How to Serve Images in Next-Gen Formats

If you’ve ever waited for a website to load on your phone and decided to hit the back button instead, you already understand the stakes.

In a world where speed matters more than ever, one of the most overlooked culprits of slow load times is image size.

Fortunately, next-gen image formats like WebP and AVIF are revolutionizing the way we deliver visuals on the web, helping developers build faster, more efficient sites with better user experiences and stronger SEO performance.

The importance of next-gen image formats for websites

🚀 Performance Boost (smaller size, same quality)

Traditional formats like JPEG and PNG are old-school in compression efficiency. Next-gen formats use smarter algorithms to drastically reduce file sizes without killing image quality.

• WebP: ~30% smaller than JPEG at similar quality.
• AVIF: Even better, sometimes 50% smaller with better detail.

Why it matters: Smaller images = faster page loads = happier users = better SEO.

📱 2. Better mobile experience

Mobile networks aren’t always lightning fast. Lighter image formats load quicker, save data, and reduce bounce rates.

Your beautiful site won’t mean much if it’s stuck buffering on a phone screen.

🌎 3. Eco-friendly web design

Smaller image files use less bandwidth and energy. That’s good for your servers, users’ devices, and even the planet.

Sustainable web design is becoming a legitimate priority, and this is an easy win.

🔍 4. SEO & Core Web Vitals

Google’s algorithm loves fast-loading pages. Using next-gen image formats improves:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
• FCP (First Contentful Paint)
• Overall user experience signals that impact search rankings.

⚙️ 5. Support & fallbacks are easy now

Most modern browsers support WebP and AVIF. You can use WordPress plugins, various tools, or CDNs to automatically serve the right format to each visitor.

What are next-gen image formats and why do they matter?

Next-gen image formats are modern image compression standards designed to outperform traditional formats like JPEG and PNG in both quality and file size.

The two leading formats in this category are WebP and AVIF.

• WebP, developed by Google, supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and animation. It typically reduces file size by up to 35% compared to JPEG while maintaining comparable visual quality.
• AVIF is even more advanced. It uses the AV1 video codec and achieves significantly higher compression rates than both JPEG and WebP, often cutting file sizes by 50% or more, especially for high-resolution images.

But this isn’t just about smaller images. It’s about faster websites, reduced bandwidth consumption, and a direct boost to user experience and search engine rankings.

With Google placing increasing emphasis on performance metrics like Core Web Vitals, using formats like WebP and AVIF becomes mandatory.

How next-Gen image formats impact website load speed

Images typically account for around 50% of a webpage’s total size. That makes image optimization one of the most effective ways to reduce load times. Faster sites load more smoothly, retain visitors longer, and perform better in search engine results.

When comparing WebP vs AVIF for websites, AVIF offers better compression but has slightly slower encoding times and less widespread browser support. WebP, on the other hand, enjoys broader compatibility and faster processing, making it a practical choice for most websites today.

Switching to either format can have a dramatic impact on metrics like:

• First Contentful Paint (FCP)
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Time to Interactive (TTI)

All of which contribute to SEO and user satisfaction. In Google’s eyes, a faster-loading page is a better page.

Converting images to next-gen formats

The process of converting images doesn’t have to be complicated.

Several tools exist to help automate the transformation of your existing media library:

• ShortPixel – Free browser-based image compressor that can generate WebP and AVIF files.
• Squoosh – Free browser-based tool by Google.
• cwebp/avifenc – command-line utilities for batch conversion.
• ImageMagick – a command-line tool that supports both WebP and AVIF.

For developers managing larger sites, integrating conversion into your CI/CD pipeline ensures every new asset is optimized before hitting production.

Implementing next-gen image formats on your website

Once your images are converted, you’ll need to serve them properly to ensure compatibility with all browsers. That usually involves:

Using the HTML <picture> element:

<picture>
  <source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif">
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="A beautiful example">
</picture>

This allows browsers to select the best-supported format while falling back to JPEG or PNG for older browsers.

How to serve WebP and AVIF in WordPress

WordPress makes it easy to implement next-gen image formats thanks to a wide selection of powerful plugins.

These tools take care of both conversion and delivery, so you don’t have to worry about writing custom code or manually editing your HTML.

Below are some of the most effective solutions available today, each with its own strengths depending on your site’s setup and performance goals.

ShortPixel Image Optimizer

ShortPixel Image Optimizer is a reliable, lightweight plugin that automatically generates WebP AVIF formats for your images.

Once created, it handles delivery seamlessly, either by mimicking the behavior of the <PICTURE> element, using .htaccess rules for content negotiation, or serving the optimized images directly through a CDN.

It works well across all major themes and page builders, and is particularly useful for WooCommerce stores where image-heavy product pages benefit greatly from reduced file sizes.

ShortPixel Adaptive Images

For a more dynamic and CDN-powered approach, ShortPixel Adaptive Images goes beyond basic optimization.

It not only supports next-gen formats like WebP and AVIF but also delivers them via a global CDN.

What makes it unique is its ability to detect the user’s device and screen size, then serve the optimal image format and dimensions accordingly.

The plugin rewrites image URLs automatically – there’s no need to edit templates or insert <picture> tags manually. It also includes smart cropping and lazy loading for a complete image performance package.

FastPixel

FastPixel offers a similar approach to ShortPixel Adaptive Images, combining automatic format conversion with URL rewriting and CDN delivery.

It’s ideal for those who want a plug-and-play solution that takes care of both image delivery and caching in one package.

Whether you run a blog or a high-traffic WooCommerce store, FastPixel can help make your pages load noticeably faster.

LiteSpeed Cache

If your site is hosted on a LiteSpeed web server, LiteSpeed Cache is one of the best all-in-one performance plugins available.

It includes an image optimization tool that can deliver WebP and AVIF versions of your images automatically.

Serving next-gen images with a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

CDNs not only speed up delivery by caching content closer to users, but many modern CDNs also support automatic format negotiation. For example:

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) not only speed up global delivery by caching your content closer to users but many modern CDNs also offer intelligent image optimization features, including automatic format negotiation:

• FastPixel: FastPixel plugin for WordPress users includes a CDN that provides automatic delivery of WebP and AVIF, ensuring optimal formats without manual configuration.

• Cloudflare: Can automatically convert images to WebP (and AVIF with specific configurations) and serve them to compatible browsers.
• ImageKit, imgix, Fastly, Bunny.net: These and other image-focused CDNs offer real-time image manipulation, optimization, and format conversion (including WebP and AVIF) based on the requesting browser’s capabilities.

This ensures that users get the lightest possible images, regardless of their device or browser.

Best bractices for using next-gen image formats on your website

To maximize the benefits, consider the following best practices:

✅ Consider your audience: If your analytics show a significant portion of users on very old browsers, ensure your fallback strategy is flawless.

✅ Always provide fallbacks: Ensure a JPEG or PNG fallback is available for older browsers. Don’t break the image experience for any user.

✅ Test performance: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and GTmetrix to measure the actual impact on your load times and Core Web Vitals.

✅ Combine with lazy loading: For images below the fold, use lazy loading in conjunction with next-gen formats to defer loading until they’re needed, further improving initial page load speed.

✅ Don’t overcompress: While AVIF can achieve incredible compression, pushing it too far can introduce artifacts. Always test visual quality on different screens and devices.

✅ Choose formats wisely:

• Use AVIF for critical, high-visibility images like hero banners or product photos where maximum quality at the lowest size is paramount (if widespread browser support is less of a concern or fallbacks are robust).
• Use WebP for broader compatibility and scenarios where encoding speed is a factor. It’s often the best all-around choice for most images on your site.

Final tips for seamless implementation of next-gen formats

Switching to next-gen image formats like WebP and AVIF can be transformative for your website’s performance, but success lies in implementation:

• Optimize all the images: Don’t limit optimization to high-traffic areas like your homepage or product pages. Every image across your site matters for performance.
• Monitor Real User Metrics (RUM): Beyond lab tests, monitor tools like the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) or other RUM solutions to see how these changes affect actual user experiences.
• Educate your team and clients: Explain the tangible benefits – faster speed, better UX, improved SEO – to get buy-in and understanding.
• Automate everything possible: From conversion to fallback generation and delivery, automation (through plugins like ShortPixel for WordPress or a CDN) will save significant time and prevent errors.

By embracing WebP and AVIF, you’re keeping up with modern web standards and actively future-proofing your site, enhancing user satisfaction, and unlocking the performance metrics that search engines and users love.

FAQs