You’ve already identified that the beautiful images on your website are taking up far too much page weight and negatively affecting your web performance. You want an image optimization tool that can help you to automate the tedious process of resizing and compressing your images. But what are some things to consider when purchasing such image optimization software?
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Image optimization software: What is it?
Image optimization software is a tool that helps to compress and resize images to reduce their file size without sacrificing quality. This can be especially helpful for websites and businesses that rely on images to attract and engage their audience. However, there are a few things to consider before purchasing a software that helps optimize your websites’ images. Let’s take a closer look.
Compatibility with your devices and operating system
Like all other types of software, no matter how good, it is only good if it works with your operating system and devices. Some software may only be compatible with specific devices or operating systems, which could drastically limit your tool use. That’s why ensuring that the image optimization software you are considering is compatible with your existing technology ecosystem is essential.
Integration with other tools
Another thing to consider other than your operating system is if your business or website uses other tools or platforms, such as a content management system (CMS) or e-commerce platform. If so, can this image optimization software be used along with it? Is there a plugin? Having good integration with your existing business tools will greatly help you to manage and optimize your images across platforms and is one of the most important factor to consider.
Pricing
Image optimization software can range in price from free to several hundred dollars. You’ll need to consider your current business setup and budget to determine how much you are willing to spend on an image optimization tool. Keep in mind that while a more expensive tool may have more advanced features, it may not necessarily be the best fit for your needs.
For example, if you are a real estate professional or e-commerce business owner that relies heavily on images to sell, then perhaps you’ll need to invest more in a tool that can ensure light and fast images.
Another question to ask yourself is whether you can switch plans seamlessly for when your business develops or scales down. Imagine paying a large amount of money to “break the contract” when you need to go for a lower plan during the non-festive period for your online retail business.
Features
Different image optimization software tools offer different features. Some tools may only allow you to resize and compress images. In contrast, others may provide additional features such as cropping, watermarking, and converting images to different file formats such as JPG and PNG. If you are looking for modern image formats like WebP and AVIF, check that this tool you’re considering can support such file formats.
More advanced features could also include automation, such as automatically removing the background of your images and delivering them over a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Free software with limited features may pale in comparison with a paid tool with all the necessary features your business needs.
Ease of use
Having the best image optimization tool with all the advanced features that are far too complicated to implement can be a problem for small businesses, especially if you need a tech team to help you resolve challenges. That’s why having a user-friendly tool that is easier for beginners should be on your list of considerations when comparing different image optimization providers.
Quality of the optimized images
While reducing the file size of an image is important, you don’t want an image optimization provider to compress it such that it looks grainy to your website users. That is why you need to look for software that can effectively reduce the file size of an image while maintaining its quality.
Customer support
Something that may be easily overlooked is the quality of customer support. You want to make sure that you find a provider that can support you when you encounter any issues. Along with the pricing plans, you should also consider the level of customer support offered by the software company, including their availability and response time.
Security
Finally, the last point to consider is security. Look for software that uses secure protocols for transmitting and storing data so that you can ensure that your images will be protected when using the tool.
Before putting down your credit card information for that image optimization software, ensure that you’ve thoroughly reviewed this checklist!
