Is HEIC Better Than JPG for SEO, Websites, and Performance?

You've optimized your titles, meta descriptions, and content. But what about your images? The format you choose can impact your website's performance and, indirectly, your SEO. Here's how HEIC and JPG compare for website use.

Page Speed and Core Web Vitals

Page speed is a direct ranking factor. Google's Core Web Vitals measure loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability. HEIC files are smaller — roughly half the size of JPG. Smaller files load faster, which should mean better Core Web Vitals scores. But there's a catch.

The Browser Support Problem

HEIC isn't universally supported by browsers. Safari supports it natively, but Chrome, Firefox, and Edge do not. This means: - Most visitors won't see your HEIC images - You'll need fallback formats anyway - The "smaller file" advantage disappears if you're serving two formats

The Better Web Alternative: WEBP and AVIF

For website use, WEBP and AVIF are better choices than either HEIC or JPG:

• WEBP has 96%+ browser support
• AVIF offers the best compression
• Both are web-native formats

Best Practice for Websites

Use WEBP or AVIF for your website images with appropriate fallbacks. For the best results, convert your HEIC source files to WEBP using our HEIC to WEBP converter. Images matter for SEO because they affect page speed. Choose your format wisely.