- WebP files are usually smaller than JPGs of similar quality.
- You can convert JPG to WebP free in your browser, without uploading files.
- A quality of 75–85 suits most website photos.
- Resize large photos before converting for the biggest saving.
- Keep JPG for forms and systems that do not accept WebP.
If your website feels slow on mobile, images are often the reason. One of the easiest fixes is converting your JPG photos to WebP. Here is a simple, free way to do it.
What is WebP?
WebP is an image format developed by Google. It can make files noticeably smaller than JPG or PNG at similar visual quality. Google’s own comparison found lossy WebP files about 25–34% smaller than comparable JPEGs. It is supported by all current major browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.
Why smaller images matter
- Faster pages: less data to download, especially on mobile networks.
- Better page experience: large images often decide your Largest Contentful Paint, one of Google’s Core Web Vitals.
- More enquiries: people leave slow pages before they contact you.
How to convert JPG to WebP for free
- Open our free JPG to WebP converter.
- Drag in one or more JPG or JPEG files.
- Choose a quality setting. Start at 80.
- Click Convert and compare the before and after sizes.
- Download the WebP files.
The conversion runs in your browser on your own device, so your photos are not uploaded to a server.
Which quality setting should you use?
| Image | Quality |
|---|---|
| Hero banner or portfolio | 85–90 |
| Blog and product photos | 75–85 |
| Thumbnails | 60–75 |
Zoom in on the result. If you cannot see a difference at normal size, use the lower setting.
Resize first for the biggest saving
A photo from a modern phone can be 4000 pixels wide or more, but a typical website shows it at 1200 pixels or less. Resizing it first with the image resizer often saves more than the format change itself. The best workflow is resize, then convert.
Adding WebP images to your website
- WordPress: upload the WebP files to the media library (supported since version 5.8) and replace the old images.
- Shopify and most website builders: they generally optimise images automatically, but upload sensibly sized files.
- Custom websites: update the file names in your HTML and keep the width and height attributes.
When not to use WebP
Many government, exam and job portals only accept JPG, JPEG or PNG. For those, keep a JPG copy, or convert back with our WebP to JPG converter. For logos and icons, an SVG file is often even better.
Check the result
After updating your images, test the page with Google PageSpeed Insights or our website SEO checker and compare it with the earlier result.
JPG, PNG, WebP and AVIF compared
| Format | Best for | Transparency | Browser support |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Photos, forms, email | No | Universal |
| PNG | Logos, screenshots, text | Yes | Universal |
| WebP | Website photos and graphics | Yes | All current major browsers |
| AVIF | Websites wanting very small files | Yes | Most current browsers |
WebP is the practical choice for most small business websites today: widely supported, small, and easy to create.
Converting a whole product catalogue
If you run an online store with many product photos:
- Put the photos for one category in a folder.
- Resize them all to the same width, such as 1000 pixels, with the image resizer.
- Convert the batch to WebP at a quality of about 80.
- Name the files after the product, for example
handloom-cotton-saree-red.webp. - Upload and replace one category at a time, then check that the product pages look right.
Working category by category keeps the job manageable and makes mistakes easy to spot.
File names and alt text still matter
Converting an image does not change how search engines understand it. A file called IMG_20261104_123456.webp tells them nothing. A descriptive file name and alt text, such as “red handloom cotton saree from Sambalpur”, helps your images appear in Google Images and helps visually impaired visitors.
How much faster will my site be?
It depends on how heavy your images are now. A page with several unoptimised multi-megabyte photos can improve a lot. A page whose images are already compressed may change only a little. The only reliable answer is to test before and after.
Want your whole website made faster? Our website design team can help.
