What it is
This check looks at how many images a page loads, and flags pages with an unusually large number, since each additional image is another separate file the browser has to download before the page fully finishes loading. This isn't about images being inherently bad — they're often essential to a page's design and content — it's specifically about the cumulative effect of loading a very large number of them all at once.
The practical impact of a high image count is felt far more sharply on mobile than on desktop, because mobile connections (even good ones) are typically slower and less consistent than a home or office Wi-Fi or wired connection.
Why it matters
Every image adds to the total amount of data a visitor's device has to download before the page is fully usable, and on a mobile data connection specifically, that download time can stretch out noticeably compared to the same page loading almost instantly on a fast desktop connection. A visitor waiting on a slow-loading, image-heavy page on their phone is meaningfully more likely to give up and leave before it finishes, compared to a lighter page that becomes usable much sooner.
This is a case where a fix doesn't necessarily mean removing content a visitor cares about — it's much more often about how those images are delivered (their file size, and whether they all load immediately) rather than needing to cut them entirely.
How to fix it
- Count how many images load immediately on the page, and identify any that are unusually large in file size (your browser's developer tools can show this for each image).
- Compress large images using a free image compression tool before uploading — this often shrinks file size dramatically with no visible loss in quality.
- Add lazy loading to images that appear further down the page (below what's visible without scrolling), so they only load once a visitor actually scrolls near them, rather than all at once when the page first opens.
- Most modern website builders and CMS platforms support lazy loading with a simple toggle or automatically by default — check your image or performance settings before adding it manually.
- Re-test the page's mobile load time after making changes, ideally on an actual mobile connection rather than fast office Wi-Fi.