Which formats are gaining acceptance today
For Web is WebP the current standard - smaller files than JPG with the same quality. AVIF is even more efficient, but not supported everywhere. Classic JPG still works as a fallback.
For transparent logos or graphics: SVG (scalable, small) or PNG for pixel-based images.
Choose the right sizes
Hero images: max. 1920px width. Content images: 800-1200px. Thumbnails: 300-500px. More is a waste - most screens don't show everything anyway.
If your CMS (e.g. WordPress) automatically generates responsive srcsets, leave this activated. This way, mobile users get smaller versions and desktop users get larger ones.
Compression without loss of quality
JPG quality 80-85 is sufficient for web in almost every case - this saves 30-50% file size without visible loss. Tools like Squoosh, ShortPixel, Imagify or TinyPNG automate this.
WebP allows additional 25-35% savings. Activate this in your CMS or via a plugin. You are also welcome to contact us about Werbesofa.de because we can help you very well with this.
Lazy loading & caching
Activate lazy loading (`loading=“lazy“`) for all images below the fold - they only load when the user scrolls. This improves Core Web Vitals and Google ranking.
CDN + aggressive caching (Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, WP Rocket) result in shorter loading times worldwide.
Alt texts for SEO and accessibility
Every picture needs a meaningful alt textshort, descriptive, with context. Example instead of „img1.jpg“: „Employee talking to customer in the workshop - Schepers Photography“. Helps search engines and people with screen readers.
Core Web Vitals and SEO impact
Since 2021, Google has been evaluating the Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. Images play a central role here: the largest visible image in the first viewport determines the ranking. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint). If it is too large or loads too slowly, the ranking drops.
📌 My standard for image rights
At Schepers Photography you get the following as standard full rights of use to all images supplied - unlimited in time, unlimited geographically, for all your own media (website, social media, print, press relations, career, annual report). No extra charge, no small print. An exception only applies if, before the shoot otherwise agreed in writing This happens very rarely.
Also a Copyright attribution is not mandatory. So you don't have to name me as the photographer if it doesn't fit the layout. My experience: If a picture is good, people will ask who took it. You can find more details about my license philosophy at Image rights & rights of use.
Specifically: a hero image over 500 KB already noticeably lowers the LCP score. An image over 1 MB is almost a guarantee for poor mobile scores. Target: Hero images under 200 KB, content images under 100 KB.
With WebP and intelligent compression this is easily achieved - without any visible loss of quality.
CDN, caching and lazy loading
A Content Delivery Network (Cloudflare, BunnyCDN) delivers images from the geographically closest server. This significantly reduces latency for visitors in different regions.
Browser caching: Images are given long cache headers (e.g. 1 year). If you visit the page for the second time, nothing is reloaded.
Lazy LoadingWith `loading=“lazy“`, images only load when the user scrolls. This significantly improves the initial page load.
On WordPress sites, plugins such as WP Rocket, Imagify or SmashPixel (our own plugin) this optimization is automated.
Images with semantic SEO value
Beyond image optimization, images should Carry SEO value. This is done using three levers:
Make file names meaningful:
Instead of „IMG_1234.jpg“, use „fotograf-mitarbeiter-mannheim-werkstatt.jpg“. This is used as the context in the URL and when downloading.
And yes, we don't exclude ourselves, we make that mistake ourselves sometimes 😉
Alt text with context:
„Employee in conversation with customer in the workshop - Schepers Photography Mannheim“. Describes content + brand + region.
Caption:
If useful, a short caption with keywords. Google includes this in the context.
More on alt texts and SEO: my employee photos and industrial photography pages.
Inquire now - Schepers Photography
Do you need optimized images for your website or a relaunch? We provide you with ready-to-use image material in all relevant formats - with alt texts, multiple resolutions and WebP conversion included.