Image formatting to improve page speed

Hi, tried to load pictures in WebP format which is not accepted by SQ, same with JP2 format. Need to improve the speed of the page by improving the format and size of the used pictures.

Hi Michael_Kornmann, 

Squarespace supports JPG, PNG, and GIF image files. It is recommended using images that are between 1500 and 2500 pixels wide and under 500 KB. You should also keep overall page size under 5 MB for loading time optimization. For more image best practices, check out this help guide:

Formatting your images for display on the web

Hi Michael, I'm wanting to do the same thing as you. 

I found a solution which might be useful depending on your needs.

1 - make a button block and on the options click file, then upload your image. Click Save.

2 - once you've saved and the image is on the site go back to edit the button, click file, copy the name of the image you uploaded.

3 - make a code block and reference that image that you just uploaded.

Not an ideal fix at all but it is just about possible to get them on the site.

I'd love to see WebP support in the future, it'd be a great feature to have.

And how do you support those browsers that don't support WebP images I.e. Safari. 

On 5/16/2020 at 12:47 AM, WiseDogStudio said:

And how do you support those browsers that don't support WebP images I.e. Safari. 

We appear to be at one of those development crossroads right now @WiseDogStudio, but there seems little doubt that WebP is the most likely contender for 'next-gen image format'. It's just unfortunate that we're in a transition period right now. However, given the usability and commercial considerations involved, it's likely that all browser flavours will have to support the newer formats in the near future. From a client perspective (I deal with some product brands with extensive image libraries), I'm working with their people to ensure that they're converting libraries to WebP in readiness, even if they're not deploying yet.

In the developer notes, Apple notes that it has added WebP image support for the first time in Safari.

With all browsers supporting WebP, and Google prioritizing image loading speed in rank, I certainly hope Squarespace will provide the ability to host these images - which are quickly becoming an industry standard.

It is now February 12, 2021 and I can confirm that this is still not a feature of SQ. I'd also love to see this implemented and honestly, as a developer, I don't quite understand why it's not a feature already. What could be stopping them from just adding this as an accepted filetype? It's the browser's job to handle the image, all SQ servers need to do is send the image.

I'd love to be able to load animated webp instead of animated gif images, as the gain in space (or quality) is particularly staggering there, and there are no other option to seamlessly integrate moving images in an image gallery.

It appears that webp is now supported for 92% of the users out there, so that would probably be the right time to add it.

16 minutes ago, Malika said:

I'd love to be able to load animated webp instead of animated gif images

This forum is not routinely monitored for product feature requests but you can raise this with Squarespace by opening a ticket through Customer Care. 
 

I think the feeling in the thread @paul2009 is that it is quite disappointing that this de facto standard web image format is not already supported by a platform whose entire marketing is based on promoting itself as a cool, modern web design platform. It shouldn't be up to the users to request something that is pretty much a web standard now. I can't for a minute imagine the SS product managers are unaware of the importance of next gen image formats!

It's just so disappointing that someone high up in Squarespace clearly doesn't get it and is not prioritising it.

Yes, please allow WebP. As others have said, it's almost a requirement now from Google, and it wouldn't take any development time on the part of SquareSpace. This is very concerning.

Google has stated that come May 2021, this will be a direct ranking factor.
So this is one more arrow in the quiver of those asserting that SS is bad for SEO.

In this case, Google has told us that using the old JPG or PNG types is decidedly bad for SEO.

Add WEBP support or I'm moving all 15 of my websites under various accounts off of squarespace and onto Shopify or EditorX. This is ridiculous. 

 Is Google's opinion the only one to consider?

https://siipo.la/blog/is-webp-really-better-than-jpeg

On 4/4/2021 at 3:04 PM, derricksrandomviews said:

 Is Google's opinion the only one to consider?

https://siipo.la/blog/is-webp-really-better-than-jpeg

It is when its the primary search engine and they prioritize sites that load quickly..

The very fact that we have to 'feature request' WebP is ridiculous. Pull your finger out SS as you are slipping behind.

Is that it? It's October now. Did anyone make an official request?

This is pretty ridiculous, they should have Webp support by now.

24/03/2022 and still no progress? 

Still an issue - not supporting webp puts Squarespace in an elite group - just them, and internet explorer.

It's 04/07/2022 and today I confirmed .webp is still not supported by Squarespace.

That's unacceptable.

I would also love to see .webp support ASAP.

Whether or not Squarespace begins supporting AVIF or WebP image formats will be a huge factor in whether I choose to renew my site on this platform later this year. Complete SEO failures like this are making competitors like WordPress look better every day...come on, Squarespace.