What is Lazy Loading
Lazy Loading, also known as lazy load or lazy loading images, is a web performance optimisation technique that is crucial for anyone seeking to improve their site’s loading speed and user experience. Speed and performance are not just assets, but a requirement. So what can you do when you want to maintain optimal image quality? Lazy Load is the solution.
Essentially, Lazy Loading delays the loading of page resources – most commonly images and scripts – until they are needed. This means that instead of loading all of the page’s content at once, the resources are loaded sequentially as the user scrolls through the page. This simple but effective solution can significantly speed up the first impression of a site’s speed, which has a direct impact on user experience and SEO. By adding the effect of fluidity, the whole thing gives the impression of a smooth loading of successive elements on the page, which has an even more positive impact on the perception of the site.
Statistics and Examples
The impact of page loading speed on user experience is well documented. Research shows that 53% of mobile users abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load (source: Google). What’s more, a delay of one second in page load time can result in up to a 7% drop in conversions (source: Neil Patel).
53% of mobile users abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Importance of Lazy Loading Images for the Fast Side
Users expect websites to be instantly responsive, loading speed has become a key factor in website performance. Lazy Loading plays a crucial role here, helping pages load faster.
Loading Speed and Visitor Behaviour
The statistics on page loading speed and user behaviour are quite … surprising. According to a study by Akamai, a loss of even one second in loading time can result in up to a 16% drop in customer satisfaction. What’s more, pages loading in 2 seconds have an average rejection rate of 9%, while at 5 seconds this rate rises to 38%.
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Lazy Loading and Data Volume
A less popular benefit of lazy loading is the reduction in data downloads. For users using expensive hosting, this can be a significant saving. For large websites, where the number of images and scripts is significant, lazy loading can realistically reduce data consumption by 35-50%.
At 5 seconds, the page rejection rate rises to 38%.
Lazy Load WordPress Plugins
WP Rocket
WP Rocket is one of the most popular plugins for optimising wordpress performance, including lazy loading. Importantly, WP Rocket automatically adds lazy loading to images and iframes without any manual configuration. In addition to lazy loading, WP Rocket also offers caching, database optimisation and several other interesting features to improve site speed.
According to the data, the plug-in can improve page loading times by up to 50-70%.
More: wp-rocket.me
Price: from USD 59 per year
Lazy Load by WP Rocket
For those who only need lazy loading functionality, Lazy Load by WP Rocket offers a simple and effective plugin. This plugin is free and focuses solely on lazy loading of images, iframes and YouTube videos.
Users of this plugin communicate improvements in page loading speed, naturally on media-rich pages.
More: wordpress.org/plugins/rocket-lazy-load
Price: Free
a3 Lazy Load
a3 Lazy Load is another popular plug-in that is very effective, especially on mobile websites. It allows lazy loading not only of images, but also of videos and other multimedia elements.
Statistics show that the plugin can improve your Google PageSpeed Insights score, which is directly related to better SEO.
More: https://wordpress.org/plugins/a3-lazy-load/
Lazy Loading and High-Quality Images
Image quality is important, especially in ecommerce. However, high quality images, involve a larger file size, which can affect page load times. The first step is to replace the popular JPG format with WebP or AVIF. The next is Lazy Loading, which plays a key role in allowing high quality images to be maintained while keeping the page fast.
Read more:
How Do We Use Lazy Loading at Marshalstudio?
In our industry, lazy loading is essential. Our website, for the most part, consists of high-quality images that have been prepared in advance in WebP format.
Maintaining Quality Without Compromise
High-resolution product images are crucial for us to show the detail and quality of the images we create. Lazy loading allows us to delay the loading of heavier files until the user scrolls to them.
This approach reduces the initial page load time by up to 30-50%, while maintaining the high quality of the images presented.
Performance Optimisation for Mobile
Mobile users represent an ever-growing proportion of web traffic. Lazy loading images on phones can significantly improve their browsing experience by reducing page load times and data consumption.
Pages with lazy loading enabled can save up to 40 per cent of data for the mobile user, which is significant in the context of often still limited data transfer. Similar results are obtained at marshalstudio.
Impact on UX and SEO
- Advanced lazy loading techniques not only speed up page loading, but also improve the overall user experience (User Experience) by delivering content faster.
- Faster pages are more beneficial for SEO, resulting in better rankings in search results.
The use of increasingly advanced lazy loading techniques is a step towards a future that could radically change the way users experience websites. By making pages load faster, users get a better experience, which is particularly important in a fast-paced digital environment.
Page load speed is one of Google’s ranking factors, which means that lazy loading can directly affect SEO results. Google’s PageSpeed Insights is a tool that helps analyse page performance, and implementing Lazy Load is often one of the recommended practices for improving performance.
Pages that load in under 2 seconds have a better chance of ranking higher in Google.
The impact of lazy loading on SEO is multipolar. Proper implementation not only improves page load speed, but can also contribute to better search engine ranking, which is extremely important in a competitive online environment.
In addition to its technical application, lazy loading has a direct impact on improving the user experience of a website. A focus on user experience (UX) is crucial to the success of any website.
Summary
In conclusion, lazy load is not only an optimisation technique, but also a strategic element in the design of websites and online shops, with a direct impact on the success and satisfaction of visitors or customers. Its role in the future of digital design cannot be overestimated, and its successful implementation can significantly differentiate the online experience.
