Practical guide to optimize product photos and boost your SEO

Comparison of a Regular Image vs a Compressed One

Introduction

The performance of your online store largely depends on how quickly your pages load. On average, 50% to 70% of a product page’s size comes from its images, and every additional second of load time can increase bounce rates by 20% or more. Optimizing your images not only speeds up your site, but also boosts your search engine ranking, attracts more traffic from Google Images, and provides a smooth shopping experience for all your customers.

Web Page Weight Distribution

In this practical guide, you’ll learn a simple and accessible workflow to reduce your image file size in just a few clicks. No advanced technical skills or dozens of tools required—just three basic steps and three optional add-ons to get lightweight, well-tagged, SEO-ready images in under 10 minutes per file. You’ll also discover how to measure the impact of your optimizations and which free resources to use.

Infographic on SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Índice

1. Why optimization is easy and fast

2. Step 1: File format and naming

3. Step 2: One-Click compression

4. Step 3: Efficient delivery

5. Basic results measurement

6. Supplement 1: Image sitemap

7. Supplement 2: Quick A/B testing

8. Supplement 3: Sustainable approach

9. Simplified resources

   
   

1. Why optimization is easy and fast

Although complete image optimization may seem technical, in practice you can handle the essentials with three simple actions using graphical interfaces. These tasks take less than 10 minutes per image:

JPEG y WebP file

• Choose the right format (JPEG or WebP).

• Compress in the cloud without installing anything, using TinyPNG.

• Enable lazy loading and CDN from your CMS dashboard.

These three actions cover 80% of image performance improvements without needing to configure scripts, complex plugins, or edit code. In the next step, we start with file format and naming.

2. Step 1: File format and naming

Estimated duration: 2 minutes per image

What to do:

• Format: open your original image and save it as JPEG if it’s a product photo. If your CMS or CDN supports it, also select WebP as an advanced option.

• File name: rename the image with a clear and descriptive identifier, separating words with hyphens. Example: running-shoe-blue-women.jpg instead of IMG_1234.jpg.

  

  Renombrar una imagen

Why it works:

• JPEG provides suitable lossy compression for photographs, maintaining visual quality with fewer KB.

• A descriptive file name tells Google what the image is about, boosting your on-page SEO.

Practical example: If you sell blue women's running shoes, change IMG_1234.jpg to:

running-shoe-blue-women.jpg

This naming reinforces your main keyword and improves indexing on Google Images.

3. Step 2: One-Click Compression

Estimated Duration: 1 minute per image

Instructions:

1. Go to TinyPNG

2. Drag and drop your JPEG (or PNG) into the upload area.

3. Download the optimized version with a single click.

   

   File Size Reduction with TinyPNG

Why It Works:

• TinyPNG uses advanced compression algorithms without perceptible loss of sharpness.

• You can process up to 20 images simultaneously with a free account.

Typical Results:

• File size reductions of 60% to 80% while maintaining quality.

• Kilobyte savings that translate into faster loading times in milliseconds.

• 

  Improve Loading Times by Compressing Images

Pro Tip:

• For a faster workflow, keep a browser tab open with TinyPNG and drag images directly into the upload area whenever you need to optimize them.

4. Step 3: Efficient delivery

Estimated Duration: 2–3 minutes (one-time setup)

Instructions:

1. Lazy Loading: In your CMS (WordPress, Shopify, Prestashop), locate the “Lazy Loading” or “Deferred Loading” option under performance settings and enable it. Alternatively, install a simple plugin:

   • WordPress: a3 Lazy Load – simply install and activate.

   • Shopify: Search for “Lazy Load” in the app store and install a free version.

2. CDN: Sign up for Cloudflare (free plan) and add your domain. In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to Speed > Optimization > Polish, and enable both automatic image compression and WebP format.

Why it works:

• Lazy loading delays the download of non-visible images, improving initial load times.

• A geo-distributed CDN reduces latency and serves optimized formats tailored to each browser.

  
  

  

  Loading Time Difference: Without Lazy Loading vs. With Lazy Loading

Verification:

• Browse your website before and after implementing the change. Images below the fold should only load when you scroll.

• Verify loading performance from different locations using a free VPN or geographic testing tools.

5. Basic results measurement

Estimated Duration: 1 minute

Instructions:

1. Visit Google PageSpeed Insights.

2. Enter the URL of your product or main page.

3. Wait for the analysis and review the “Optimized Images” section.

   

   Google PageSpeed Insights

What you should see:

• An increase in the speed score (ideally +10 points).

• Indicators of reduced loading time for images.

Recommendation:

• Record the results before and after applying the steps to demonstrate the improvement.

6. Supplement 1: Image Sitemap

Estimated Duration: 3 minutes

Instructions:

• In WordPress, install Yoast SEO or Rank Math. Both automatically generate an image sitemap listing all your image URLs.

• Verify your optimized images appear at yoursite.com/sitemap_image.xml

Why it works:

• An image sitemap improves coverage in Google Images and facilitates the indexing of your assets.

7. Supplement 2: Quick A/B Testing

Estimated Duration: 5 minutes (setup)

Instructions:

1. Create an account on Google Optimize

2. Design an experiment where 50% of visitors see the original image and the other 50% see the optimized version.

3. Measure the click-through rate on the “Add to Cart” button or the average time spent on the page.

   
   

   

   Google Optimize

   
   

Why it works:

• It allows you to validate that the optimized version not only loads faster but also genuinely improves conversion metrics.

ROI Example:

• If the optimized version increases conversion by 5% on 1,000 visits with an average order value of €50, you generate an additional €2,500.

8. Supplement 3: Sustainable Approach

Reduction of Energy Consumption

Estimated Duration: 1 minute

Instructions:

• Include a brief statement in your sustainability policy or footer: “We optimize our images to reduce energy consumption and enhance our users’ experience.”

Why it works:

• Communicates social and environmental responsibility.

• Reducing file sizes saves bandwidth and energy on servers and devices.

Interesting fact:

• Reducing a page’s weight by 50% can save up to 20% of energy consumption per visit.

9. Simplified resources

• TinyPNG: Compress images in seconds without installation – https://tinypng.com

• a3 Lazy Load: Lazy loading plugin for WordPress – https://es.wordpress.org/plugins/a3-lazy-load/

• Cloudflare: Free CDN with optimized image delivery – https://cloudflare.com

• PageSpeed Insights: Fast, free website audit – https://pagespeed.web.dev/

• Yoast SEO / Rank Math: Automatically generate image sitemaps – https://yoast.com/, https://rankmath.com/

• Google Optimize: Easy A/B testing – https://optimize.google.com/

Product Photo Optimization for Amazon

Optimize your product photos for Amazon and share how it has improved your e-commerce performance. You now have everything you need to quickly and effectively optimize your images. When you’re done, come back and share your best file size reduction and its impact on your site’s speed in the comments! We look forward to hearing your results and assisting you whenever needed.