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Your website isn't slow, your images are

  • Writer: Lucy
    Lucy
  • Jun 18
  • 3 min read

We’ve all been there. You open a website and it takes forever to load. You start tapping the screen. Refreshing. Wondering if it’s your internet.


But if you’re the one owning that website? That’s a panic you can feel in your chest.

Here’s the thing though. Most of the time, your website isn’t slow because of some massive technical issue. It’s slow because your images are working overtime. Or more accurately, they’re way too big and way too unoptimised.


So today, let’s unpack the sneaky ways images are slowing your site down, and what you can do to fix it (without needing to be a developer).


Why website speed matters more than ever

According to Google, 53% of mobile users will leave a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. (Source here).


Three seconds.


That’s all you get. And if your homepage is crawling because it’s loading five oversized hero images and a gallery of uncompressed photos? That bounce rate is going to skyrocket.


Speed doesn’t just affect user experience. It directly impacts:

  • Your Google rankings (slow sites often rank lower)

  • How trustworthy your business looks

  • How likely someone is to buy, book or enquire

So what do you need to do?


1. Upload the right image size (not just file size)

One of the biggest issues I see is people uploading huge images when they don’t need to. If the space on your website is only showing the image at 600px wide, there’s no reason to upload a 3000px version. It just slows the whole page down.

What to do instead:

  • Resize images before uploading using tools like Canva, Photoshop or Adobe Express.

  • For hero iero images? Around 2000px wide is usually enough

  • For general content images? 800–1000px will do the job


2. Compress everything

Even if your image looks the right size, its file weight might still be massive. Compression is how you remove all the excess data that doesn’t need to be there.

I mainly use:

Aim to get each image under 200KB where possible. The difference in load time adds up fast.


3. Pick the right file type for the job

Not all file types are created equal. Use the wrong one, and you're adding unnecessary bloat.

Quick guide:

  • JPEG = photos and complex images. These will be a much smaller file size than PNG.

  • PNG = graphics with transparency

  • WEBP = newer format with better compression (most platforms now support it)

  • SVG = icons and vector graphics (super lightweight and scale well)

Most website builders do support WEBP if you want to move to that newer type, but it’s still worth checking your export settings.


4. Cut the carousel

Carousels are one of those things that sound great in theory, but in reality? They load multiple high-res images all at once, even if your user only sees one.

If your site is lagging, swap the carousel for a single image or use lazy loading (where images only load when a user scrolls to them). Both Wix and Squarespace offer this by default for many sections now.


5. Think mobile-first

Your site might look fine on desktop, but if it’s loading the same huge images on mobile, that’s where you’re losing users.

Wix Studio lets you upload different images for each breakpoint (desktop, tablet, mobile). Use this to your advantage.

And test! I like:


They’ll tell you exactly which images are slowing you down or where other problems lie.


Final thoughts

Your website speed isn’t just about performance. It’s about perception. If your site lags, people assume your business is outdated or unprofessional.


And the good news? You don’t need to rebuild your site to speed it up. Just start with your images.


Want help figuring out what’s slowing you down and fixing it the smart way? Check out my website design service.


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