In the world of digital imagery, it is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. Digital imagery is more complicated than we care to know. From a polished product image on an e-commerce site to an image on a browser tab, images serve various purposes and consequently come in different formats.
An image format is heavily dependent on the image’s deployment. Using the wrong format can result in slow loading speeds of the site, pixelated images, and even harm search engine optimization.

In the vast digital landscape, images are the cornerstone of engagement, communication, and aesthetic appeal. From stunning product photography on an e-commerce site to a simple icon on a mobile app, visuals capture attention and convey messages far more effectively than text alone. However, the world of digital imagery is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. Using the wrong format can lead to longer loading times and undesired image outcomes.

In this post, we will examine the most common image formats, their technical intricacies, strengths, and weaknesses, and ultimately provide clear scenarios for when each should be used. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions about which image format to use.

The Great Divide: Raster vs. Vector

Before we understand the different kinds of image formats, it is essential to know that there are two main image categories: raster and vector. All image formats will fall into either one of these two categories.

Raster Images: The World of Pixels

A raster image is similar to a mosaic tile, composed of numerous tiny squares. These tiny squares of different colors are called pixels. When viewing a raster image from a distance, you are seeing an arrangement of thousands of tiny squares that merge to create a picture.

How they work: Each pixel is associated with a color. In a given image, the more pixels it has, the more detail it represents. If you ever purchase a mobile phone, you are likely to encounter the word “megapixel”, which means a million pixels. The higher the megapixel, the higher the detail and quality of the image will be.

Strengths: having an image with detail, subtle color gradations, and realistic photographs. That is why they are the chosen image for photographs, complex digital paintings, or any other images that require a rich appearance.

Weaknesses: The only downside is that they are resolution-dependent. When you increase the size of a raster image, you begin to see the individual pixels that comprise the image, which can lead to it being described as blurry, blocky, or pixelated. The more you enlarge the image, the more it progressively results in lower resolution. Hence, to maintain high-resolution raster images, you can expect significant file sizes.

Standard Formats: JFIF, PNG, GIF89, TIFF, and HTML5.

Vector Images: The Power of Mathematics

In contrast to the mosaic approach of raster images, vector graphics are constructed using mathematical equations rather than pixels.

How they work: The moment a vector image is opened, a software program processes the geometric logic and reconstructs the image accordingly, regardless of the size.  

Strengths: No reduction in quality with adjustment to its size. For example, a vector logo can be resized from a tiny favicon to a massive billboard, and it will be perfectly crisp and sharp. They usually have very low file sizes for simple graphics.

Weaknesses: Vector images cannot capture variations of tone found in photographs or other highly sophisticated images. Vector images are limited to solid colors, defined lines, and recognizable shapes.

Standard formats include SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), AI (Adobe Illustrator), EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), and PDF (Portable Document Format), which encompasses both raster and vector elements.

Decoding the Most Common Image Formats: Raster Edition

Now that we understand the fundamental difference, let’s examine the standard raster formats and understand when they should be used appropriately.

JPEG / JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
The Workhorse of the Web for Photographs

Technically, JPEG has a lossy compressed nature. Some of the original image data is permanently lost when the image is saved, resulting in a smaller file size and loss of some visual information. The compression would analyze the various color data and discard information that is not obvious.
 
Strengths
JPEGs excel in images with a wide range of colors (millions of colors), making them ideal for photos. Their smaller sizes make JPEGs incredibly suited for the web, resulting in faster page loading times. Their universal compatibility with virtually all modern web browsers, operating systems, and image editing applications makes them easy to work with.
 
Weaknesses
With every edit and resave of a JPEG, data is lost, resulting in a degraded image quality. JPEG does not do a good job of defining the sharp edges of an image or pieces of text well as a result of compression. JPEG’s inability to support a transparent background also works against it.

When to Deploy:
JPEG images are well-suited for websites, especially when images need to be both eye-catching and load quickly. Especially so on e-commerce sites, where the quality of a product image can influence a purchasing decision. Images for social media: The quick download also makes it easier to share and download quickly on different devices.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
The Champion of Quality and Transparency

Unlike JPEG images, which lose data when altered, PNG images can be saved and resaved multiple times without any loss of image quality. Like other files, PNG images also come in several different formats.

PNG comes in 8-bit and 24-bit formats. PNG 8-bit is the format of PNG images that supports a maximum of 256 colors and offers basic transparency. In contrast, 24-bit PNG images support millions of colors and offer enhanced transparency options, including adjustable opacity levels.

PNG files preserve sharp details, such as lines and text, without compromising quality. They also support alpha channel transparency, enabling images to blend seamlessly with various backgrounds.

The advantages of PNG are also its disadvantages, as its lossless compression, transparency data, and other elements result in a larger file size as compared to a JPEG image. Also, they are unable to support animation.

When considering the application of PNG images on web pages, the PNG format is more suited for logos and branding elements, which can enhance the overall aesthetic cohesion across the site. PNG files have sharp edges that preserve logos’ clarity and integrity when resized. PNG images support transparent backgrounds, allowing them to blend smoothly into various web designs without clashing with colors or textures. Thus, opting for PNG images enables a more unified branding experience across interconnected web pages.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
The Animated Fun Images

The small, animated image you often see in chat messages and emails is a GIF image. They are actually composed of several images working together as one. They also employ a lossy compression format, which discards information when it is altered.

Positive Aspects: Each GIF file offers smooth transition effects: They are great to use as reaction images, not only because people enjoy them, but they also use less data than videos. Their widespread use is likely the result of amusing images and concise descriptions. Their simplicity makes them easier to understand as they eliminate ambiguity.

Negative Aspects: GIFs are unsuitable for photographs or images requiring a rich spectrum of colors. GIFs have a color limit of up to 256 colors. They are also unsuitable for complex animation, which requires creating many images. GIFs suffer from low quality as data is lost from over-compression.
 
GIF use cases: GIFs are great for effects in the form of reaction images on social media or blog posts.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
The Professional’s Uncompressed Choice

WebP (Web Picture Format)
A Revolutionary Format for the Internet.

WebP is a newer image format developed by Google. WebP is designed for the web and offers both lossy and lossless compression, as well as animation and transparency features. Due to advanced compression algorithms, WebP files are significantly smaller than JPEG and PNG files for comparable picture quality.
 
Strengths: WebP files have a range of 25 to 34 percent smaller file sizes than the equivalent JPEGs. For lossless, the WebP files are 26 percent smaller than PNGs. As WebP supports an Alpha Channel, it can effectively replace JPEG, PNG, and GIF images. It also reduces bandwidth consumption, leading to a better overall SEO and user experience.

Weaknesses: Older browsers and image editing software do not support WebP, but this is changing. 

When to Deploy: WebP is more efficient than JPEG, PNG, and GIF files, making it ideal for content-heavy websites. While WebP is gaining widespread support, it’s good practice to provide JPEG or PNG fallbacks for older browsers that do not support the element in HTML.

The Vector Advantage

While raster formats dominate the photographic world, vector graphics, particularly SVG, hold a crucial place in modern web design.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
The Resolution-Independent Wonder

The fantastic thing about SVGs is that it is never pixelated. 

SVG is an XML-based vector image format. Because it uses mathematical descriptions, it can be rendered perfectly at any resolution. It is a text file containing drawing instructions that web browsers can interpret. This text-based nature also makes it highly searchable and indexable.
 
Strengths: Infinite scalability: The defining advantage, SVGs appear sharp and crisp on any screen, without pixelation, from a wristwatch to a 4K monitor. No need to create multiple image assets to accommodate new screen sizes. That is the defining advantage of vector images. Next is its small file sizes, which are lightweight, small, and compressed. Ideal for simple graphics. They are also excellent for responsive design and can adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes without creating multiple image assets. SEO-friendly: Since SVGs are text-based, their content can be indexed by search engines. SVG files enhance the effectiveness of outbound marketing campaigns by allowing them to be easily indexed by search engines. Styling and interactivity: Can be styled with CSS (e.g., change colors, strokes) and manipulated with JavaScript, allowing for dynamic effects and animations.

Weaknesses: Not suitable for photographs: they are unable to replicate the delicate details and gradual tone changes of raster images. Overly complex vector images may cause longer rendering times and take a significant amount of file space.

When to Deploy: Logos and branding elements: For consistency and sharpness across all platforms and devices, icons (e.g., social media icons, UI elements) retain their crispness regardless of scale. Infographics and charts: To present data clearly and legibly at any zoom level. Illustrations and line art: Where crisp lines and solid colors are desired. Interactive web elements: Where CSS or JavaScript manipulation of graphics is needed..

AVIF (AV Image File Format)
The Next-Generation Image Format for the Web

AVIF is a relatively new image format derived from the AV1 video codec. It has been gaining rapid traction as one of the most efficient formats for delivering high-quality images at dramatically reduced file sizes. Like WebP, AVIF is designed for modern web use, but it goes even further in terms of compression efficiency and visual fidelity.

Strengths: Superior Compression: AVIF consistently delivers smaller file sizes compared to JPEG, PNG, and even WebP, while maintaining image quality that is equal to or better than JPEG. High Dynamic Range (HDR) Support: AVIF can handle HDR content, making it suitable for the latest devices and displays that demand richer colors and higher contrast. Transparency & Animation: AVIF supports transparency (like PNG and WebP) and can handle animated sequences, making it a versatile replacement for multiple legacy formats. Future-Ready: Backed by major tech players, AVIF is rapidly being adopted and is considered a next-generation format.

Weaknesses: Lack of Browser Support: While adoption is growing across Chrome, Firefox, and other major browsers, older browsers and systems still lack support. Encoding Performance: AVIF encoding can be slower than JPEG or WebP, which may be a limitation in workflows that require fast batch processing. Editing Support: Not all editing tools fully support AVIF yet, though this is quickly changing.

When to Deploy: Content-Heavy Websites: AVIF’s advanced compression makes it an ideal choice for image-rich websites that aim to optimize loading speeds without compromising quality. High-End Visuals: Perfect for HDR photographs, detailed illustrations, and any visuals where quality must remain uncompromised. Forward-Looking Web Strategies: Businesses looking to future-proof their websites can adopt AVIF alongside fallback formats (like JPEG or WebP) to ensure compatibility.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a web developer striving for lightning-fast load times, a designer obsessed with pixel-perfect branding, or a blogger seeking engaging visuals, mastering image formats is a crucial skill in today’s visually driven world. Embrace these insights, and watch your digital presence flourish with crisp, fast-loading, and impactful imagery.

Be sure to check out our other post on how to use images to avoid fines from regulators.

Today the Internet plays a crucial role in businesses. The Internet has gone from just being a communication platform to one where transactions are made daily. Along with the latter, personal data like credit card details are indiscriminately captured, manipulated, and even sold.

Governments all around the world are stepping in to protect the privacy of its citizens. Besides internal corporate policies and business legal documentation, regulators are introducing requirements for companies to have policies and documented procedures to safeguard personal data of their users.

Below is a list of policies that generally all corporate and online vendors should have on their website and internally within their organization.

On every website, below are some baseline policies you would want to include on your website. The first three would be a requirement by law.

• Cookie acceptance bar

• Cookie policy

• Privacy policy

• Terms of Use

Within an organizational, the following internal policies would supplement the above policies.

• Human resource policy

• Information security policy

• Data Privacy policy

If you are running an eCommerce business, you might further need to have the following policies

• Listing policies

• Payment policies

• Refund policy etc.

Do note the above list is not exhaustive as each industry have their own sets of governing regulations which would require them to take domain-specific policies. Take, for example, if you are in the financial sector, you need to further comply with Anti-money laundering policies as required by respective financial regulators.

This post was written to enlighten and help our reader in understanding what some of the legal documentation and policies they need to have in place to safeguard their online presence are. The list outline in this post should not be viewed as the final and complete listing of all policies and legal documentation need internally within the organization or on the website. Ultimately all companies have different business models and offer various services operating in different industries.

We strongly recommend that you check with your legal team or a specialized third-party legal service provider to ascertain what are all the complete set of policies and documentation needed.

Google has been focusing on speed as a ranking factor for the last eight years.

In Jan 2018, Google formally announced that it would be updating its speed update algorithm sometime in mid-2018. This update will be a significant one. This early announcement gives website owners some heads up to start taking actions to improve their site downloading speed.

Why Is Google doing this?

The reason that Google is making this speed update is that speed matters to a user, especially as more and more users are surfing on mobile devices, which typically has a slower connection compared to desktops.

The user’s patience for a slow downloading site is waning. If a website takes too long to download, they merely move on to another website. Users expect to move through a brand’s site and pages at lightning speed. A web page that loads quickly will increase user satisfaction.

A key ranking factor

One of Google search’s key ranking factors is a site’s download speed.

So what does this mean to you, a website owner?

If your site is not downloading fast enough, visitors will abandon your site and move on to another. In time, your ranking on Google search engine page results will drop.

If your competitor’s webpages are downloading faster than yours, your site will rank lower than theirs. Hence you can see, speed matters.

What contributes to a website download speed?

Many factors determine the performance of a website.  They generally fall into two parts – front-end and back-end.

Front-end would refer to the webpages and all its associated resources, as rendered by a browser. The components on the front-end  that has an impact on the loading time would include the

• HTML codes

• CSS files

• JavaScript

• media  sizes (images, video, etc.) and

• the use of caching

• the use of redirects

The back-end would refer to the webserver delivering the page to your browser. Below are some of the

• location of the webserver,

• connection speed,

• PHP version,

• the number of HTTP requests etc.

Optimizing both front-end and back-end is critical in achieving optimal website performance and ranking higher on search engine result pages.

Let’s have a conversation if you would like to do a web page speed audit or improve your website speed.

However, there are some sensitive pages on a website that we recommend site owners not allow search engines to index and display as it could pose a security breach. One such weblink would be our Content Management System (CMS) login page.

Should a hacker finds out the link to your CMS login, he/she could try to brute force themselves into your CMS and take control of your website.

Fortunately, there is a way to ‘tell’ the search engines not to display these sensitive pages by way of a file, robots.txt. In the file, you can list the webpages you do not want search engines to index and make it discoverable.

The robots.txt file is essential to search engines too. A crawler bot from a search engine while indexing your website will also look for the robots.txt file on your site. They will take a peek into it, to see if there is any website for them to avoid displaying. If there is nothing in the robots.txt, they will, by default, make all pages discoverable.

Displaying a sensitive page to the wrong audience (i.e., hacker) could result in a hacker hacking into it, leading to a compromised site, something no human or search engine wants.

Hence search engines need your help to keep the Internet a safer place. They need site owners to specifically list webpages that they do not wish to be displayed.

Do reach out to us if you need any assistance in this area.

Many activities are happening at the backend of a website – you will be making changes on your website, adding new capabilities, configuring them, doing back up, etc.  Though it may not seem important when you are building your website, however, when things go wrong, you want to be able to quickly understand what you have done on your website as things do and can go wrong from time to time.

Track changes

One of the primary use of a logging feature is to track changes. An audit log is something that will result from it. With an audit log, you will have a better understanding of what is happening on your website.

An audit log can advise on changes done, and some can also highlight the criticality of the changes.

Ideally, the audit log application should be able to send off an alert on these critical issues when it detects them.

Some audit log application can also send off an email alert if there is an abnormality (i.e., file size changes)

Multiple users

As more users work on your website, the complexity increases. The need for accountability increases. With a logging feature, you now know who has access to the backend of the website and what action they have taken.

Without an audit log, you wouldn’t know who has done what. Pinning down responsibility would be difficult.

Access by an external vendor

From time to time, you may encounter issues beyond your or your team’s capabilities. You need outside help.  You need to grant access to an external third-party vendor.

When you allow that, after the work is done, you want to have a peace of mind that they do not leave any backdoor application, which they can later use to gain access to the website.

Having this assurance is essential.  Otherwise, you will have sleepless nights. You will constantly be wondering whether you have made the right move in getting a third party to help out. You will be wondering have you solve a problem but created a greater problem of vulnerability that can be exploited anytime by the vendor.

Cyber incident

Audit logs are most useful and critical if there is a cyber-incident or data breach. In certain circumstances, an investigation is required by law. Intimate details of the incident – when it happens, how it happens, what path it took, what systems were involved, etc., would be needed to understand the scope of the damage and how to prevent it from ever occurring again.

The information provided by the audit log will be handy during this moment. It will significantly facilitate and shorten the investigation. It would also reduce the number of days for hiring a cyber-forensic specialist to conduct the investigation.

Think of an audit log like an in-vehicle camera. When something happens, the camera (i.e., audit log) will provide clarity of the incident. While sometimes, it may not give the full picture, but it does narrow things down somewhat.

Backup error

Surprise, surprise, but backups do fail too.

Failures could happen anytime when there is a software conflict within the CMS. When it happens, this might cause the last backup not to restore itself properly.

Your next course of action is to determine what has happened between the last and prior backup. You might want to know who has access to the system and what steps have they taken.

If you have been actively working on the CMS, you want to know what work or actions you have undertaken during the period between the last two backups.

By taking a snapshot of the activities before doing a backup, you will gain some understanding of what you have worked on.

That will save tons of guesswork from stretching your mind trying to recall those activities.

From the above scenarios, the benefits of deploying an audit log application are overwhelming. Its use becomes more critical when the site gets larger or when there are more users in your CMS.

Beyond the initial website creation effort, a whole sleuth of activities (i.e. link up to search engines, website optimization) needs to be carried out. Thereafter, the site will go into maintenance mode (i.e software updates, new developments) to keep it running. This is something the website owner needs to fully understand and factor in.

In this post, we will examine the pros and cons of outsourcing a website’s development and mainteance for a small business owner. Below are some essential factors that need to be considered when starting on creating your own website. In this comparison, we take it DIY as the business owner managing the site by his/her ownself.

Complexity of your site. If the website is a simple informational website, this is something the business owner can consider to undertake his/her own self. However, on the website, there probably would be a sign up form to collect visitor’s email addresses, this is a security issue. A website with a sign up form is susceptible to SQL injection attacks. The attack would allow the attacker to gain direct access to the backend website contacts database. This could result in a personal data leak and attract the attention of the authorities. .

Time to market. All content management solution has a learning curve. As the website increases in functionality, so will be the learning curve. So depending on how much time the business owners has to focus on the website, otherwise it is prudent to simply outsource the development and maintenance of the website to a third-party vendor.

Frequency of change. Content changes from time to time. It is a minor text change, the small business owners can undertake the changes themselves. However if changes are in the form of enhancing the website, then considering a third party outsourcing provider would be the recommended way to go as it will consume a lot of the business owner’s time to research, implement, test and monitor these changes.

Frequency of updates. Business owners need to understand that all software needs to be update from time to time. Each updates need to be reviewed and updated. Once updated the website needs to be checked to see if anything is impacted by the updates. This takes time, depending on how many additional functionality was added onto the base website.

Data confidentiality. Data confidentially is very important especially when private data is concerned. Once a breach happens, data owners are obligated to inform the relevant authorities. Ideally the data owners (i.e business owner) should be the first to know of such a breach and not be the last to know, so you can better manage the breach.

In this respect, business owners need to fully understand how to protect their databases. If not, it would be best for them to outsource the development and maintenance of the website to third party vendors who would be in a better place to protect the data.

Note even though your website is hosted on a third-party hosting provider, ultimately the business owner is still responsible for the safeguarding of the personal data provided by it’s users.

Cost. Cost is always at the top of the mind of a small business owner. He/she is always looking at ways to minimize the cost of operations. Doing it internally could be cheaper financially, however, it takes time off on other operational issue. This is something the business owner as to weigh carefully.

As you can see from above, the decision is not a straightforward one for the small business owner.  The final decision to do it in-house or outsource, would also depend on the resources available and the environment he/she is working in – is speed to market important?

If you need further clarification, do drop us a note and shall we have a conversation before you embark on this important decision.

The primary mission of the search engine is to create a good user experience for those who use their search capabilities. To achieve a satisfying experience, a search engine has to consider many factors.

However, these factors can be broken down into three broad categories.

Relevant content

Long before Google, there were already many other search engines on the Internet. Search engines like Alta Vista, ask Jeeves, Excite, etc. were household names back then lie how Google is today. However, while these companies understood the importance of search engines on the Internet, they did not understand the power of quality relevant content. Many a time, during those days, when you search on these platforms, the results that come back were disappointing.

Hence when a search engine (i.e., Google) that provided more relevant content came along, users migrated to the new platform. Users want quality relatable results. Being able to provide appropriate quality results is vital. If you do it right, your visitors will come.

Quality results, in turn, depend on the right keywords and relevant content. With good content, visitors will spend more time on the webpage, and they might even share the page out. These actions are signals to search engines that the webpage has some relevance to the user and potential users.

Download speed

With more and more users using their mobile users to surf the Internet on the go, download speed becomes increasingly important.

Download speed over mobile devices is typically slower compared to devices physically connected (i.e.,LAN) to the Internet. With the already slow connection, any webpage that adds to the slowness of the download will irk the user. This slow download would constitute a poor experience in the eyes of search engines. The website will be penalized by being ranked lower to a comparatively faster website. Hence, optimizing a website for faster download is critical.

It is imperative to check on your website download speed from time to time, especially when adding something new to it. The newly added image, functionality, may impact your site download performance.

Secure website

As cybercriminal activities intensify, search engines are increasingly putting more emphasis on website security. A new, more secure transmission protocol emerged because of this concern – HTTPS. With HTTPS in place, information that is transmitted between the web server and the client desktop or device is made more secure through encryption. Sites that run the HTTPS protocol have their domain name preceded by HTTPS in their URL.

In 2018, search engines like Google took it a step further by displaying a little padlock beside the URL of the website. Google even went further by providing warnings of unsecured webpages they are about to visit, to its users.

While doing all of the above three things doesn’t guarantee you will appear on the first page on any search engine result page, it will, however, provide you with the assurance that you are in line with the search engines’ mandate.

With over 100+ ranking factors to optimize, getting the above right will serve as a good foundation for your optimization effort to rank higher within the search engines.