Optimize Images for the Web

Before uploading images to your website, take a few moments to optimize them first.

Optimizing images improves page load speed, mobile performance, accessibility, and search engine optimization (SEO). Large images can slow down your website, increase data usage for mobile visitors, and negatively impact search rankings.

Modern smartphones and cameras often produce images that are 3,000–8,000 pixels wide and several megabytes in size. These images should almost always be resized before being uploaded to a website.

Crop and Resize Images

Large images are one of the most common causes of slow-loading web pages.

Image Size Guidelines

The following recommendations provide general guidance for optimizing images before uploading them to your website. In most cases, images larger than these dimensions provide little additional benefit while increasing file size and page load times.

Images in the Main Body area

• Longest side (width or height): 1,000 pixels or less
• 300 KB or smaller when possible

Images in full-width sections (Featured Content and Bottom Content areas)

• Width: 3,000 pixels or less
• 800 KB or smaller when possible

Keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Some images may need to be larger or smaller depending on how they are being used. The goal is to use the smallest image that still looks sharp and professional on the page.

Why Crop and Resize Images?

• Reduces file size
• Improves page load speed
• Improves mobile performance
• Reduces bandwidth usage
• Creates a better user experience
• Improves SEO, since page speed is a search ranking factor

Crop Images to Improve Composition

Cropping is not just about reducing file size. It can also improve the appearance of an image by removing unnecessary background elements and focusing attention on the subject.

Before uploading an image, consider whether any unnecessary areas can be cropped away.

Use Descriptive File Names

Before uploading an image, give it a short, descriptive file name.

File Name Best Practices

Search engines use image file names, alt text, and surrounding page content to help understand what an image represents. Descriptive file names can improve SEO and make your media library easier to manage.

• Use descriptive words that identify the subject of the image.
• Use lowercase letters.
• Use hyphens (-) between words.
• Avoid spaces and underscores (_).