WebP vs JPG for Websites: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Compare WebP and JPG for size, quality and support, and choose the right format for each image.
Images are often the heaviest part of a web page. Choosing the right format can cut page weight noticeably without visible quality loss, which helps loading speed and Core Web Vitals.
JPG (JPEG)
- The long-standing standard for photos.
- Supported everywhere, including email and old software.
- Lossy compression; no transparency.
WebP
- A newer format that supports both lossy and lossless compression, plus transparency.
- Usually produces noticeably smaller files than JPG at similar visual quality.
- Supported by all major modern browsers.
- Google can index WebP images in search and Google Images.
Which should you use?
- Photos on web pages โ WebP is usually the better choice for speed.
- Product images for marketplaces and feeds โ check each platform's requirements; JPG and PNG are the safest. See Google Shopping image requirements.
- Images shared on social media โ JPG or PNG for og:image is most widely supported.
- Logos and icons โ SVG for sharp, small vector graphics.
- Screenshots and graphics with text โ PNG or lossless WebP.
What about AVIF?
AVIF can compress even further than WebP and is supported by current major browsers. Encoding is slower and tool support is still catching up, so many sites use WebP as the main modern format and some add AVIF where their tools handle it.
How to switch safely
- Convert images with your platform's image optimisation, a plugin or an image CDN โ many serve WebP automatically to browsers that support it.
- Keep the original JPGs as a backup.
- Keep image URLs stable where possible, or update all links when filenames change.
- Check that images load after the change with the image URL checker.
Format is only part of it
Size images to how they are displayed, compress them, lazy-load images below the fold, and set width and height to avoid layout shifts. Read how to optimize images for SEO and Core Web Vitals for beginners.
A worked example
A travel blog's posts each had 20 large photos at full camera resolution in JPG, making pages heavy on mobile. The owner resized images to the blog's maximum display width and served WebP versions through an image optimisation plugin. Page weight dropped sharply, and mobile loading felt much faster without any visible change in photo quality.
Quick format guide
- Product photos on your store: WebP (keep JPG originals for feeds and marketplaces).
- Blog photos: WebP.
- Logo: SVG, with a PNG fallback for places that need it.
- Screenshots: PNG or lossless WebP.
- Social sharing image (og:image): JPG or PNG.
- Animated images: a short video file is usually smaller than a GIF.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
Is WebP better for SEO than JPG?
Not directly, but smaller files help pages load faster, which supports user experience.
Does Google index WebP images?
Yes. WebP is a supported image format in Google Search.
Should I convert all my images to WebP?
For images on your pages, usually yes. Keep JPG or PNG where other platforms require them.
Will WebP images look worse?
At sensible quality settings, most people cannot see a difference.