How Progressive JPEGs Improve Website Speed

Progressive JPEGs are a type of JPEG image that load in multiple passes, starting with a low-quality version that gradually improves as more data is downloaded.

1. How Progressive JPEGs Work

Unlike baseline JPEGs, which load from top to bottom, progressive JPEGs display a complete but blurry image almost instantly, then refine the details in subsequent passes.

2. Benefits for Website Performance

• Better Perceived Speed: Users see an image immediately instead of waiting for it to load line-by-line.
• Improved UX: Faster visual feedback keeps users engaged.
• SEO Advantages: Reduced bounce rates can help with rankings.

3. When to Use Progressive JPEGs

They’re ideal for hero images, large banners, and high-traffic landing pages where first impressions matter.

4. How to Create Progressive JPEGs

• Enable progressive mode in Photoshop or other editors.
• Use command-line tools like jpegtran -progressive.
• Try JPEGMinify for quick browser-based optimization.

5. Potential Drawbacks

In rare cases, progressive JPEGs may slightly increase file size compared to baseline JPEGs, but the UX improvement often outweighs this.

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