64 Images, 70% Lighter, Zero Quality Lost
On most websites the images weigh more than everything else combined, and most of that weight is wasted. On this one I went through all sixty-four of them and cut their total size by around 70% — with nothing visible lost. The photographs look the same; they just arrive far sooner.
The audit
Before touching anything I went image by image, asking the same questions of each: how big is the file actually being sent, how big does it need to be for where it appears, and what format is it in? The pattern was the usual one — large, uncompressed files doing small jobs.
The work
- Right-sized, not just compressed. Every one of the sixty-four was resized to the dimensions it is genuinely displayed at, then compressed to the point just before the eye can tell.
- Modern formats. Next-generation formats with sensible fallbacks, so capable browsers get the lighter file and older ones still work.
- Responsive delivery. Phones receive phone-sized images and desktops desktop-sized ones, handled automatically.
- Lazy loading. Images below the fold load only as needed, so the first screen paints sooner.
The outcome
Around 70% lighter across all sixty-four images, faster first paint and better Core Web Vitals — with no visible drop in quality. Performance treated as a feature, not an afterthought.
