Size. Power. Speed.
Google favors .webp over .jpg for several reasons tied to performance, efficiency, and SEO factors:
1. Smaller File Sizes Without Major Quality Loss
- WebP typically produces images that are 25–35% smaller than equivalent JPG or PNG files at the same visual quality.
- This reduction directly improves page load times, which is a ranking factor in Google search.
2. Support for Both Lossy and Lossless Compression
- JPG only supports lossy compression.
- WebP supports both lossy and lossless, plus transparency (like PNG) and animation (like GIF).
- This flexibility allows site owners to reduce the number of formats they use.
3. Faster PageSpeed Insights Scores
- Google’s own tools (Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, Core Web Vitals) explicitly recommend serving modern image formats like WebP or AVIF instead of JPG/PNG.
- Since site performance is linked to SEO, WebP aligns with Google’s goals.
4. Reduced Bandwidth and Storage
- For large-scale platforms (e.g., Google Images, YouTube thumbnails, Gmail previews), switching to WebP saves huge amounts of bandwidth and storage across data centers.
- This is an internal driver for Google, which also influences their promotion of WebP to the wider web.
5. SEO and User Experience
- Google indirectly favors WebP because faster sites lead to lower bounce rates, better engagement, and higher Core Web Vitals scores.
- While Google doesn’t explicitly rank WebP higher, sites that use it often perform better in SEO metrics.
6. Ecosystem Push
- Google created WebP (released in 2010) as part of its broader push toward a more efficient web.
- Chrome, Android, and Google’s platforms all support WebP natively.
- By promoting it, Google increases adoption and sets the standard for other browsers and CDNs.
✅ In short: Google favors WebP because it makes the web faster, lighter, and more efficient—and Google’s ranking signals (Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed) reward that efficiency.