2.5 Images (Lever 5)MediumInferred
Oversized image files
Heavy, unoptimised images are usually the biggest drag on load time. Right-sizing and compressing them is one of the highest-impact speed fixes.
What it is
Heavy images.
Why it matters
Slow load, worse LCP.
How to fix it
Compress and size appropriately.
How to find it on your site
- Open the Network tab and find the largest images.
- Check whether their dimensions far exceed display size.
- Resize and compress them, and serve modern formats.
- Re-measure load and LCP.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Image weight directly affects LCP and total page weight. Optimising images is a core speed win.
Impact
Low-medium. Inferred.
Evidence
Optimise images for performance. web.dev, Core Web Vitals (Google); Google Search Central, Image SEO best practices
Sources