P2Issue #48
Use Video format for animated content
ā What does it mean?
ā What does it mean?
Many websites use GIFs or heavy animations to show moving visuals. While GIFs are widely supported, they are not optimized for performance. Large GIF files increase page load time, hurt Core Web Vitals, and reduce SEO performance.
Instead, using video formats (like MP4, WebM) for animated content is more efficient because:
They provide smaller file sizes with better compression.
Support play/pause controls for better user experience.
Allow lazy-loading, reducing render-blocking.
šØ Why is it important for SEO?
šØ Why is this a problem for SEO?
Slow Page Load ā Large GIFs block rendering and increase LCP (Largest Contentful Paint).
High Bandwidth Usage ā Poor performance on mobile and slow networks.
Poor User Experience ā GIFs auto-play without controls and can frustrate users.
Negative Impact on Rankings ā Search engines prioritize fast, efficient content.
ā How to Fix It
ā
Best Practices
Convert GIFs to MP4/WebM before embedding.
Use <video> tag instead of <img> for animations.
Add controls, autoplay (muted), loop attributes only when necessary.
Always provide poster images for SEO and fallback.
ā Bad Example
š Example
ā Bad (Using GIF):
<img src="funny-animation.gif" alt="Funny Animation" />
š Problem: File size ~5MB, slows page, no controls.
ā Good Example
ā
Good (Using MP4 Video):
<video autoplay muted loop playsinline width="400" height="300" poster="animation-thumbnail.jpg">
<source src="funny-animation.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<source src="funny-animation.webm" type="video/webm">
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
š Benefits: Smaller file (~500KB), faster load, SEO-friendly, user controls possible.
ā” Result
ā” SEO Impact of Fixing
Faster page speed & Core Web Vitals.
Lower bounce rates due to smoother UX.
Higher chances of better rankings since Google prioritizes performance.