How to Use WebP Images in WordPress
WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that provides superior compression and quality compared to traditional formats like JPEG and PNG. By using WebP images on your WordPress website, you can significantly improve page loading times and user experience. In this tutorial, we will cover how to properly use WebP images in WordPress.
Step 1: Enable WebP Support
In order to use WebP images in WordPress, you first need to ensure that your server supports the WebP format. You can do this by checking with your hosting provider or server administrator to verify if WebP is enabled on your server.
Step 2: Convert Images to WebP Format
Once you have confirmed that your server supports WebP, you can start converting your existing images to the WebP format. There are several tools available online that can help you convert images to WebP. One popular tool is the WebP Converter provided by Google.
function flashify_convert_images_to_webp( $html, $id ) {
$attachment = get_post( $id );
$mime_type = $attachment->post_mime_type;
if ( 'image/jpeg' === $mime_type || 'image/png' === $mime_type ) {
$webp_url = get_attached_file( $id ) . '.webp';
if ( file_exists( $webp_url ) ) {
$html = str_replace( '<img ', '<picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="' . esc_url( $webp_url ) . '"><img ', $html );
}
}
return $html;
}
add_filter( 'wp_get_attachment_image', 'flashify_convert_images_to_webp', 10, 2 );
Step 3: Display WebP Images on Your WordPress Site
After converting your images to WebP format, you can now display them on your WordPress website. To ensure that WebP images are loaded for supported browsers, you can use the following code snippet in your theme’s functions.php file:
function flashify_display_webp_images() {
echo '<script>document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
var images = document.querySelectorAll("img");
images.forEach(function(img) {
var webpSrc = img.src + ".webp";
img.src = webpSrc;
});
});</script>';
}
add_action( 'wp_footer', 'flashify_display_webp_images' );
Step 4: Testing WebP Images
Once you have implemented WebP images on your WordPress site, it’s important to test them to ensure they are loading correctly and improving performance. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to analyze your website’s performance and see if WebP images are being properly utilized.
By following these steps, you can effectively use WebP images in WordPress to enhance your website’s performance and deliver a better user experience.
