{"id":554,"date":"2026-06-09T16:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T11:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/?p=554"},"modified":"2026-06-09T17:37:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:07:15","slug":"common-image-issues-pagespeed-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/common-image-issues-pagespeed-insights\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Image Issues Found in Google PageSpeed Insights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script data-wp-block-html=\"js\">\ndocument.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {\n    document.querySelectorAll('.copy-btn').forEach(function(button) {\n\n        button.addEventListener('click', function() {\n            const code = this.nextElementSibling.querySelector('code').textContent;\n\n            navigator.clipboard.writeText(code);\n\n            this.textContent = 'Copied!';\n\n            setTimeout(() => {\n                this.textContent = 'Copy';\n            }, 2000);\n        });\n\n    });\n});\n<\/script>\n\n<div class=\"tldr-box\">\n    <p><strong>TL;DR:<\/strong> Many PageSpeed Insights performance issues are image-related. Oversized files, improperly\n        sized images, missing next-gen formats, layout shifts, and poor loading strategies can slow pages and hurt Core\n        Web Vitals. Understanding these warnings and fixing them correctly can significantly improve user experience,\n        page speed, and search visibility.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Images are often the <strong>largest assets on a webpage<\/strong>, which means they have a major influence on how\n    quickly a page loads and how users experience your site. While high-quality visuals can improve engagement,\n    improperly optimized images can significantly slow down performance, especially on mobile devices and slower\n    networks.<\/p>\n\n<p>As a result, many of the common image issues in Google PageSpeed Insights are directly related to how images are\n    compressed, sized, formatted, and loaded. Understanding these warnings and knowing how to fix them is essential for\n    improving <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/image-optimization-core-web-vitals\/\">Core Web Vitals<\/a>, page\n    speed, and overall website performance.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quick_Reference_PageSpeed_Insights_Image_Issues_and_Fixes\"><\/span>Quick Reference: PageSpeed Insights Image Issues and Fixes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;font-size:14px;\">\n\n    <thead>\n        <tr style=\"background:#ffeefa;\">\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">PageSpeed Insights Image Issue<\/th>\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">What It Means<\/th>\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Recommended Fix<\/th>\n        <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n\n    <tbody>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Serve images in next-gen formats<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Using older image formats<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Convert to WebP or AVIF<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Properly size images<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Images are larger than needed<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Serve responsive image sizes<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Efficiently encode images<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Images are not compressed enough<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Compress and optimize images<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Image elements do not have explicit width and height<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Browsers can&#8217;t reserve image space<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Add dimensions or aspect ratio<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Defer offscreen images<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Below-the-fold images load too early<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Use lazy loading<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Largest Contentful Paint image issues<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Hero image loads too slowly<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Compress, preload, and prioritize it<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Excessive image payload<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Total image weight is too high<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Reduce image sizes and quantity<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n    <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Google_PageSpeed_Insights_Flags_Image_Issues\"><\/span>Why Google PageSpeed Insights Flags Image Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagespeed.web.dev\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google PageSpeed Insights<\/a> flags image issues because images\n    are often among the largest and most resource-intensive assets on a webpage. When images are too large, poorly\n    compressed, improperly sized, or loaded inefficiently, they can slow down rendering, increase page weight, and\n    negatively affect user experience.<\/p>\n\n<p>To identify these performance issues, PageSpeed Insights analyzes how images are delivered, displayed, and loaded\n    across a page. Many of these image-related warnings are directly connected to Core Web Vitals, loading speed, and\n    user experience.<\/p>\n\n<p>Understanding why PageSpeed Insights reports these image warnings makes it easier to diagnose performance problems\n    and apply the right optimization techniques to improve page speed and Core Web Vitals. <\/p>\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Google_PageSpeed_Insights_Detects_Image_Performance_Problems\"><\/span>How Google PageSpeed Insights Detects Image Performance Problems <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>PageSpeed Insights combines real-world Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) data with Lighthouse audits to identify\n    performance issues.<\/p>\n\n<p>When evaluating images, Lighthouse looks for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Opportunities to <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/how-to-reduce-image-file-size\/\">reduce image file\n            sizes<\/a><\/li>\n    <li>Modern image formats<\/li>\n    <li>Responsive image delivery<\/li>\n    <li>Efficient loading behavior<\/li>\n    <li>Layout stability<\/li>\n    <li>Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) optimization<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many of the warnings users see under &#8220;Opportunities&#8221; and &#8220;Diagnostics&#8221; are directly related to image delivery and\n    rendering.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_the_Most_Common_Image_Issues_Found_in_Google_PageSpeed_Insights\"><\/span>What Are the Most Common Image Issues Found in Google PageSpeed Insights?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The most common image issues found in Google PageSpeed Insights include improperly sized images, inefficient image\n    encoding, missing width and height attributes, excessive image payloads, deferred offscreen images, outdated image\n    formats, and unoptimized Largest Contentful Paint images. These issues can slow page speed and negatively impact\n    Core Web Vitals.<\/p>\n\n<table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;font-size:14px;\">\n\n    <thead>\n        <tr style=\"background:#ffeefa;\">\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">PageSpeed Warning<\/th>\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Impact<\/th>\n        <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n\n    <tbody>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Serve images in next-gen formats<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Large files<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Properly size images<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Wasted bytes<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Efficiently encode images<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Poor compression<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Image elements do not have explicit width and height<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">CLS<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Defer offscreen images<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Slow loading<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">LCP image issues<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Poor LCP<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Excessive image payload<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Heavy pages<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n    <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Serve_Images_in_Next-Gen_Formats\"><\/span>1. Serve Images in Next-Gen Formats<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The &#8220;Serve images in next-gen formats&#8221; warning is one of the most common PageSpeed Insights image optimization\n    recommendations. Google recommends serving modern formats such as:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n    <li>WebP<\/li>\n    <li>AVIF<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>These formats typically provide substantially better compression than traditional <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/jpeg-vs-png\/\">JPEG and PNG<\/a> files while maintaining visual quality.\n<\/p>\n\n<p>Lighthouse identifies images that could achieve meaningful file-size savings if converted to <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/webp-vs-avif\/\">WebP or AVIF<\/a>, and estimates the potential reduction\n    in bytes transferred.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters\"><\/span><strong>Why It Matters:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Smaller images:<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Download faster<\/li>\n    <li>Reduce bandwidth consumption<\/li>\n    <li>Improve mobile performance<\/li>\n    <li>Help improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>In many cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/speed\/webp#:~:text=WebP%20lossy%20images%20are%2025%2D34%25%20smaller%20than%20comparable%20JPEG%20images\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WebP images are 25\u201334% smaller than equivalent JPEGs<\/a>. AVIF often achieves better compression\n    than WebP, but encoding times can be higher, and browser support should still be verified for older environments.\n<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/image-file-formats-guide\/\">modern image formats<\/a> whenever possible:\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;margin:20px 0;\">\n    <button class=\"copy-btn\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 10px; right: 10px; background: #fff; border: none; padding: 4px 12px; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 500; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: unset;\">\n        Copy\n    <\/button>\n    <pre><code>&lt;picture&gt;\n    &lt;source srcset=\"hero.avif\" type=\"image\/avif\"&gt;\n    &lt;source srcset=\"hero.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"&gt;\n    &lt;img src=\"hero.jpg\" alt=\"Hero Image\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"&gt;\n&lt;\/picture&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Many CMS platforms, CDNs, and image optimization services can automatically generate and serve modern formats.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Properly_Size_Images\"><\/span>2. Properly Size Images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Another frequent PageSpeed Insights image issue warning appears when a large image is displayed in a much smaller\n    container.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">For example<\/p>\n<table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;font-size:14px;\">\n\n    <thead>\n        <tr style=\"background:#ffeefa;\">\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Actual Image Size<\/th>\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Displayed Size<\/th>\n        <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n\n    <tbody>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2400px \u00d7 1600px<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">400px \u00d7 267px<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n    <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p>In this scenario, users download far more image data than necessary.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters-2\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Serving oversized images:<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Wastes bandwidth<\/li>\n    <li>Increases loading time<\/li>\n    <li>Slows mobile performance<\/li>\n    <li>Delays rendering<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It-2\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Create responsive image variants and use the srcset attribute:<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;margin:20px 0;\">\n    <button class=\"copy-btn\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 10px; right: 10px; background: #fff; border: none; padding: 4px 12px; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 500; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: unset;\">\n        Copy\n    <\/button>\n    <pre><code>&lt;img\n    src=\"image-800.webp\"\n    srcset=\"\n        image-400.webp 400w,\n        image-800.webp 800w,\n        image-1200.webp 1200w\"\n    sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 800px\"\n    alt=\"Example Image\"&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>This allows browsers to download only the image size required for the user&#8217;s device.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Efficiently_Encode_Images\"><\/span>3. Efficiently Encode Images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>PageSpeed Insights can identify images that could be compressed further without noticeable visual quality loss. This\n    often occurs when:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n    <li>JPEG quality settings are too high<\/li>\n    <li>PNG files contain unnecessary metadata<\/li>\n    <li>Images are exported directly from design software<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters-3\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n<p>Even small file-size reductions across dozens of images can significantly improve page weight.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It-3\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Before uploading:<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Compress images using modern optimization tools<\/li>\n    <li>Remove unnecessary metadata<\/li>\n    <li>Use lossy compression where appropriate<\/li>\n    <li>Test the visual quality after compression<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/\">Image Optimizer Pro<\/a> can automatically compress images,\n    remove unnecessary metadata, and reduce file sizes while preserving visual quality, making it easier to address\n    PageSpeed Insights compression recommendations. <\/p>\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Defer_offscreen_images\"><\/span>4. Defer offscreen images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The &#8220;Defer Offscreen Images&#8221; warning appears when images below the fold load immediately instead of waiting until\n    users scroll near them. Since these images are not visible during the initial page load, loading them upfront can\n    consume unnecessary bandwidth and browser resources.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters-4\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Loading offscreen images too early can increase page weight, slow initial rendering, and delay the loading of content\n    users see first.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It-4\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">How to Fix It<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Apply lazy loading to the below-the-fold images<\/li>\n    <li>Prioritize above-the-fold and LCP images<\/li>\n    <li>Avoid lazy loading critical images<\/li>\n    <li>Use responsive image delivery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/apply-lazy-loading-to-below-the-fold-images.png\" alt=\"Apply lazy loading to the below-the-fold images\">\n\n<p>This helps reduce unnecessary network requests and improves initial page load performance.<\/p>\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Largest_Contentful_Paint_LCP_Image_Issues\"><\/span>5. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Image Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Many websites unintentionally delay their most important image. Since the Largest Contentful Paint element is often\n    an image, poor loading behavior can significantly affect Core Web Vitals.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/largest-contentful-paint-lcp-image-issues.png\" alt=\"Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Image Issues\">\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Common problems include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Lazy-loading hero images<\/li>\n    <li>Missing preload directives<\/li>\n    <li>Low-priority image fetching<\/li>\n    <li>Excessively large image files<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters-5\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>LCP is one of Google&#8217;s Core Web Vitals metrics and directly measures perceived loading performance.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It-5\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Avoid lazy-loading above-the-fold images.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Instead:<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;margin:20px 0;\">\n    <button class=\"copy-btn\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 10px; right: 10px; background: #fff; border: none; padding: 4px 12px; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 500; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: unset;\">\n        Copy\n    <\/button>\n    <pre><code>&lt;img\n    src=\"hero.webp\"\n    fetchpriority=\"high\"\n    width=\"1200\"\n    height=\"800\"\n    alt=\"Hero Image\"&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">For critical hero images, preload them:<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;margin:20px 0;\">\n    <button class=\"copy-btn\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 10px; right: 10px; background: #fff; border: none; padding: 4px 12px; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 500; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: unset;\">\n        Copy\n    <\/button>\n    <pre style=\"padding: 10px 20px;\"><code>&lt;link rel=\"preload\" as=\"image\" href=\"hero.webp\"&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>This helps browsers prioritize important visual content earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Image_elements_do_not_have_explicit_width_and_height\"><\/span>6. Image elements do not have explicit width and height <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p>One of the most overlooked image loading issues is failing to define image dimensions. Without width and height\n    attributes, browsers cannot reserve space before images load, making it difficult to maintain a stable layout.<\/p>\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-elements-do-not-have-explicit-width-and-height.png\" alt=\"Image elements do not have explicit width and height\">\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters-6\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>This can cause unexpected layout shifts that contribute to poor Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) scores, resulting in\n    content that jumps around as images load. While specifying dimensions helps browsers allocate space correctly, using\n    the <a href=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/best-image-size-for-website\/\">best image size for website<\/a> layouts\n    also ensures images are displayed efficiently without unnecessary scaling or wasted bandwidth.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It-6\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Always specify image dimensions in your HTML:<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;margin:20px 0;\">\n    <button class=\"copy-btn\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 10px; right: 10px; background: #fff; border: none; padding: 4px 12px; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 500; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: unset;\">\n        Copy\n    <\/button>\n    <pre><code>&lt;img\n    src=\"product.webp\"\n    width=\"800\"\n    height=\"600\"\n    alt=\"Product\"&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>When possible, use image dimensions that closely match the actual display size on the page. Also, choose the best\n    image size to improve loading speed, website performance, and minimize layout instability.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Excessive_Image_Payload\"><\/span>7. Excessive Image Payload <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>An excessive image payload occurs when the total size of images on a page is larger than necessary. Even if\n    individual images are optimized, too many large images can significantly increase page weight and trigger PageSpeed\n    Insights warnings related to large network payloads.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/excessive-image-payload.png\" alt=\"Excessive Image Payload \">\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_It_Matters-7\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Large image payloads increase download time, consume more mobile data, and can slow page loading, especially for\n    users on slower connections.<\/p>\n\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_It-7\"><\/span>How to Fix It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">Whenever practical:<\/p>\n<ul>\n    <li>Compress images before uploading<\/li>\n    <li>Convert images to WebP or AVIF<\/li>\n    <li>Remove unnecessary or duplicate images<\/li>\n    <li>Serve responsive image sizes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>This helps reduce page weight, improve loading speed, and enhance Core Web Vitals performance.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_Image_Issues_Affect_Core_Web_Vitals\"><\/span>Which Image Issues Affect Core Web Vitals?\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p>Effective <strong>image optimization for Core Web Vitals<\/strong> affects all major performance metrics.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;font-size:14px;\">\n\n    <thead>\n        <tr style=\"background:#ffeefa;\">\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Core Web Vitals<\/th>\n            <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Image Impact<\/th>\n        <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n\n    <tbody>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">LCP<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Critical images often become the largest rendered element\n            <\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr style=\"background:#f9fafb;\">\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">CLS<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Missing dimensions can cause layout shifts<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">INP<\/td>\n            <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Images have minimal direct impact but can contribute\n                indirectly through resource competition<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n    <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p>For many websites, image optimization delivers some of the largest performance gains available because images often\n    represent the largest share of transferred page weight.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Practices_to_Optimize_Images_for_PageSpeed_Insights\"><\/span>Best Practices to Optimize Images for PageSpeed Insights<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When trying to <strong>optimize images for PageSpeed Insights<\/strong>, focus on a complete workflow:<\/p>\n\n<ol style=\"list-style: auto;\">\n    <li>Convert images to WebP or AVIF.<\/li>\n    <li>Serve responsive image sizes.<\/li>\n    <li>Compress images before upload.<\/li>\n    <li>Avoid lazy-loading LCP images.<\/li>\n    <li>Set width and height attributes.<\/li>\n    <li>Preload critical images.<\/li>\n    <li>Use CDN-based image delivery when possible.<\/li>\n    <li>Audit image performance regularly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>Following these practices addresses the most common PageSpeed Insights warnings related to images.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The most common image issues in Google PageSpeed Insights are usually tied to inefficient image delivery, oversized\n    assets, outdated formats, poor loading strategies, and missing layout controls. While these warnings may seem\n    technical, each one points to a practical opportunity to improve website performance.<\/p>\n\n<p>By addressing issues such as properly sizing images, serving images in next-gen formats, preventing layout shifts,\n    and optimizing image loading behavior, you can improve PageSpeed scores, strengthen Core Web Vitals, and create a\n    faster experience for users across all devices.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs\"><\/span>FAQs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<style>\n\t\t#faqsu-faq-list {\n\t\t\tbackground: #F0F4F8;\n\t\t\tborder-radius: 5px;\n\t\t\tpadding: 15px;\n\t\t}\n\t\t#faqsu-faq-list .faqsu-faq-single {\n\t\t\tbackground: #fff;\n\t\t\tpadding: 15px 15px 20px;\n\t\t\tbox-shadow: 0px 0px 10px #d1d8dd, 0px 0px 40px #ffffff;\n\t\t\tborder-radius: 5px;\n\t\t\tmargin-bottom: 1rem;\n\t\t}\n\t\t#faqsu-faq-list .faqsu-faq-single:last-child {\n\t\t\tmargin-bottom: 0;\n\t\t}\n\t\t#faqsu-faq-list .faqsu-faq-question {\n\t\t\tborder-bottom: 1px solid #F0F4F8;\n\t\t\tpadding-bottom: 0.825rem;\n\t\t\tmargin-bottom: 0.825rem;\n\t\t\tposition: relative;\n\t\t\tpadding-right: 40px;\n\t\t}\n\t\t#faqsu-faq-list .faqsu-faq-question:after {\n\t\t\tcontent: \"?\";\n\t\t\tposition: absolute;\n\t\t\tright: 0;\n\t\t\ttop: 0;\n\t\t\twidth: 30px;\n\t\t\tline-height: 30px;\n\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\tcolor: #c6d0db;\n\t\t\tbackground: #F0F4F8;\n\t\t\tborder-radius: 40px;\n\t\t\tfont-size: 20px;\n\t\t}\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t\n\t\t<section id=\"faqsu-faq-list\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/FAQPage\"><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q1_Why_does_Google_PageSpeed_Insights_flag_images\"><\/span>Q1. Why does Google PageSpeed Insights flag images?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Google flags images when they are larger than necessary, poorly compressed, served in outdated formats, improperly sized, or configured in ways that negatively affect loading performance and Core Web Vitals.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q2_What_does_%E2%80%9CServe_images_in_next-gen_formats%E2%80%9D_mean\"><\/span>Q2. What does &#8220;Serve images in next-gen formats&#8221; mean?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It means PageSpeed Insights detected images that could be served in modern formats such as WebP or AVIF, which generally provide better compression than JPEG or PNG.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q3_Do_image_issues_affect_Core_Web_Vitals\"><\/span>Q3. Do image issues affect Core Web Vitals?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes. Images directly influence Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and overall page responsiveness.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q4_What_image_format_is_recommended_by_Google\"><\/span>Q4. What image format is recommended by Google?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Google generally recommends modern formats such as WebP and AVIF because they provide superior compression and performance benefits.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q5_Can_image_optimization_improve_PageSpeed_scores\"><\/span>Q5. Can image optimization improve PageSpeed scores?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Absolutely. Image optimization is often one of the fastest ways to improve PageSpeed Insights scores because images frequently represent the largest downloadable assets on a webpage.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q6_Should_I_lazy-load_all_images\"><\/span>Q6. Should I lazy-load all images?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No. Only below-the-fold images should typically be lazy-loaded. Critical above-the-fold images should load immediately.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q7_How_do_oversized_images_affect_performance\"><\/span>Q7. How do oversized images affect performance?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oversized images force users to download unnecessary data, increasing page weight and slowing rendering.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q8_Do_image_dimensions_impact_SEO\"><\/span>Q8. Do image dimensions impact SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Indirectly, yes. Proper image dimensions help improve Core Web Vitals, which contribute to better user experience and search performance.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q9_Is_WebP_better_than_JPEG\"><\/span>Q9. Is WebP better than JPEG?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In most web scenarios, WebP offers smaller file sizes with similar visual quality, making it a preferred format for performance optimization.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"faqsu-faq-single\" itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"faqsu-faq-question\" itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Q10_How_often_should_I_audit_image_performance\"><\/span>Q10. How often should I audit image performance?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"faqsu-faq-answare\" itemprop=\"text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regular audits are recommended, especially after redesigns, CMS updates, theme changes, or major content additions.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR: Many PageSpeed Insights performance issues are image-related. Oversized files, improperly sized images, missing next-gen formats, layout shifts, and poor loading strategies can slow pages and hurt Core Web Vitals. Understanding these warnings and fixing them correctly can significantly improve user experience, page speed, and search visibility. Images are often the largest assets on a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-image-optimization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":566,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions\/566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imageoptimizerpro.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}