Q: What image optimization myths frustrated you most?
Rachel, Ecommerce Manager: "The obsession with exact file sizes. I wasted days compressing images to hit arbitrary kilobyte targets. Then I tested it. A 45KB image versus a 78KB image? No measurable difference in load time on modern connections. But spending hours on compression? Huge time waste."
Q: What about alt text best practices?
"Write what the image shows. That's it. I see people stuffing keywords into alt text or writing novels. Screen reader users need concise descriptions. Search engines figure out context from surrounding content. My approach now: one clear sentence, move on."
Q: File naming conventions?
"Descriptive names help you organize files more than they help rankings. I renamed 200 product images from 'img001.jpg' to descriptive names. Rankings unchanged. But finding files in my media library got way easier. The benefit is organizational, not SEO."
Q: What actually improved your site performance?
"Three things: lazy loading images below the fold, using next-gen formats like WebP with fallbacks, and proper dimensions so browsers don't reflow. These cut load time by two seconds. That improved rankings more than any metadata tweaking."
Q: Quick wins for busy people?
"Install a plugin that handles WebP conversion automatically. Add descriptive alt text when you upload. Don't overthink it. Those two actions solve 80% of image optimization needs."