Image Optimizer

Images Skill

Use this to improve how images are used on storefront and e-commerce pages. Check: pre-load, lazy-load, format, and size.

Pre-load

• Pre-load only the main above-the-fold image (hero, first product image) so it appears as fast as possible.
• Use <link rel="preload" as="image" href="…"> in <head> for that single critical image.
• Do not pre-load below-the-fold or many images; it wastes bandwidth and can hurt LCP for the real hero.

Where to preload by Storefront page type:

• Home: Main banner (hero). If it’s a carousel, preload only the first slide.
• Product: First product image. If it’s a gallery/carousel, preload only the first image.
• Category/Search: Banner image if present; otherwise the first product image in the grid.

Edge cases:

• Multiple preloads are acceptable when each has a media attribute: the browser fetches only the one that matches the current viewport (e.g. desktop vs mobile).

Checks TO-DO: Does it have more than one image as a preload? Wrong! Does it have any preload tags? Probably wrong.

Lazy Loading

• Use loading="lazy" on <img> (or equivalent in your framework) for images below the fold.
• Do not lazy-load the first visible image (hero / first product image); it should load immediately.
• Prefer native loading="lazy" over custom JS unless you need intersection-based behavior (e.g. fade-in).
• User loading="eager" on <img> for the main image (same chosen for pre-loading).

Fetch priority

• Set fetchpriority="high" on the one image that is your LCP candidate (same as the one you preload or the first visible hero/product image).
• Set fetchpriority="low" on images that are below the fold or clearly non-critical (e.g. thumbnails, logos in the footer) so they don’t compete with the LCP image.
• Use fetchpriority="auto" (or omit the attribute) for everything else; the browser decides. No need to set it explicitly unless you want high or low.
• Don’t use high on multiple images; reserve it for the single above-the-fold image that matters most for LCP.

Formats

• Prefer AVIF, then WebP, then JPEG/PNG. Use <picture> with <source type="image/avif"> / type="image/webp" and <img> as fallback.
• Serve the right format via Accept header or client hints when possible; otherwise offer multiple sources in <picture>.

Size

• Serve responsive images: use srcset and sizes so the browser picks a width that matches layout and DPR.
• Prefer intrinsic sizing (e.g. width/height or aspect-ratio) to avoid layout shift (CLS).
• Compress all images; aim for modern formats and reasonable quality (e.g. 80–85 for JPEG/WebP). Avoid oversized dimensions (e.g. 3000px for a 400px slot).