How to Convert PNG to WebP in WordPress

Why WordPress sites need WebP images

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites, and slow image loading is one of the most common performance problems. Google's Core Web Vitals now directly impact search rankings, and images are the biggest contributor to slow Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) scores.

WebP images are typically 25–35% smaller than equivalent PNG or JPG files at the same visual quality. Switching your WordPress images to WebP can dramatically improve your page speed scores and search rankings.

Method 1: Convert before uploading (recommended)

The simplest and most reliable method is to convert your images to WebP before you upload them to WordPress. This way you have full control over quality and file size.

• Go to PicVerto PNG to WebP converter
• Drop your PNG files into the converter
• Set quality to 80–85% for photos, higher for graphics
• Download the converted WebP files
• Upload them directly to your WordPress Media Library

WordPress has supported WebP uploads since version 5.8 (released July 2021). If you're on WordPress 5.8 or newer, you can upload WebP files directly without any plugin.

Method 2: Use a WordPress plugin

If you want to convert images already in your Media Library, several free plugins handle this automatically:

• Imagify — converts existing images and auto-converts new uploads. Free plan available.
• ShortPixel — bulk converts your entire media library. 100 free credits per month.
• WebP Express — serves WebP versions of existing images without replacing originals.

Method 3: Use Cloudflare's Image Resizing

If your WordPress site is behind Cloudflare (free plan works), you can enable automatic WebP conversion in your Cloudflare dashboard under Speed → Optimization → WebP. Cloudflare automatically serves WebP to browsers that support it without any changes to your site files.

Does WebP work in all browsers?

Yes. WebP is supported by Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari (14+), and Opera — covering over 95% of web users globally. For the small percentage using older browsers, WordPress plugins like WebP Express automatically fall back to PNG or JPG.

How much faster will my WordPress site be?

Results vary by site, but switching to WebP typically reduces total image weight by 30–50%. On an image-heavy blog or WooCommerce store, this can improve Google PageSpeed Insights scores by 10–30 points and cut page load times by 1–3 seconds on mobile connections.

Step-by-step checklist

• Check your WordPress version is 5.8 or higher
• Convert new images to WebP before uploading using PicVerto
• Install ShortPixel or Imagify to convert existing media library images
• Run Google PageSpeed Insights before and after to measure improvement
• Check your Core Web Vitals score in Google Search Console

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