Use clear photographs without slowing the page

What this means for your practice

Choose image sizes and formats appropriate to their actual display purpose. Preserve informative detail and accessible alternatives while avoiding unnecessarily large transfers.

A practical example

For example, an entrance image needs to show the relevant door and sign, whereas a decorative banner may not need the full camera file. Ask the supplier to compare the page before and after image preparation under the same conditions. Also check the written description where an image carries information. The useful outcome is a page that feels easier to load while still showing the detail visitors came to understand.

Give staff simple instructions for future image uploads, including which prepared version to use. Otherwise a one-off improvement may be undone by the next full-size camera file. Ask the supplier whether the editing tool can help produce suitable versions automatically while keeping the original available.

Make this improvement work

Ask the supplier to list the role and displayed size of the important images on a representative page. A small card photograph and a detailed explanatory image do not need the same treatment. Compare proposed changes at the intended screen size, checking whether useful detail and readable labels remain available. Keep an appropriate alternative explanation where the image carries information. Avoid judging quality from a full-resolution file viewed in isolation; the visitor experiences the complete page and its loading behaviour. Review before-and-after examples under the same conditions so a smaller transfer is balanced against the meaning the picture needs to preserve.

How to check the result

Ask the supplier to show the change in image file size and how the page loads in the same conditions.