Build an Image Budget That Your Website Can Actually Keep

Image optimization often fails because a team treats it as a final cleanup task. Someone notices that a page feels slow, compresses a few visible files, and moves on. New screenshots and product images then arrive with no shared limit, so the page becomes heavy again. A more durable approach is to create an image budget: a small set of measurable rules for file size, dimensions, format, and visual acceptance. The budget turns compression from an occasional rescue operation into a repeatable publishing decision. It also gives writers, designers, and developers the same definition of “ready.” This guide explains how to create that workflow for documentation, landing pages, release notes, and other content where images must stay useful while loading efficiently. Start with the job each image must do Do not begin by choosing one universal size limit. First classify the image by its purpose. A hero photograph, a product screenshot, a small logo, and a diagram lose value in