What Is WebP, and Why Does It Matter?

WebP is an image format developed to improve on JPG and PNG for web use specifically. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, along with transparency, in a single format — something JPG and PNG can't do on their own.

The main advantage is file size: WebP images are often 25-35% smaller than an equivalent JPG at a similar visual quality, which directly improves page load times. Faster pages tend to rank better in search results and keep visitors from bouncing while they wait.

Browser support for WebP is now very strong across modern browsers, which is why it has become a common target format when optimizing a website's images for performance.