Knowledge Base

What is WEBP and Why Should I Use It?

WEBP is a modern image format developed by Google. Compared to common formats like JPG and PNG, it offers better compression, allowing you to achieve the same visual quality with smaller file sizes. This allows your website to load faster and improves the user experience. If you want to increase your website's speed and strengthen your SEO performance, switching to the WEBP format can be an important step. Especially in e-commerce sites where images are used intensively, the benefits of this format become even more apparent. For example, having each product image on an e-commerce site in WEBP format can significantly increase page loading speed, which can positively affect conversion rates.

Key Points:

• WEBP offers smaller file sizes.
• It increases website speed.
• It improves the user experience.
• It positively affects SEO performance.

What are the Advantages of WEBP Compared to JPG and PNG?

The WEBP format has several advantages over JPG and PNG formats. The most obvious advantage is that it can offer the same visual quality with smaller file sizes. This is of great importance, especially for websites, because smaller file sizes mean faster page loading times. JPG is generally suitable for photos, while PNG is more preferred for graphics and logos. WEBP, on the other hand, can perform better in both usage scenarios. For example, by using a JPG to WEBP Converter, you can significantly reduce the file size by converting your photos in JPG format to WEBP. Similarly, you can get the same benefit by converting your PNG images to WEBP with a PNG to WEBP Converter.

The table below compares the basic features of WEBP, JPG, and PNG formats:

Real-Life Example: A fashion e-commerce site increased its page loading speed by 30% by converting product images to WEBP format, which reduced cart abandonment rates by 15%.

How Can I Convert to WEBP?

There are various methods for converting to WEBP. Online converters, desktop software, and command-line tools are some of these methods. Online converters generally have easy-to-use interfaces and allow you to convert quickly. For example, tools like PNG to WebP Converter allow you to convert your PNG images to WEBP with a few clicks. Desktop software offers more advanced features and often supports batch conversion operations. Command-line tools are ideal for developers and can be used in automation processes. For example, you can convert your images to WEBP using the cwebp command.

Step-by-Step Instructions (Conversion with cwebp):

1. Download and install the cwebp tool. (You can download it from Google's WEBP page.)
2. Open the command line (CMD or PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS or Linux).
3. Navigate to the directory where the image you want to convert is located.
4. Perform the conversion using the following command:

cwebp -q 80 resim.jpg -o resim.webp

1. In this command, "-q 80" specifies the quality level (0-100). "resim.jpg" is the name of the image you want to convert, and "resim.webp" is the name of the WEBP file to be created.

Important Points:

• You can balance file size and visual quality by adjusting the quality level.
• You can write scripts for batch conversion operations.
• Pay attention to your privacy in online converters and prefer reliable sources.

Which Browsers Support WEBP?

The WEBP format is supported by most modern browsers. Current versions of popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Opera can display the WEBP format without any issues. However, some older browsers or less commonly used browsers may not support WEBP. Therefore, when using WEBP images on your website, it is important to consider browser compatibility. To ensure this, you can use the <picture> tag or JavaScript-based solutions to serve images in alternative formats (JPG or PNG) to browsers that do not support WEBP.

The following table shows WEBP support for some popular browsers:

Code Example (Using the <picture> Tag):

<picture>
  <source srcset="resim.webp" type="image/webp">
  <source srcset="resim.jpg" type="image/jpeg">
  <img src="resim.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>

In this code example, if the browser supports WEBP, it will display the "resim.webp" file; if it doesn't, it will display the "resim.jpg" file. The <img> tag specifies the default image to be used if none of the formats specified in the <source> tags are supported.

How Does WEBP Usage Affect My SEO?

The impact of the WEBP format on SEO is quite significant. Google considers the speed of websites as a ranking factor. The WEBP format, by reducing file sizes, increases page loading speed, positively affecting your website's SEO performance. Additionally, faster-loading pages improve user experience, which reduces bounce rates and encourages users to spend more time on your site. Since Google also considers user experience as a ranking factor, WEBP usage indirectly contributes to your SEO. Using WEBP in conjunction with Image Resizing can further enhance your SEO performance.

Key Points:

• Faster page loading times improve SEO rankings.
• Enhances user experience, reducing bounce rates.
• Important for mobile SEO, as page speed is even more critical on mobile devices.
• Image optimization helps search engines better understand your images.

What Should I Pay Attention to When Using WEBP?

There are some important points to consider when using the WEBP format. First, it's important to set the quality level correctly when converting your images to WEBP. A very low quality level can degrade image quality, which can negatively impact user experience. A very high quality level, on the other hand, can unnecessarily increase file size, which can slow down page loading speed. Secondly, considering browser compatibility, you should provide images in alternative formats for browsers that do not support WEBP. Thirdly, after converting your images to WEBP, remember to update all links and references on your website. Finally, when optimizing your WEBP images, don't forget to edit their alt tags and titles in an SEO-friendly manner.

Case Study: A news site increased its page loading speed by 40% by converting all its images to WEBP format, which increased its organic traffic by 25%. Additionally, the average time users spent on the site increased by 10%.

Performance Statistics Related to WEBP

The performance of the WEBP format has been proven through various tests and case studies. According to a study by Google, the WEBP format offers an average of 25-34% smaller file sizes compared to the JPG format. This rate is even higher compared to the PNG format. This means that the WEBP format can significantly increase the speed of websites. In addition, the WEBP format offers lossy compression and lossless compression options, providing suitable solutions for different usage scenarios. For example, lossy compression can be preferred for photos, while lossless compression can be preferred for graphics and logos. This shows that the WEBP format is a flexible and versatile image format.

Key Points:

• WEBP offers 25-34% smaller file sizes compared to JPG.
• Provides even higher file size reduction compared to PNG.
• Offers lossy and lossless compression options.
• Can significantly increase the speed of websites.