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Free Plugin by Patrick Sletvold v1.3.3

lazysizes

High performance and SEO friendly lazy loader for images, iframes and more. Many features, like low-res Blurhash placeholders and image fade-in

lazysizes

The facts

Rating
5★ from 6
Active installs
600+
Price
Free
Last updated
13 Aug 2020
Added
Nov 2017
Requires WP
3.9
Tested up to
WP 5.5.20
Requires PHP
5.6
Downloads
18,443

Our analysis

AI-assisted

lazysizes is a WordPress plugin designed for high performance and SEO-friendly lazy loading of images, iframes, and scripts. It dynamically replaces the src and srcset attributes with data attributes, loading content only when necessary. This plugin is suitable for users looking to improve their site's loading speed and overall performance without extensive configuration.

The plugin supports responsive images and can display low-resolution placeholders using the Blurhash algorithm. It prioritises loading elements based on their visibility to enhance perceived performance. Users can simply enable the plugin and adjust settings as needed.

Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress users aiming to enhance site performance and SEO through lazy loading.

What it does well

  • Supports lazy loading for images, iframes, and scripts
  • Optimises performance by prioritising visible elements
  • Allows for low-res placeholder images using Blurhash
  • Easy to enable and configure

Where it falls short

  • Limited feature information provided
  • Directory score indicates potential areas for improvement

Verdict

lazysizes offers a straightforward solution for lazy loading, making it a practical choice for those focused on improving site speed and user experience.

From the developer

Patrick Sletvold's own description of lazysizes, lightly tidied.

lazysizes is a WordPress plugin for the high performance, SEO-friendly and auto-triggering lazyloader with the same name. Support includes images (including responsive images with srcset and the picture tag), iframes, scripts/widgets and much more. It also prioritizes resources by differentiating between crucial in view and near view elements to make perceived performance even faster. Additionally, you can add low-res/blurry placeholder images using the Blurhash algorithm.

This plugin works by loading the lazysizes script and replacing the src and srcset attributes with data-src and data-srcset on the front end of a WordPress site. When a post or page is loaded, the lazysizes javascript will load the images, iframes etc. dynamically when needed. All you need to do is to enable the plugin, and possibly tweak a few settings to your liking.

Thanks to aFarkas and contributors for making the lazysizes library possible, and for letting me use the same name.

Also thanks to dbhynds who made the Lazy Load XT plugin, which this plugin is based on.

Read the full description on the official page →

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