Three Efficient Ways to Utilize WebP Images in WordPress

WebP is an innovative image file format designed for the Web. With the WebP format, image file sizes can be reduced by 25-34%, which is a significant optimization compared to traditional PNG and JPEG formats without sacrificing image quality.WebP images not only help accelerate the loading speed of WordPress websites, but also work in tandem with WordPress caching plugins, CDNs, and other highly efficient tools to further improve website performance.

Happily, starting from WordPress version 5.8, the system already supports WebP images by default, which means that users can directly save and upload WebP images to their WordPress websites without the need to install additional plugins. However, in order to better utilize the advantages brought by the WebP format, many users still choose to use a special WebP image plugin to enhance and optimize the image processing function of their WordPress websites.

I. EWWW Image Optimizer

EWWW Image Optimizer plugin is one of the very best image compression tools for WordPress, which can easily help you optimize the images on your website. This plugin not only supports WebP image formats, but also automatically displays these images in WebP-enabled browsers, allowing your website to load faster and have a better user experience.

To use the EWWW Image Optimizer plugin, you need to install and enable it. After installation, go to the "EWWW Image Optimizer" page under the "Settings" menu, where you can configure various options for the plugin. If you are not familiar with the configuration process, you can follow the installation wizard step by step. Of course, if you already know how to do it, you can click the "I know what I'm doing" link to skip the wizard and go directly to the configuration screen. In this way, you can easily use EWWW Image Optimizer plugin to optimize your WordPress images.

On the next screen, you can see some plugin options. Scroll down and check the box next to the "WebP Conversion" option.

Next, click the "Save Changes" button to save your settings. Then, keep scrolling down to the "WebP Conversions" section. Here, the plugin will show you some rewrite rules with red preview images. You just need to click on the "Insert Rewrite Rules" button and the plugin will automatically try to add these rules to your .htaccess file. In this way, your website will be able to better utilize the WebP image format to further improve loading speed and user experience.

If the plugin successfully adds these rules, the red image preview will change to green with "WebP" text.

Sometimes, the plugin may not be able to insert rewrite rules automatically. In this case, you need to copy these rules from the plugin's settings page and paste them manually to the end of the .htaccess file. Once you're done, go back to the plugin's settings page and click the "Save Changes" button again. If the preview image turns green, you have successfully enabled WebP image delivery on your WordPress site.

In addition to using the .htaccess method, you have the option of two WebP rewriting methods, JS WebP Rewriting or . Although they may be slightly slower, they can do the same job of delivering WebP images. You can choose the appropriate method according to your needs and preferences.

II. Imagify

Imagify is another highly respected WordPress image optimization plugin, crafted by the development team of the well-known WordPress cache optimization plugin WP Rocket. This plugin automatically helps you compress and resize images uploaded to your WordPress site to make your site load faster. What's even more impressive is that it also converts images to WebP format, allowing users of browsers that support WebP to enjoy a more efficient image loading experience. To add WebP image support to your WordPress website using the Imagify plugin, all you need to do is to install the plugin from WordPress.org and add the API key to activate it, which is very easy and convenient.

After enabling the plug-in, select "General Settings" in the plug-in settings interface for WebP optimization settings.

To enable WebP images, scroll down to the "Optimization" section and find the "WebP Format" section:

• Check "Create webp versions of images".
• Check the "Display images in webp format..." box.

III. ShortPixel

ShortPixel is a very popular WordPress image optimization plugin. It not only automatically resizes and compresses the images you upload to your WordPress site, but also converts them to WebP format so that users of WebP-enabled browsers can enjoy a smoother image loading experience.ShortPixel also offers a free basic version plan that optimizes about 100 images per month for free. If you need to optimize more images, there are also paid packages available starting at $4.99 per month (which optimizes 5,000 images), or you can choose to optimize 10,000 images for a one-time payment of $9.99.ShortPixel is a practical and affordable image optimization tool that is perfect for WordPress websites.

ShortPixel Image Optimization Amount can be used on any website, there is no limit to the number of sites, and all sites can share the same ShortPixel account. If you want to use ShortPixel on your WordPress site, just install the plugin from WordPress.org and add the API key (which you can get by signing up for a free ShortPixel account). This way, you can easily enjoy the image optimization services brought by ShortPixel.

In the " General " tab, you can set the basic settings for how picture optimization works. For example, which compression level to use and whether to resize images:

To enable WebP images, go to the Advanced tab and:

• Check the "WebP Images" box.
• Check the "Deliver the WebP versions..." box. " box. (appears after the first box is checked)
• Check the "Using the tag syntax" radio button (shown after checking the previous box)
• Keep the default "Only via WordPress hooks selection".

summarize

WebP format has become a powerful tool to improve the performance of WordPress websites due to its excellent compression ability and backward compatibility. Since WordPress 5.8, WebP has been natively supported, allowing users to upload images in WebP format without the need for additional plug-ins, greatly simplifying the process. In addition, through optimization plug-ins such as EWWW Image Optimizer, Imagify and ShortPixel, users can not only automatically convert images to WebP format, but also take advantage of the plug-ins to provide a variety of features to further enhance the site's loading speed and overall performance.