Optimising Images

Here’s a guide and best practice in changing images on your website.

• Always compress images to below 250KB before uploading - large files slow the site down and hurt SEO. Here are some websites where you can do that for free -

  • https://www.freeconvert.com/image-compressor

  • https://www.simpleimageresizer.com/resize-image-to-250-kb

• Convert images to webp format which is the best format for websites. You can do that here -

  • https://www.freeconvert.com/webp-converter

• Add descriptive alt text to every image (i.e. what the image shows, not "image1.jpg"). See where to do this on the actual image you’re inserting in the following video. If you visit the SEO tab, you’ll see that Squarespace will do this automatically for you. You can regenerate the description if you’re not happy with it, or edit it completely. Remember to do this whenever you add a new image.

• Save images with descriptive file names before you upload (e.g. couple-wedding-ceremony.webp, not IMG_2043.jpg). Use dashes (-) to separate words. Use 3-5 relevant words, in lowercase.

• Check images on mobile after uploading, crops and focal points can shift.