How To Upload Webp image in WordPress Easily in 2023 (With Screenshots)

Do you know you can improve your ranking in SERP by serving WebP image in WordPress?

Do you want to know how to upload WebP images in WordPress? you can upload webP images in WordPress without plugins very easily.

By serving WebP images in WordPress website you can speed up loading time which will impact your website rankings positively. Google also recommend using webp image format for better results.

Today, in this blog post I will share a step-by-step guide on how to upload webP image in WordPress without plugin. In this blog post I will also share which are the best WordPress plugin to upload webp image, what is webp image, how to convert image to webp format, benefits of webp format image, how to convert WordPress library images to webp format, how to compress webp image online and much more information about webp image format.

When you try to directly upload webp images to WordPress you will get an error “sorry this file type is not permitted for security reasons”. You can’t directly upload webp images to WordPress because WordPress core does not support webp images. Either you can use some plugin to upload webp image in WordPress or you can ask your web hosting provider for help.

After the 5.8.2 version update in June 2021, the WordPress core started supporting webp image format officially. If you are using WordPress version 5.8.2 or more then you can upload webp format images directly.

But if you are still using WordPress version older than 5.8 then you can’t upload webp image to WordPress directly you will get an error “sorry this file type is not permitted for security reasons”. To solve this issue and know how to upload webp format images in WordPress easily in 2023 you have to read this blog post completely.

What is webp image?

WebP is an image format developed by Google that provides lossy and lossless compression for images on the web. It was designed to provide a high-quality alternative to traditional image formats like JPEG and PNG while reducing the file size and improving the speed of image loading.

WebP uses advanced image compression techniques to achieve significantly smaller file sizes than traditional formats, making it ideal for use on websites and other online applications. WebP supports both lossy compression (which discards some image information to reduce the file size) and lossless compression (which preserves all image information while still reducing the file size). Additionally, WebP supports a wide range of image types, including photographs, graphics, and animations, making it a versatile choice for a variety of uses.

WebP is a modern image format that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web. According to Google developers webp lossless images are 26% smaller in size as compared to PNGs and 25-34% smaller compared to JPEG images. WebP image files are 25-34% smaller in size compared to JPEG, PNG, and GIF but maintain quality.

WebP image is developed by Google, it is designed to create files that are smaller in size for the same quality of PNG, JPEG and GIF image format. You can convert JPEG, PNG and GIF files to webp format without losing quality, which will be 25-34% smaller in size.

The webp image format was first announced in September 2010 and its stable version was released on 30 January 2021. WebP image format is supported by 96% of the web browser in the world as of December 2021.

Since webP images are smaller in size it loads faster than PNGs which ultimately help webmasters to load website fast. WebP is a next-generation image format but it’s new to people. Webmasters started using webp image files heavily after its stable release on 30 January 2021.

How WebP works?

WebP is a modern image format that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web. It was developed by Google and is designed to be a replacement for traditional image formats such as JPEG and PNG.

WebP uses a combination of techniques to achieve its high level of compression, including:

• Predictive coding – This is a form of entropy encoding that uses the values of neighboring pixels to predict the values of current pixels. This allows WebP to compress the image more effectively.
• Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) – This is a mathematical algorithm that transforms the image data into a compact frequency representation. The DCT coefficients are then quantized and entropy encoded to produce the final image data.
• Transparency – WebP also supports lossless and lossy compression of transparent images, which is not possible with traditional image formats like JPEG.
• Animation – WebP also supports animations, with smooth playback and efficient compression of the animation frames.

A WebP file consists of VP8 or VP8L image data, and a container based on RIFF. You can learn more about the Compression Techniques of WebP here.

Also Read: How To Start A Blog & Make Money in 2023

Benefits of using webP image in WordPress

There are several benefits of using WebP images in WordPress:

• Smaller file sizes: WebP images have smaller file sizes compared to traditional image formats like JPEG and PNG. This means that your website will load faster, and your visitors will have a better user experience.
• Improved page load speed: Faster loading times can improve your website’s search engine ranking, and reduce bounce rates. WebP images can help your website load faster, improving the user experience for your visitors.
• Better compression: WebP supports both lossless and lossy compression, providing superior compression compared to traditional image formats. This results in smaller file sizes without sacrificing image quality.
• Improved visual quality: WebP uses predictive coding, which means that it can retain more visual information compared to traditional image formats. This results in images that look better and sharper, even at smaller file sizes.
• Supports transparency: WebP supports transparency, making it ideal for graphics and icons that need to blend into the background of a web page.
• Supports animation: WebP also supports animations, making it a great choice for websites that use animated graphics or videos.

WebP image files are up to 34% smaller in size as compared to PNGs & JPEGs without loss of image quality. The WebP files are smaller, better-looking images that make the website fast. Sometimes if we use more images on a webpage it may take long time to load and may create a bad user experience. By serving WebP images on a WordPress website you can reduce site loading time which will help you to improve rankings. WebP image files are high-quality image files smaller in size compared to PNGs & JPEGs. Since WebP files are high-quality images it’s not an issue to serve these images on your website.

How to convert image to webP in 2023

If you want to upload and serve webP images on your website, you have to first convert your normal image files to WebP image files.

It is very easy to convert PNG and JPEG image files to WebP, you can use any Application for this. Many image converter websites are also providing image conversion service that allows you to convert your PNG, and JPEG image to WebP online very quickly & easily.

Below I have added a list of image converter websites you can use to convert images to WebP.

• https://image.online-convert.com/convert-to-webp
• https://cloudconvert.com/webp-converter
• https://webp-converter.com/
• https://ezgif.com/jpg-to-webp
• https://convertio.co/jpg-webp/
• https://www.freeconvert.com/webp-converter
• https://www.xconvert.com/convert-jpg-to-webp

Which browser support WebP

WebP image file format is natively supported by Google Chrome, Opera, Edge, Internet Explorer, Firefox web browsers, many other tools and software libraries.

Safari browser also expanded its support in mid of 2021. Now in 2022 Safari browser users also can view your web page properly if you are using webP image format. Many other web browsers are expanding their support to webP every year.

Google Chrome, Edge & Firefox webp are used by 78% of internet users and they all support WebP, So you can upload webp image in WordPress website without worrying about a bad user experience.

Also Read: Best Blogging Tools for Beginners

Disadvantages of using WebP images

There are several disadvantages of using WebP images:

• Limited browser support: WebP is not supported by all web browsers. This means that users may not be able to view WebP images on some devices, leading to compatibility issues.
• Lack of support for transparency: Although WebP does support transparency, it is not as widely supported as the traditional PNG format.
• Larger file sizes: In some cases, WebP images can be larger in size than their JPEG or PNG counterparts. This can lead to longer loading times for websites, especially for users with slower internet connections.
• Lack of support from certain image editing software: Not all image editing software supports WebP, which means that users may have difficulty editing these images.
• Steep learning curve: While converting to WebP is relatively straightforward, it requires some technical knowledge and understanding of image optimization techniques.
• Complex codecs: WebP uses complex codecs, which can be challenging for developers to implement, particularly for those who are unfamiliar with image compression algorithms.
• Some social media & editing software does not support webP file.

Overall, while WebP has many advantages in terms of image compression and file size, it may not be the best choice for all use cases.

Here you may ask if webP image has these benefits then why does not everyone use it?

The answer is very simple, webp file format is not compatible with all web browsers. The WebP image is developed primarily by Google, some people think Google may create problems if they use Google-backed image file type, this is also a reason some people don’t use WebP image and criticise Google for promoting it.

Even WordPress core was not supporting WebP images for a long time, when you try to upload webp image in WordPress it shows “Sorry this file type is not permitted for security reasons”. But after 5.8.2 version update WordPress now support webP file.

Every year more web browsers are expanding their support to webP image. Safari browser started supporting webp image in 2021. The majority of internet users use Google Chrome, Edge, Opera, Firefox and all of these web browsers natively support Webp images, So you can upload webP image in a WordPress website without worrying about user experience.

Also Read: 13 Adsense Approval Checklist 2023 (Fast Approval)

How to upload Webp image in WordPress without Plugin

Below, I have shared step by step guide on how to upload webp image in wordpress easily in 2023 without using a plugin. Just follow all steps and you can upload webp image in WordPress.

STEP 1: Log in to your WordPress dashboard (yoursitename/wp-admin)

STEP 2: Click on Appearance then click on Theme Editor (as seen in the image below).

STEP 3: Click on functions.php and paste the below-given code

function webp_upload_mimes( $existing_mimes ) {// add webp to the list of mime types$existing_mimes['webp'] = 'image/webp';// return the array back to the function with our added mime typereturn $existing_mimes;}add_filter( 'mime_types', 'webp_upload_mimes' );

After completing these steps you will be able to upload WebP image in WordPress very easily. Done, now you can normally upload webp images in WordPress like JPEG nad PNG.

But still, you can’t view WebP images on your WordPress media library means you can’t see a preview of uploaded Webp files from your WordPress media library. If you want to see a preview of WordPress media library then just put the below-given code inside functions.php

Add the below-given code to your theme functions (functions.php) to preview webp images on your WordPress media library

//** * Enable preview / thumbnail for webp image files.*/function webp_is_displayable($result, $path) { if ($result === false) { $displayable_image_types = array( IMAGETYPE_WEBP ); $info = @getimagesize( $path ); if (empty($info)) { $result = false; } elseif (!in_array($info[2], $displayable_image_types)) { $result = false; } else { $result = true; } } return $result;}add_filter('file_is_displayable_image', 'webp_is_displayable', 10, 2);

Done, now you can upload webp image in WordPress and preview them from the media library.

Best WordPress plugin for converting image to WebP

You can upload webP images to your WordPress website for better results in SERP.

But how to convert existing images to webp format. Your website have also some images in the media library, how to convert them to webp format?

It’s very easy, to convert WordPress media library images to webP format you can use a webP converter WordPress plugin, Below I have shared some webp converter plugin you can use to convert WordPress library images to webP format.

1. WebP Express: WebP Express plugin uses webp convert library to convert images to webp. You can use this plugin to convert your existing image files to webp and boost your site speed. The best thing about this plugin is it is completely free to use.

• Price: Free
• Active installations: More than 100000
• Developer: Bjørn Rosell

2. ShortPixel Image Optimizer: ShortPixel Image Optimizer is easy to use, lightweight WordPress plugin to convert images to WebP very quickly. You can also use Short pixel image optimizer plugin to compress images and PDF files. The most advantage of this plugin is they provide frequent update.

• Price: Free
• Active installations: More than 300000
• Developer: ShortPixel

3. Image optimization & Lazy Load by Optimole: Image optimization & Lazy Load by Optimole is a fully automated WordPress plugin that reduces the weight of your image. You can convert WordPress media library images to webp using this plugin.

• Price: Free
• Active installations: More than 80000
• Developer: Optimole

4. WebP Converter for Media – Convert WebP & Optimize Images: WebP Converter for Media – Convert WebP & Optimize Images is a very useful WordPress plugin which converts your images from various formats to WebP. The most advantage of using this plugin is that the plugin does not change image URLs.

• Price: Free
• Active installations: More than 100000
• Developer: Mateusz Gbiorczyk

5. Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images: Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images is a very useful WordPress plugin that allows you to customize, compress, lazy load and convert image to webp. Smush WordPress plugin is really helpful to boost your site speed.

• Price: Free /starts at $70
• Active installations: More than 1000000
• Developer:  WPMU DEV

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Now you have knowledge about webp image format, what webp image is, how to upload webp image in wordpress, how webp image works and benefits of webp images.

I think now you can evaluate webp images is beneficial for your website or not. I am using webp format images on my wordpress website since 2020 and it helps me a lot to speed up website loading time.

WebP provides a smaller file size compared to traditional image formats while preserving high visual quality. This makes it a popular choice for websites and applications that need to load images quickly and efficiently.

So what are you waiting for, go and start serving webp images on your website for better rankings in SERP.

Thanks for reading this blog post completely, in this blog post I have tried my best to share how to upload webp images in WordPress, the benefits of using webp image and more. I hope this blog post was helpful for you to know about webp images, kindly share this article on your social media.

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