8 Tips for Optimizing Your Images for Web
If your website loads slowly or feels clunky on mobile, your images might be the reason. Oversized, poorly named, or uncompressed images don’t just frustrate visitors—they also hurt your SEO and make your site harder to find.
The good news? You don’t need a tech background or fancy software to fix it. These seven simple tips will help you optimize image size for your website, speed up load times, and show up more consistently in search results—without compromising your design.
1. Choose High-Quality, Royalty-Free Stock Photos
Start with great images. Your photos should reflect the warmth, professionalism, and care your clients experience when working with you. Avoid anything that feels too clinical or generic—your visuals are part of your first impression, and they should feel like your practice.
Look for stock photography that feels real and relatable, especially if you don’t have your own professional photos yet. Soft lighting, diverse representation, and simple settings tend to work best. Choose images that align with your brand tone and values, not just what looks trendy.
You can explore these resources for high-quality stock images:
2. Resize Images Before Uploading
One of the biggest mistakes I see is uploading a giant 5000px image straight from your phone or camera. That’s like sending a billboard to do the job of a postcard. It overloads your site and forces browsers to work harder just to display your pages—especially on mobile.
And when your site loads slowly, people leave.
Most users expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less. If it doesn’t, you’ve already lost them—and likely told Google your site isn’t worth showing in search results.
Instead, resize your images before uploading.
Full-width images should be no more than 2000 pixels wide
Thumbnails or small graphics usually work best around 800–1200 pixels wide
If you’re not sure how to resize your files—or you want to get through it faster—use my Image Optimizer Tool to resize everything to the appropriate size for web in just a few clicks.
3. Compress with TinyPNG
After resizing, the next step is compression. This shrinks your file size without affecting how the image looks on screen. The goal is to get each image under 100KB, especially for mobile users or image-heavy pages.
Smaller files mean:
Your site loads faster (great for user experience)
Google sees your site as more efficient (great for SEO)
You don’t burn through storage space (great for you)
Tools like TinyPNG or TinyJPG make this easy. Just drag and drop your resized image, and the tool will compress it for you. Then, you can upload it to your website knowing it won’t slow anything down.
Tip: Aim for under 100KB per image whenever possible.
4. Choose the Right File Format
Not all image formats are created equal—and choosing the right one can help balance file size and visual quality. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
JPG (or JPEG) is best for standard photos with lots of color and detail
PNG is ideal for images that need transparency (like logos or icons)
WebP offers excellent compression and quality, but not all platforms support it
If you’re using Squarespace, note that WebP files aren’t currently supported—stick to JPG or PNG unless you’re using a platform that allows newer formats.
5. Rename Image Files with Keywords
File names matter more than most people realize. Search engines scan them, and if yours are still named things like IMG_4927.jpg, you’re missing out on an easy SEO win.
Before uploading, rename your images using descriptive, keyword-friendly phrases that relate to your content and location. For example:
Richmond-therapist-office-waiting-room.jpg
Acupuncture-homepage-header-wellness.jpg
Search engines crawl image file names. This gives them more context about your site content—and makes your images eligible to show up in Google Image Search, which can bring in new clients.
My Image Optimizer Tool also lets you rename your files in bulk—so you can make this step part of your upload workflow without it taking forever.
6. Add Descriptive Alt Text
Alt text is a small but powerful piece of image optimization. It helps screen readers describe your content to people using assistive technology, and it gives search engines another clue about what your page is about.
Write short, clear descriptions of what’s in the image—and include keywords if they make sense contextually. Avoid keyword stuffing or repeating the file name.
“Screenshot of therapy website for Richmond VA psychologist in calming earth tones.”
“Photo of acupuncturist treating patient with natural lighting and soft green tones.”
If you're using Squarespace, you can quickly find missing alt text by going to Settings → Marketing → SEO Appearance → SEO Report. It’ll even offer AI help if you’re not sure what to write.
7. Upload Only What You Need
Think of your website’s media library like a closet: the more cluttered it is, the harder it is to find what you actually need. Upload only the final, optimized version of each image—not every variation or high-res original.
Extra files weigh down your site, slow your backup process, and make media management harder over time. Only upload the version you're going to use at the size you need.
Store your original files in Google Drive, Dropbox, or a backup folder on your computer. This keeps your website lean, fast, and easy to maintain
8. Test Your Site Speed
Once your images are optimized and uploaded, check how your site is performing. Tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix allow you to test your website’s load time, both on desktop and mobile.
These tools don’t just give you a score—they also show you exactly which images are too large or take too long to load. If you see warnings about “serving scaled images” or “reducing image size,” it’s a sign that you need to resize and compress those files more effectively.
Regular speed tests help you catch performance issues early—before they impact your SEO or turn away potential clients.
Your Images Should Work as Hard as You Do
Optimizing your images doesn’t just make your site prettier—it makes it faster, easier to find, and more inviting to your dream clients.
And if you’re ready for a bigger upgrade? My Refresh VIP Day is the fastest way to clean up your website and get it working again—without the tech headache.
