Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?

SVG Images: Ideal for Web Design

Scalable vector graphics (SVG) is an excellent choice for web graphics formats for many reasons, one of the important reasons is its relatively small file size. However, this is not absolute. Let's take a deeper look.

(This article is part of a series of articles in collaboration with SiteGround. Thank you for your support for the partners who made SitePoint possible.)

Advantages of vector Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s

Radical Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s (such as .JPEG, .PNG, etc.) are composed of square pixels arranged in the grid. Therefore, the larger the Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?, the more pixels are used, resulting in an increase in file size.

Not only that, pixel-based graphics scaling is not good. what does that mean? Here is a flower with an original width of 300 x 225 pixels.JPEG Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?:

This is how the same Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? displays at higher resolutions:

Note the significant decrease in its blurry edges, blurry surfaces, and overall Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? quality.

Given that retinal screens are common on user devices these days, the risk of this happening with raster Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s on your website is high. An alternative is to provide high-resolution graphics, but this of course can seriously affect web page performance.

srcset and <picture></picture> elements

Luckily, modern HTML solves this problem with responsive Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s (i.e. srcset and <picture></picture> elements). At the time of writing, all major browser latest versions support these two elements except IE11 and Opera Mini.

The goal of responsive Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s is to provide the best quality Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? for the device used. This involves providing Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s at various resolutions, but allows the browser to load only Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s suitable for accessing the device's functionality.

If you want to learn more about how these technologies work, How to Build Responsive Images with Srcset, by Saurabh Kirtani, delves into this topic in depth.

The following is what srcset looks like in practice:

<img src="/static/imghwm/default1.png"  data-src="https://img.php.cn/upload/article/000/000/000/173975437655791.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,p_40"  class="lazy" alt="Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website&#x27;s Performance? " />

The following is an example of the <picture></picture> element:

<picture>
  <source media="(orientation: landscape)" srcset="retina-horizontal-Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website&#x27;s Performance?.jpg 2x, horizontal-Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website&#x27;s Performance?.jpg">
  <source media="(orientation: portrait)" srcset="retina-vertical-Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website&#x27;s Performance?.jpg 2x, vertical-Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website&#x27;s Performance?.jpg">
  <img src="/static/imghwm/default1.png"  data-src="https://img.php.cn/upload/article/000/000/000/173975437681258.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,p_40"  class="lazy" alt="Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website&#x27;s Performance?">
</picture>

As you can see, although only one copy of the Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? will be provided according to the access device, both technologies require you to prepare and upload multiple copies of the Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? to your server. This will not affect the performance of your website, but will have a negative impact on your time and server bandwidth.

SVG is resolution-independent

Scaling is the DNA of vector graphics, while SVG is an XML-based vector Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? format. SVG consists of geometric drawing instructions (such as shapes, paths, lines, etc.) that are independent of pixel size. From a file size perspective, it doesn't matter what size the Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? is rendered, as these instructions remain the same.

Another meaning of resolution-independent is that you don't need to prepare different copies of the same Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? for different devices; one size fits all devices and looks sharp and sharp at any screen resolution.

That is, some factors can negatively affect the SVG file size, such as the complexity of the Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?. The more complex the drawing instructions, the larger the file size.

Suggestions for efficient SVG files

Generally speaking, SVGs for web pages are very simple, such as logos, maps, icons, etc. Such simple SVG Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s may have a smaller file size compared to their raster counterparts.

However, there are some steps you can take to further optimize file size and ensure that your visitors have a great experience on your website.

The following are some tips:

Incorporate performance into the design from the beginning

You can write simple SVG graphics yourself or use JavaScript libraries like Snap.svg to draw vector graphics. Usually, to get the job done, you just need to start a vector graphics editor, such as Adobe Illustrator.

If you use a graphic editor, considering simplifying SVG code during the design phase can reduce the risk of destroying the work when you optimize later.

The first step you can take in this direction is to correctly set the canvas size in the graphics editor of your choice. Sarah Drasner recommends setting it to 100 x 100 pixels, depending on your project. This ensures that the canvas is not too small, resulting in a large number of decimal places that you can hardly reduce in late without messing with the graphics. On the other hand, this size is not too large. In fact, a larger canvas means that there are a larger number of corresponding path points.

Next, reducing the number of path points is crucial to reducing the size of the SVG file. This means using shapes instead of paths as much as possible, but also combining multiple paths into fewer paths unless you plan to animate them separately. Adobe Illustrator provides a "simplified" panel to further reduce path points. This is a short video tutorial to illustrate its usage.

Export SVG in a smart way

Make full use of the export function of the graphics editor. Failure to do so can result in some SVG code being filled with proprietary tags and bloat that you don't need.

For example, if you have the latest version of Adobe Illustrator (CC 2017 at the time of writing), use the Export As option to export the SVG drawing and select the .svg file type:

Illustrator's panel provides some settings to help you reduce file size and output clean, almost network-friendly tags. You can even preview the code by clicking the Show Code button in the panel.

For a detailed walkthrough of each option in Illustrator, Geoff Graham's Different Ways to Get SVG from Adobe Illustrator is a great article.

Compress more bytes using SVG optimization tool

After exporting the SVG graphics, you can still narrow it further with the excellent SVG optimization tools available.

SVGOMG (and its web-based GUI corresponding version) and Peter Collingridge's SVG editor are the most popular tools.

Check out "Optimizing SVG Images" by Guillaume Cedric Marty for more information on how to use SVGOMG.

Enable delivery of Gzipped SVG files

The last step in the SVG optimization to-do list is to enable gzip compression on the server. SVG is just an XML tag so it can be compressed easily without any problems.

The benefits in file reduction are significant. Appendix J of the SVG 1.1 specification shows a comparison table between uncompressed and compressed SVG file examples. The results are overwhelmingly favoring compression, with file sizes reduced by 77-84%.

Conclusion

SVG graphics are an excellent choice for web pages. When used with simple icons, logos, etc., it usually performs better than its grating counterparts, especially if you take the small number of precautions listed in this article.

The techniques I mentioned above are by no means exhaustive. You can further improve your efficiency. For detailed optimization techniques, the following resources are must-read:

• W3C SVG 1.1 Specification
• SVG on the webpage
• "High Performance SVG" by Sarah Drasner
• "Techniques for Optimizing SVG Delivery on Web Pages" by Sara Soueidan
• "Optimization SVG" by Andreas Larsen

What is your SVG optimization workflow? Click the comment box to share!

FAQs (FAQs) about SVG and website performance

What are the benefits of using SVG for website performance?

Scalable vector graphics (SVG) provides many benefits for website performance. First, SVG is not about resolution, which means they maintain their quality regardless of screen size or resolution. This is especially beneficial for responsive web design. Second, SVG usually has a smaller file size compared to other Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? formats such as JPEG or PNG, which can significantly improve page loading speed. Finally, SVG can be animated and manipulated with CSS and JavaScript, providing greater flexibility and interactivity without additional HTTP requests.

How does SVG affect SEO?

SVG can positively influence SEO in a number of ways. Since the SVG file is small, it can improve page loading speed, which is a ranking factor for Google. In addition, unlike other Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? formats, SVG can be indexed and crawled by search engines. This means you can add alternative text and other metadata to SVG, further enhancing your SEO efforts.

Can SVG be used for complex graphics?

Yes, SVG is great for complex graphics such as logos, icons and illustrations. Unlike raster Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s, SVGs do not distort after being enlarged or reduced, making them ideal for complex designs that require display in various sizes. In addition, SVG can be styled and animation with CSS and JavaScript, thus achieving more complex and interactive design.

Are there any disadvantages of using SVG?

While SVG offers many benefits, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider. Some older browsers may not support SVG, which may affect how your website displays to certain users. Additionally, while SVGs are great for simple or moderately complex graphics, they may not be the best choice for highly detailed or photo-type Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s.

How to optimize SVG for better performance?

There are multiple ways to optimize SVG for better performance. One way is to shrink the SVG code, which will remove unnecessary characters and spaces, thereby reducing the file size. You can also use gzip compression to further reduce file size. Also, consider using CSS and JavaScript to make SVG animations or manipulate SVGs instead of embedding multiple SVG files.

Can SVG improve the performance of mobile websites?

Yes, SVG can significantly improve the performance of mobile websites. Since SVGs are resolution-independent, they can maintain their quality on any screen size, making them ideal for responsive web design. Additionally, their smaller file sizes can improve page loading speeds, which is especially important for mobile users who may have a slower internet connection.

How does SVG compare to other Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? formats in terms of performance?

SVG is generally better than other Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance? formats in terms of performance. Their file size is small, which can improve page loading speed. Unlike raster Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s that may become pixelated when zoomed in, they retain their quality at any size. However, for highly detailed or photo-type Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s, formats such as JPEG or PNG may be more suitable.

Can I use SVG to make animations?

Yes, you can animate SVG using CSS or JavaScript. This allows for more interactive and attractive designs without the need for additional HTTP requests. However, remember that complex animations can increase file size and may affect performance.

Is SVG easy to access?

Yes, SVG can be made accessible by adding alternative text and other metadata. This allows screen readers to describe Is Using SVG Images Good for Your Website's Performance?s to users with visual impairment, thereby improving accessibility to your website.

How to learn to create and use SVG?

There are many resources available online to learn SVG. Websites such as MDN Web Documentation, CSS-Tricks, and various coding bootcamps provide tutorials and guides on creating and using SVG. In addition, there are many tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape that can help you create SVG graphics.

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