Your Cache Doesn’t Store Images
A cache is a hardware or software that is used as storage, usually for data. If you don’t have a cache storage, then the user will have to wait for the images to download over an internet connection. Using certain plugins or a temporary local folder can help solve this problem.
Closing Thoughts
When it comes to a website or blog images are a must. Images can help you get a message across and can let the reader know what they should expect as they continue reading your post. If you want to learn more about different image formats and go in-depth as to how they work, I recommend checking out J. David Eisenberg’s course “HTML: Images and Figures” over at LinkedIn Learning.
Note: This chapter is a revised version of a blog post titled “Why Some Images Load Slower Than Others” on A Web Publisher’s Odyssey.
