How to Optimize Image Loading to Improve WordPress Website Performance

Loading large images can significantly lengthen page load times, which in turn affects the user's browsing experience and can even affect SEO rankings. To optimize image loading, many WordPress users use page builder tools such as Elementor. In this article, we'll go over how to optimize image loading with Elementor, the steps to enable and disable the feature, the principle of delayed loading and its benefits.

Why optimize image loading?

The purpose of optimizing image loading is to reduce the initial load time of a page and gradually load additional images as the user scrolls through the page. This technique is calleddelayed loading(Lazy Loading), which reduces resource usage for initial loading by loading images only when the user needs to view them. This not only speeds up page opening, but also saves bandwidth and reduces server resource consumption.

By optimizing image loading, the following benefits can be achieved:

• Improve the performance of your website, especially loading speed on mobile devices.
• Improve the user experience by allowing users to see page content faster.
• Increase search engine rankings because search engines prefer sites that load quickly.
• Reduce server bandwidth usage and save costs.

How to Enable and Disable Image Loading Optimization in Elementor

If building a WordPress site with Elementor, you can optimize image loading with a simple setting. Here are the exact steps to enable and disable this feature:

1. Login to WordPress Admin
2. Navigate to Elementor Settings: From the WP Admin (WordPress backend) menu, navigate to the Elementor > SettingsThe

3. Go to the Performance tab: In the Settings panel on the right, click "performances"Tab.

4. Enable or disable optimized image loading: In "performances" tab, find the "Optimized image loading"Options. Here there is a drop down menu to choose to enable or disable this feature.

5. Save changes: After selecting your settings, click "Save Changes" button to save your configuration.

When Image Optimized Loading is enabled, Elementor automatically detects the images on the page that take the longest to load and loads them first. Typically, this optimization reduces the page load time by 5% until (a time) 10%The effect is especially noticeable on websites that contain a large number of high-resolution images.

How to use delayed loading in WordPress?

To enable delayed loading in WordPress, you can use a variety of methods, including using theplug-in (software component)maybeAdd code manually. Here are some ways to enable delayed loading:

1. Use the features that come with Elementor: If you use the Elementor ProElementor will automatically optimize image loading in the background without the need for an additional plugin.

2. Use plug-ins: If you don't use Elementor or need more control, you can choose to use some specializedplug-in (software component)to implement delayed loading. Example:
   • Lazy Load by WP Rocket: This is a lightweight delayed loading plugin, just enable the plugin to automatically delay loading images.
   • a3 Lazy Load: This plugin offers more customization options for theimagery,videorespond in singing iframe Content enabled for delayed loading.
3. Manually realized: For advanced users, delayed loading can be achieved by adding code manually. In WordPress, this can be done in the theme's functions.php file by adding the JavaScript code to achieve the delayed loading effect.

document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
  var lazyImages = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll("img.lazy"));

  if ("IntersectionObserver" in window) {
    let lazyImageObserver = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries, observer) {
      entries.forEach(function(entry) {
        if (entry.isIntersecting) {
          let lazyImage = entry.
          lazyImage.src = lazyImage.dataset.src;
          lazyImage.classList.remove("lazy");
          lazyImageObserver.unobserve(lazyImage);
        }
      });
    });

    lazyImages.forEach(function(lazyImage) {
      lazyImageObserver.observe(lazyImage);
    }); }
  } else {
    // Fallback for browsers without IntersectionObserver
    lazyImages.forEach(function(lazyImage) {
      lazyImage.src = lazyImage.dataset.src; }); }
    }); }
  }
});

Adding this code to your page's JS file will allow the image to load when it enters the viewport.

Potential problems and solutions for delayed loading

While delayed loading offers many benefits to improve website performance, it can also cause some problems:

1. SEO Question: If delayed loading is implemented incorrectly, it may cause search engines to fail to crawl the image. To fix this, make sure your delayed loading implementation is compatible with Google's crawling tools or use a plugin that supports SEO.
2. Delayed loading is excessive: Delayed loading of too many images may cause users to wait for them to load while scrolling the page, affecting the user experience. To avoid this issue, make sure that delayed loading is enabled only for non-critical images, not the main image at the top of the page.
3. Browser compatibility: Not all browsers support delayed loading, so compatibility issues need to be considered when implementing it. Modern browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge support the delayed loading property natively, but older browsers may require additional polyfill support.

summarize

Image loading optimization is critical to improving WordPress website performance and user experience. Optimize your website's performance and user experience byUse Elementor's built-in image optimization features, or use plug-ins and code, you can easily implement delayed loading. This not only improves the responsiveness of your website, but also helps you save bandwidth and improve SEO rankings. For best results, be sure to configure the delayed loading feature correctly to avoid impacting SEO and user experience.