Lazy loading is a web development optimization technique that delays the loading of non-critical elements on a web page until they are actually needed. This helps improve the performance of a website by providing only the resources required by the user, rather than sharing the loading capacity across all web elements at one. As a result, the initial page load time is reduced and user experience is improved.
Wix offers fully managed web hosting for a hassle-free experience.
Wix's AI website builder creates a fully hosted, performance-optimised site automatically, with lazy loading applied to all images from the moment your site goes live.
Lazy loading can also help reduce the total amount of data that is transferred between the server and the user’s browser, further reducing loading times. This makes it an important part of any website speed optimization process.
Lazy loading can be used for both static and dynamic content, such as images and videos scripts, as well as any other text or visual element used on a web page. However, it is specially relevant for sites with large images, videos, or other resources that take a long time to load.
For example, when a user visits a page with several images, instead of downloading all the images at once, lazy loading will only download the images that are immediately visible to the user. This prevents the user from bouncing while allowing time for the rest of the site to load.
By understanding lazy loading and its benefits, anyone planning how to make a Wix website can create more efficient online experiences for their users. The key to successful lazy loading is knowing which elements to lazy load and how to properly implement it.
TL;DR: what is lazy loading?
Lazy loading is a technique that delays loading non-essential content, such as images and videos below the fold, until a user actually needs to see them. This reduces initial page load time, saves bandwidth and improves the experience for visitors, especially on slower connections or mobile devices.
For Wix users, lazy loading is applied automatically to all images on your site, so you get the performance benefit without any setup or configuration.
Differences between lazy loading and eager loading
Lazy loading and eager loading are two popular techniques used to optimize website performance. While both approaches can help improve page loading speeds, each of them has their own advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account when making a decision about which one to implement.
Lazy loading is best used when dealing with a large amount of online content that's not immediately needed by the user, as it works by only loading content when it’s required.
Eager loading, on the other hand, is recommended when content must be loaded quickly and must be readily available. It works by preloading all content before it is needed, resulting in faster loading times and higher data usage. Additionally, eager loading can also lead to higher memory use since all content is being loaded at once.
Overall, lazy loading and eager loading are both useful techniques that can help improve page loading speed and website performance. When deciding which one is right for a site, it’s important to consider the amount of content on the website, the type of content and any potential bandwidth or memory usage issues. For example, a site with limited bandwidth may not be able to handle eager loading, as it requires high memory storage.
Benefits of lazy loading
Lazy loading delivers measurable improvements to website performance. Here are the main benefits for website owners and their visitors.
Faster initial page load. By only loading content that is immediately visible, pages start rendering more quickly. This reduces the time to first contentful paint, which is one of Google's Core Web Vitals metrics used to assess page experience.
Lower bandwidth usage. Images and videos that a visitor never scrolls to simply never load. This reduces the total data transferred during a session, which is particularly beneficial for users on limited or slow mobile connections.
Reduced server load. Fewer simultaneous resource requests means less strain on your hosting server. For pages with many images or media files, lazy loading can meaningfully reduce server processing requirements.
Better mobile experience. Mobile users often have slower connections and smaller screens. Lazy loading ensures they receive only the content they actually view, making your site feel faster and more responsive on any device.
When to use lazy loading
Lazy loading is not always the right choice for every element on every page. Understanding when to use it helps you get the performance benefits without negatively affecting user experience.
Use lazy loading for images, videos and iframes that appear below the visible portion of the page (below the fold). It is also well-suited for long-form pages with many media assets, image galleries, infinite scroll feeds and product listing pages with large numbers of items.
Avoid lazy loading for content that needs to be visible immediately when the page loads, such as your hero image, logo or any content in the first visible section of the page. Deferring these elements can actually hurt your Largest Contentful Paint score, which is a key Core Web Vitals metric.
Is lazy loading good or bad for SEO?
Lazy loading is generally positive for SEO when implemented correctly. Google's crawler can render JavaScript and process lazy-loaded content, so images and other elements that load on scroll are still indexable. The performance improvements that come from lazy loading, particularly faster initial load times and better Core Web Vitals scores, directly benefit your search rankings.
The main risk is implementing lazy loading incorrectly in a way that prevents search engines from seeing important content. If critical above-the-fold content is deferred unnecessarily, or if images lack descriptive alt text, lazy loading can negatively affect how your pages are crawled and ranked. Using a platform like Wix, which applies lazy loading automatically using best practices, avoids these pitfalls without requiring any technical configuration from you.
Lazy loading and Wix
When you create a Wix site all images on it are automatically displayed with lazy loading. This improves loading time by replacing high resolution images with lower-res ones that load instantly, while the higher resolution version loads in the background. As a result, users on your site won’t need to wait for content to appear on their browser. Once the higher resolution images are loaded, they seamlessly replace the lower-res placeholders.
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