We’ve all been there – your WordPress site looks amazing, but it’s painfully slow to load. Visitors are bouncing, and your Google rankings? Not great. The problem? Those big, beautiful images you worked so hard to perfect. They’re eating up bandwidth and dragging your site speed down.

Here’s the good news: you can fix this without sacrificing image quality. Enter WebP images, a modern format designed to shrink file sizes while keeping your visuals sharp. By using WebP format, your site will have faster load times, better user experience, and happier search engines.

WordPress doesn’t always handle WebP images right out of the box. That’s why I’m here to guide you through it. Whether you manual uploads or you’re using an image optimization plugin, I’ll show you how to make WebP format work seamlessly on your site. Ready to make your WordPress site faster and more efficient? Let’s dive in and get those WebP images working for you!

Why Your WordPress Site Needs WebP Images

Ever feel like your WordPress site is slower than it should be? You’re not alone. One of the biggest reasons for sluggish load times is oversized image files. Those beautiful JPEGs and PNGs might look great, but they’re likely slowing your site down. That’s where WebP images come in.

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google, and it’s built specifically for the web. It’s designed to shrink file sizes without sacrificing quality. On average, WebP images are 25-34% smaller than JPEGs and 26% smaller than PNGs. That means faster load times, less bandwidth usage, and a better experience for your visitors. Here’s why you should care:

  • Faster Websites: Smaller file sizes mean your pages load quicker.
  • Better SEO: Google prioritizes fast-loading sites in search rankings.
  • Improved User Experience: Visitors won’t bounce because of slow pages.
  • Eco-Friendly: Smaller files use less energy to transfer.

Let’s say you’re running a restaurant WordPress site with dozens of food photos. Switching to WebP could shave seconds off your page load time, which can directly impact reservations and conversions. Even if you’re just running a blog, faster speeds mean happier readers.

But here’s the thing – not all browsers fully support WebP yet. Don’t worry; there are ways to serve fallback formats like JPEG or PNG for older browsers while still using WebP for modern ones. At the time of writing almost 97% of browsers support WebP format.

WebP Image format – browser support 2025 – Source caiuse

If you want a faster WordPress site that keeps visitors engaged and ranks higher on Google, WebP images are a no-brainer. Ready to make the switch? Let’s get started!

How to Use WebP Images on Your WordPress Site

If you’re ready to speed up your WordPress site with WebP images, you’re in the right place. Adding WebP images is easier than you think, and there are 2 methods to get it done depending on your setup and preferences. Let’s break it down step-by-step so you can start optimizing your images today.

Method 1: Convert and Upload WebP Images Manually

Step 1: Create or Convert Images to WebP Format

First, you need images in the WebP format. If your photo editing software supports WebP (like Photoshop or Pixlr ), you can save images directly in this format. Don’t have that option? No problem. Use free online tools like TinyPNG. Just upload your existing JPEG or PNG files, hit convert, and download the WebP versions. It’s quick and beginner-friendly. With TinyPNG free version you can upload at once 20 images, max 5MB each.

TinyPNG convert to WebP image format

Step 2: Upload WebP Images to WordPress

WordPress 5.8+ supports WebP uploads natively. Simply go to your Media Library, click “Add New,” and upload your WebP files just like any other image format. Once uploaded, insert them into your posts or pages using the Image block.

In rare cases this doesn’t work, contact your host and ask them if WebP format is enabled on your host site server.

Method 2: Use an Image Optimization Plugin ( ShortPixel Example )

If you’re looking for a simple way to convert your images to WebP format without a lot of manual work, the ShortPixel plugin is a great option. It’s easy to use, and it automates the entire process of optimizing your images for faster load times. Here’s how to get started with ShortPixel:

Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.

2. In the search bar, type ShortPixel. Once you see the plugin, click the Install Now button.

Install ShortPixel plugin

3. After installation, click Activate to enable the plugin.

4. You’ll be prompted to create a free account to get an API key. Follow the instructions, and copy the key into the plugin settings.

New Customer ShortPixel plugin

Step 2: Configure WebP Settings

Once you’ve installed and activated the ShortPixel plugin, the next step is setting it up to generate WebP images and serve them on your WordPress site.

Head to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings > ShortPixel. In the settings panel, look for the option labeled “WebP/AVIF & CDN” and click it. Enable “Create WebP Images” and “Serve WebP/AVIF images from locally hosted files (without using a CDN)” . This ensures that visitors with browsers supporting WebP will see those optimized images.

ShortPixel offers two ways to serve WebP images:

  1. Using <picture> tags: This method works with most WordPress themes and ensures fallback formats (JPEG/PNG) are shown to browsers that don’t support WebP.
  2. Via .htaccess rules: If your server supports it, this method is faster but requires ShortPixel to add rules to your .htaccess file automatically.

Pick the one that works best for your setup. If you’re unsure, start with <picture> tags – it’s reliable and easy.

Step 3: Bulk Optimize Your Existing Images

You can bulk optimize all your existing images and convert them to WebP format in just a few clicks. Let’s break it down.

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Media > Bulk ShortPixel.
  2. You’ll see a list of all the images in your Media Library that haven’t been optimized yet.
  3. Click the “Start Bulk Optimization” button.
  4. The only downside is that the free version of ShortPixel allows you to convert 100 images / month. For smaller sites with fewer images, it should be fine.

ShortPixel will begin compressing your images and creating WebP versions automatically. The plugin works in the background, so you can continue working on other tasks while it does its thing.

Step 4: Test Your WebP Delivery

The last step is to see if the image loads the WebP format. Open a page with images on your site. Right-click an image and open it in a new tab. If you see .webp in the URL, you’re good to go!

Final Thoughts

Switching to WebP images is one of the easiest ways to optimize your site. Smaller file sizes, faster load times. Nobody wants to wait for a page to load, and with WebP, they won’t have to.

Whether you’re using an image optimization plugin like ShortPixel or converting images manuallythe results are the same – a faster, more efficient WordPress site. So don’t wait. Take the time to set up WebP images. It’s a small change that can make a big difference in how your site performs and how people experience it.

To fully optimize your website’s performance, start with a fast and lightweight WordPress theme. If you’re building a restaurant site our Dina restaurant theme is a good choice. For a law firm site check the Lawyers theme. Choosing the right theme matters. A well-optimized theme paired with WebP images can take your site to the next level.