Why google favors .webp over .jpg

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.

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