You’ve probably heard of image formats like JPG, PNG, or GIF, but what do you know about WebP?

Since July 2019, Shopify has been using WebP as an image format.

Since July 2021, the WebP format has been supported by WordPress (you can add images in WebP), although you still need to use a plugin to convert previously uploaded images.

One plugin we like for the free plan (you can optimize old images with a premium plan and keep the free plan for ongoing optimizations and features), is Imagify (https://wordpress.org/plugins/imagify/). There are also others like:

• ShortPixel Image Optimizer – WordPress plugin | WordPress.org https://wordpress.org/plugins/shortpixel-image-optimiser/ 

• Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images – WordPress plugin | WordPress.org https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/ that might be more powerful, but you'll likely need a premium plan for them.

So, why the sudden interest in WebP? Why does it matter if you use a format like JPG vs. WebP?

The reason is the compression factor.

According to a study found on Google's website:

"We observed that the average WebP file size is 25%-34% smaller compared to JPEG file size at equivalent SSIM index." WebP Compression Study  |  Google Developers

What's the next step? If you use Shopify, you already have WebP on your platform. For WordPress, you'll need to add a plugin, like one of the ones we suggested. For other platforms, you’ll need to identify if there are plugins for WebP format. For tips on optimizing your product pages, check out our guide on using sections and blocks to enhance Shopify product pages.

Get familiar and do some additional research, as WebP file format is growing increasingly popular and it looks like it is here to stay.