The story of WebP: How Google wants to speed up the web, one image at a time

If slow web pages frustrate you, Google can relate. They hold the conviction that the solution comes in the form of smaller image files, specifically their image format, WebP. They aspire for WebP to outshine outdated formats like JPEG due to its reduced file sizes and quicker load times. This could translate into substantial bandwidth savings––a golden opportunity for web operators. However, convincing the masses to adopt this new format is a formidable task; are we standing on the precipice of a media format revolution?

WebP offers an impressive image compression advantage over JPEG––approximately one-third. The implications include considerable bandwidth conservation and improved speed, particularly for graphics-heavy pages. YouTube remarkably slashed page loading times by up to 10% when it began deploying WebP video thumbnails. Similarly, the transition to WebP for images in the Chrome Web Store has facilitated Google in preserving several terabytes of bandwidth daily, which slimmed down the website’s average page load time by nearly one-third. For the Google+ mobile apps, daily data savings amount to 50 Terabytes.

Google isn’t the sole supporter of WebP. Netflix employs the format in its revamped TV user interface to expedite thumbnail loading. Facebook streamlines images within its mobile apps using WebP, and a range of entities from Tinder to eBay are gauging the potential of WebP implementation.

Light edits were made in 2025 to improve clarity and relevance.