Lazy loading is a content optimization technique that delays the implementation of non-critical resources until they are needed. Simply put, lazy loading only loads what is needed right away and saves the rest until the user needs it.
Benefits of lazy Loading
Reduces initial load time – Lazy loading will make the first part of your website load faster for the user. The idea is you load everything that will show up on the screen right away, then load everything below it when the user starts scrolling. This allows the browser to load the stuff “above the fold” very quickly.
Better user experience – People hate waiting for pages to load. If your page isn’t loading in 1-2 seconds people will start “bouncing” off your site and looking for information elsewhere. This gives you a poor bounce rate, which is a key metric for search engine rankings.
Conserves bandwidth – Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred at one time. By reducing the amount of data being sent you are helping to ensure that data gets where its going as quickly as possible.
How to Get lazy Loading on Your Site
As with most things, the easiest way to put lazy loading on your site is through a plugin. The good news is you probably wont need to use a plugin thats solely dedicated to lazy loading since it is common to bundle it with caching plugins.
WP Rocket
Lazy load by WP Rocket is a free, lightweight plugin that delays loading non-critical resources below the fold.
If you use the caching plugin by WP Rocket you don’t need to download the lazy loading plugin. It’s already part of the package included with the caching plugin.
WP Rocket is my top choice. If you want: Lazy loading, caching, database optimization, and gzip compression, I recommend their paid plan. I use it and at $49/year (with a 14 day 100% money back guarantee), it’s worth every dollar. They take care of 90% of my page speed optimization.
Smush
Smush is an image optimization plugin that also offers lazy loading. If you have an image heavy site, being able to optimize the images then lazy load them would be very beneficial. Smush has plans starting at $60/ year and they offer a FREE 21 day trial.
A3 Lazy Loading
A3 lazy loading is a free plugin that is solely dedicated to lazy loading. This is an easy to use plugin that delivers what it says it will. If you are looking for a free option, this is a good choice.
Wrapping it up
In 2022 Google has said they will be placing more emphasis on the user experience. One component of this will be page load speed. Enabling lazy loading is a quick and easy way to help ensure you are keeping your users…and Google, happy.
Good luck out there.
