What is WebP? Benefits, Use Cases and When to Use It

Web performance and image optimization go hand in hand. As websites become more visual, choosing the right image format can significantly impact loading speed, user experience and even SEO. One of the most popular modern formats designed for the web is WebP.

In this guide, you’ll learn what WebP is, how it works, why it’s used, and when it makes sense to choose it over formats like JPG and PNG.

What is WebP?

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google. It’s designed to provide smaller file sizes than traditional formats like JPG and PNG while keeping image quality as close as possible.

WebP supports:

• Lossy compression (similar to JPG)
• Lossless compression (similar to PNG)
• Transparency (alpha channel) like PNG
• Animation, similar to GIF

This makes WebP a flexible all-round format for many types of images on the web.

How WebP compression works (in simple terms)

You don’t need to understand every mathematical detail, but it helps to know the basics.

WebP uses different compression techniques to reduce file size:

• Lossy WebP removes some image data to shrink the file, similar to JPG. When done well, the difference is barely visible to the human eye.
• Lossless WebP compresses the image without removing information, like PNG, but more efficiently in many cases.

The goal is simple: keep images looking good while making them as small as possible so pages load faster.

Why WebP is recommended for modern websites

There are several reasons why WebP has become a common choice for developers, designers and site owners:

1. Smaller file sizes

WebP images are often 25–35% smaller than equivalent JPG or PNG files at similar visual quality. Smaller files mean:

• Faster page loads
• Less data usage on mobile
• Better experience for slow connections

2. Better Core Web Vitals & SEO signals

Search engines value performance. Faster pages contribute to better Core Web Vitals, which influence how search engines evaluate user experience.

By converting heavy JPG or PNG images into WebP, you can reduce total page weight and improve metrics like:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• First Contentful Paint (FCP)

This indirectly supports better ranking potential.

3. Support for transparency and animation

Unlike JPG, WebP supports transparency, which makes it a good replacement for many PNG use cases, such as:

• UI icons
• Overlays
• Logos with transparent backgrounds

WebP can also store animations, which means it can replace GIFs in many situations with smaller file sizes.

Browser support for WebP

WebP is supported in all major modern browsers, including:

• Chrome
• Edge
• Firefox
• Safari
• Opera
• Most mobile browsers

Older browsers and some legacy devices may not support it, but for most modern audiences, WebP is a safe choice.

If your audience includes older browsers, you can use fallback strategies such as:

• Serving WebP by default and falling back to JPG/PNG when not supported
• Using the <picture> element with multiple image sources

When should you use WebP?

WebP is a strong choice in many scenarios, especially when performance and bandwidth efficiency matter.

Good use cases for WebP:

• Website hero images and banners
• Blog post images and illustrations
• Product photos in e-commerce
• UI elements and icons with transparency
• Thumbnails and gallery previews
• Marketing landing pages where speed matters

In most cases, if you currently use JPG or PNG on the web, it is worth testing WebP as an alternative.

When WebP might not be ideal

Even though WebP is very flexible, there are situations where it may not be the best choice:

• Maximum compatibility required
  If you must support very old browsers or embedded systems that don’t understand WebP, you may need JPG or PNG as a fallback.
• Print-ready assets
  For high-end printing workflows, traditional formats like TIFF or high-quality JPG are still widely used.
• Very specific workflows
  Some design, publishing or legacy tools may not fully support WebP yet.

In these cases, you can still use WebP for the web and rely on other formats for offline or specialized usage.

WebP vs JPG vs PNG

Here’s a simplified comparison:

1. WebP vs JPG

• WebP usually gives smaller file sizes for the same visual quality.
• Both support lossy compression.
• WebP supports transparency; JPG does not.

2. WebP vs PNG

• PNG is lossless and supports transparency, but files can be large.
• WebP can be lossless or lossy and still support transparency.
• For UI elements and transparent assets, WebP often offers better compression.

In short: WebP can replace many JPG and PNG images on modern websites while reducing file size.

How to convert images to WebP

• Using design tools that support WebP export
• Using command line tools or build pipelines
• Using an imageconverterx.com that handles formats like JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF and more

If you’re working with existing JPG or PNG files, converting them to WebP can be one of the fastest improvements you can make for performance.

Final thoughts

WebP is a modern, efficient image format built for today’s web. It helps reduce file size, improve loading times and support better user experience without needing to sacrifice visual quality.

If your site still relies only on JPG and PNG, introducing WebP into your workflow is a practical step toward faster, more optimized pages.