PNG vs JPG: Which Format Is More Suitable for SEO and Website Performance?

From ranking on Google to user experience, images affect everything. Even now there’s a debate on which is better for SEO, PNG or JPG. Each of these formats has its advantages and disadvantages. You may wonder what the actual difference is and how they benefit or hurt SEO.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

Compression Lossless: This image alters the quality which makes it perfect for images that contain graphs and illustrations.

Background Transparency: This image is the best option for graphics that have transparent backgrounds.

Larger File Sizes: This format produces larger images due to the high quality which means if not reduced, the loading speed will be affected.

JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

Compression Lossy: This image reduces file size while sacrificing a small amount of image quality.

Transparency No Support: This type is not useful for images that need transparent backgrounds.

Smaller File Sizes: JPG is better suited for large photos, because these types of images are greater in need than low quality images.

A Deep Look: How Image Formats Affect SEO.

Website Speed & Performance

Both Google and users prefer websites that load swiftly. A website that takes longer to load may entice a user for a few seconds, but with larger volumes of user traffic, the website will have a larger bounce rate which heavily influences a site's rank. For speed-dependent web pages, JPG files are smaller and lesser in quality, so they work well in this scenario. PNG files have higher quality, but comes at the cost of the page speed.

Image Quality & User Experience

Images on the website should be captured and displayed with precision and clarity in order to portray a professional appearance. If you want sharp edges, highly defined illustrations, or images where text is added, use PNG. JPG is great for regular pictures because there is little quality degradation.

WebP: The SEO-Friendly Alternative

As a replacement for JPG format, Google’s WebP comes as a modern alternative with lots of positives. WebP works best when you want to have smaller images that don’t take up as much electronic space like webpages do.

Smaller file sizes than JPG Better compression without significant quality loss Transparency support like PNG To take advantage of SEO, it’s smart practice to switch images to WebP. With Toolit.io, this can be its effortless and stress-free.

Image Optimization Best Practices

To get the best results for image SEO, these practices should be performed.

Use descriptive filenames. Use descriptive words to replace “image1.jpg” with “fast-loading-seo-image.jpg”

Graphical photos such as icons and text images should be stored in PNG format while standard pictures should be stored in JPG format.

WebP conversion: Decrease file sizes without losing quality.

Compression of images: File sizes can be reduced significantly without impacting quality through Toolit.io.

Add Alt Text: Improves accessibility as well as helps search engines interpret the image accurately.

Lazy Load Images: Loading images only when they are visible speeds up page load time.

Employ a CDN: Content Delivery Networks (CDN) enhance image throughput as files are stored in cache on numerous serv.

All formats have their place, but choosing between PNG and JPG images during SEO processes is strategic. Use JPG for most photos, PNG for premium-quality graphics that need transparency, and WebP when quality does not need to be sacrificed for speed.