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What is WebP?
WebP is an image file format developed by Google and intended as a replacement for smaller, richer image file formats that make the web faster. It supports animation, alpha transparency, and both lossy and lossless compression. When a file is compressed using lossless compression, every piece of information that was originally present in it is preserved after the file is uncompressed. Lossy compression reduces a file size by permanently removing some information, particularly redundant information. Thus, WebP lossless images are 26% smaller in size compared to PNGs, and WebP lossy images are 25-34% smaller than comparable JPEG images at equivalent SSIM quality index.
The Magento 2 WebP extension enables you to downsize images by converting them to WebP image format (gif, png, jpg, jpeg to WebP). This offers superior image compression and reduces file size, enhancing the performance of your website, which is one of the most crucial elements of the user experience and SEO.
Looking for ways to speed up a slow-loading website because you’re sick of it? A remedy is WebP Optimized Images.
Benefits of WebP for Magento sites
If the images on your website are not properly optimized, they can hurt the user experience in a big way. For more than ten years, the WebP format has been used to solve issues with slow website loading.
We all know that one of the best ways to speed up your website’s loading time is to use the WebP image format. Any Magento store’s revenue will be significantly impacted by even a small change in loading speed.
Let’s find out the benefits of WebP images for Magento sites.
Reduced website loading time
The main goal of WebP is to increase website speed. Unoptimized images is one of the main causes of your Magento 2 websites’ slow loading. Converting one image to WebP format can make your website a few seconds faster, which may not seem like much to you but could be very important to any Magento 2 enterprise customers. For Amazon, just one second be saved could cost it $1.6 billion in sales each year.
Because WebP images use mixed image compression, the speed of websites is increased. When comparing two websites, one side is still in PNG format, while the other side has been converted to WebP. Both of the two sites have the same quality of images. However, websites with WebP images will load more quickly because they are 26% smaller in size to compared to PNGs
Better SEO ranking
When it comes to Google rankings, it is very hard to figure out which factors really matter because Google’s algorithm is always changing to give its users the best results possible. However, the performance of websites is currently one of the most crucial elements for Google. Since 2010, Google announced that speed has been used in ranking signal for desktop search. After that, page speed has also been a ranking factor for mobile searches since 2018.
Thus, your website loading speed can be significantly increased with the Magento WebP images extension. Additionally, you can improve the customer experience by providing them with quick access to high-quality WebP images.
Optimized user experience
When users visit a website, the majority of them look at the images first, then read the article’s content. Images make communicating the information on your website to customers faster and easier. In addition, images also have an impact on users’ purchasing decisions.
WebP images retain the same transparency and quality even if the size is reduced. Therefore, with WebP image format, you can provide your customers with both quality images and fast speed for the website.
Better conversions
As mentioned above, image quality and fast loading speed are two important factors influencing customer purchases.
With the WebP file format, you can quickly send your customer high-quality images. WebP image optimization will encourage visitors to return to your website frequently.
Reduced bounce rates
Since there is so much information available online, nobody likes to wait to access it. It has negative effects on your bounce rates if your website loads more slowly than visitors are willing to wait.
Your website will load much faster thanks to the WebP format’s smaller image file size. No matter how many images you have on your website, as long as they are in WebP format and load quickly, it doesn’t matter.
Top 8 Magento 2 WebP extensions
As a smart business owner, you won’t miss the chance to improve your website so that your customers have the best experience possible. So, the next step is to choose for yourself a suitable and effective extension.
Below is a list of the top 8 Magento 2 WebP extensions that we have compiled from the most reputable providers with specific criteria.
Please scroll down and choose for yourself a suitable extension.
| Brand | Extension | Key Features | Price | Compatibility | Customer support |
 | Magento 2 Convert Images to Webp | Automatically convert images under format jpg., png., jpeg. to WebP to optimize the loading and display speed of the website. Choose specific places you want to convert: All, Product Page, Category Page, Home Page, CMS Page. Reduce time spent on conversion, automate every media upload, and deliver better-looking images. Be compatible with all browsers and Safari 14.1 and above. | $59 | 2.3.x – 2.4.x | One-Time Payment Free 1-Year Support Free Lifetime Update Free Installation 30-Day Money Back |
 | WebP Images Extension | Specify the quality score that defines the size of the converted image. Set what data to copy from original image to WebP. List files and folders you don’t want to be converted to WebP. Convert images to WebP in GraphQI and REST API requests. | $149 | 2.3.0 – 2.4.5 | Free Lifetime Updates 90 Days Free Support 30 Days Money Back |
 | WebP 2 | 100% open source and well-written. Compliant with modern Magento standards. Free with no strings attached. Community collaboration via GitHub. | Free | 2.2.x – 2.4.x | Free Lifetime Updates |
 | WebP Optimized Images Extension | WebP Optimized next generation image files for your Magento store. 75% And more reduced file sizes with same quality. Automated WebP conversion of exisiting .jpg + .png files. Compatible with all browsers (Automatic fallback To .jpg/.png for browsers with No WebP-Support). | $99 | 2.0.x – 2.4.x | not mentioned |
 | WebP Images | Easily convert images to WebP format. Reduce image size to almost half. Skip folders from WebP conversionsSet image quality level. Preview image quality & size before conversion. Enable lazy loading. Multiple browsers compatibility. Compatible with Magento 2 Image Cleaner | $79.99 | 2.1.x – 2.4.x | 45-Days Monney Back Free Upgrades Free Support |
 | Lazy Load for Magento 2 | Apply preload images to the first screen of the page. Lazy load Magento products when customers scroll down. Offload the server to save the Internet bandwidth. Optimize images by WebP format, mobile or tablet resolutions. Reduce the size of product thumbnails without affecting their quality. Implement code optimization and server push for the rapid content delivery. Get AMP functionality out of the box. | $259 | 2.3.7, 2.4.2, 2.4.3 | not mentioned |
 | Magento 2 WebP Images Extension | Advanced support of Product page image, category page and CMS page. Multiple browser compatibility. Effective WebP Image Support. Website performance enhancement. REST API Available / GraphQL API AvailableConvert JPG/PNG to WebP. Checkout WebP Image Converter Extension. | $99 | 2.1.x – 2.4.x | 30-Days Money Back 1-Year Free Upgrade 1-Year Free Support |
 | Magento 2 WebP Images | Convert pictures to WebP format & Reduce size. Improve website performance. SEO optimization. Compatible with all browsers. | Free | 2.3.x – 2.4.x | 30-Days Money Back Free 12 months Support Lifetime Update |
Sum up
All business websites must perform image optimization if they want to stand out from their many rivals, and WebP is the best solution to improve customers’ experiences on your website.
Although all the options we give basically meet the criteria for converting images to WebP, each extension has its own development and different features. Therefore, you need to consider the appropriate level to choose the most suitable extension for your Magento 2 site.
Hopefully, this article has given you a basic look at the WebP image format and provided you with resources to find the right extension to improve your revenue.
