When it comes to website speed, images are the biggest contributor. A few big images could be the difference between a 6MB webpage and a 500k webpage. A really large image can take 10 seconds to download even on a modern phone. Most of the images that get uploaded into WordPress are bigger than they need to be, not compressed, or not in a file type that is optimized for the web.

We often use Smush, but there are many great image optimization plugins, like EWWW Image Optimizer, Imagify and many more.

How to Install Smush:

1. In your WordPress Dashboard, click on Plugins on the left, then Add New.
2. Search for Smush and then click Install Now. When the installation finishes, click Activate to activate the plugin.

How to use Smush:

1. Access the Smush settings by clicking Smush from your WordPress dashboard.
2. The Smush setup wizard will pop up if it's your first time using the plugin, we suggest using their defaults. If the wizard does not pop up, we suggest the following settings
   • Enable Automatic Compression
   • Enable Stripping Metadata
   • Under Lazy Load click Activate and use the suggested settings
3. New images will be optimized when you upload them, but to optimize all the images currently on your site select Bulk Smush on the left menu, then click Bulk Smush Now. If you have a lot of images this may take a few minutes.

How to Install EWWW:

1. Upload the "ewww-image-optimizer" plugin to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory or download from the Plugin library in WordPress.
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress.
3. The plugin will attempt to install jpegtran, optipng, and gifsicle automatically for you.
4. Recommended: Visit the settings page to enable/disable specific tools and turn on advanced optimization features.
   
5. Done!