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WP-Optimize Releases WebP Image Compression Feature

by | Jun 28, 2023 | Plugin News

Automatic conversion of JPEG and PNG to WebP images

The latest version of WP-Optimize now features the option to automatically convert and compress images using the WebP image format. This optimized image format helps to ensure a fast, efficient page speed and positive user experience.

 

WebP images are up to 26% smaller compared to PNG

WebP images are a more modern alternative to JPEG and PNG images that provide superior lossless and lossy compression for website imagery. Through the use of WebP, images are rich and high in quality, but file sizes are smaller, up to 26% smaller when compared to PNG images. This results in a faster website, which has lots of benefits for SEO and user experience. Google recommends using WebP images for all your website imagery.

Previously, the WebP version of an image was only served if the image had already been compressed and converted within WP-Optimize.

Images are now converted automatically and served on-the-fly to web visitors

However, thanks to our On-The-Fly WebP update, that is no longer the case. Now, when a visitor comes to the site, WP-Optimize dynamically generates the WebP version of your site’s images and serves that instead. This process occurs for the first visitor only – subsequent visitors are directly served the WebP version of the image, leading to a faster, more efficient site and an improved user experience.

Notes and important information:

Compatibility and Server Requirements
This new feature only works on Apache/LiteSpeed servers, if all the required Apache modules are enabled by your hosting server.
Disabling the “On-the-Fly WebP Conversion” Feature
By default, if the WebP feature is enabled, the “On-the-Fly WebP Conversion” feature is also enabled. Most users will benefit from this feature, so we haven’t provided an option to disable it on the settings panel. If you still want to disable it, just add the following line to your website’s wp-config.php file:

define( ‘WPO_DISABLE_WEBP_ON_DEMAND’, true );
How to Verify if the Feature is Working
To check if the feature is working, navigate to the wp-content/uploads/ directory using FTP. If you do not see an .htaccess file, it means the feature is not working. If you see an .htaccess file, open it and check for the following code:

# BEGIN WP-Optimize WebP Rules

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>

………

# Redirect images to webp-on-demand.php (if browser supports webp)

RewriteCond %{HTTP_ACCEPT} image/webp

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} (?i)(.*)(\.jpe?g|\.png)$

RewriteRule (?i).*$ /wp-content/plugins/wp-optimize-premium/webp/webp-on-demand.php

………

</IfModule>

# END WP-Optimize WebP Rules

If you find this code, the feature is working correctly.

Fast, efficient, optimized website performance

WP-Optimize helps you to boost the performance of your WordPress website. It will shrink your database size, compress large images, clean up spam and unapproved comments, report on database tables with overhead and wasted space, and cache your site. The result is a leaner, faster, more organised website. Our Premium version features enhanced functionality, including multisite support, sophisticated scheduling options, and is compatible with campaign tracking queries like UTM tags If you think WP-Optimize could be the right solution for your website, you can learn more.

WebP – A new image format for WordPress, now available on WP-Optimize

by | Jun 10, 2022 | WP Optimize

With all the different image formats available for your WordPress site, it can be a little confusing when deciding which one is the right option. While most users have stuck to the tried and tested PNG or JPEG formats, a revolutionary new image format called WebP is now available.

WebP provides superior lossless and lossy compression for any images you add to your WordPress site. By using WebP, WordPress users can create image files that are not just smaller, but also allow your site to run and load faster.

When comparing WebP to other popular image upload format options, we can see how much of an improvement can be achieved by switching to this new format:

How does WebP Work?

If you upload an image using WebP, its lossy compression algorithm uses predictive coding when encoding the image. In using this predictive coding, it uses the values of the block of pixels next to each other to predict the value of the block and encode only the difference. For more detail of the compression technique, please check out this link.

WebP in WP-Optimize

While there may be existing plugins already on the WordPress market that enable you to upload in the WebP format, WP-Optimize uses a different process that is not only much quicker, but also much easier to carry out. With other plugins, you have to go through the complicated process of having to select the converter (to convert from JPEG/PNG to WebP) and the method to serve the WebP files. With the WP-Optimize WebP upload method, we offer a simple one click solution. So when users select the WebP format for their images, conversion can be done there and then automatically when uploading or compressing images.

WP-Optimze WebP settings

Conclusion

Given how important the loading speed of your site is for your SEO score, WordPress users cannot afford to miss out on the big savings that can be made by using the WebP format with WP-Optimize. Download and install WP-Optimize today to start using this feature and improving your WordPress site.