Or, How to Optimise Images in WordPress (Without Breaking Anything))
Optimising thousands of images sounds terrifying—but with the right plugin, it doesn’t have to be.
When I first started working on my site’s speed, I had no idea how much my images were slowing things down. I thought I was being careful—but it turns out, my Media Library was a bit of a digital attic and we all know how cluttered the attic can be!
So this week, I finally tackled it.
Here’s how I optimised over 4,000 images using ShortPixel Image Optimiser, a beginner-friendly WordPress plugin that now quietly works in the background to keep my site fast and tidy.
Why I Needed to Optimise My Images
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My homepage was feeling sluggish
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Google’s PageSpeed scores weren’t great
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I’d uploaded images for years without compression
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My site had multiple versions of every photo (thumbnails, medium, large)
In short, things were heavier than they needed to be. (A bit like me!!)
What I Did (Step by Step)
Here’s how I did it—no drama, no disasters:
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Installed the ShortPixel plugin
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Signed up at shortpixel.com and got my API key
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Pasted the key into the plugin settings on my site
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Chose “Glossy” compression (great balance of quality + speed)
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Turned on Background Mode so it could run quietly
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Bought a one-time credit pack (mine had 30,000 credits—more than enough), You get 100 credits a month so usually you don’t need to purchase any extra but because I was trying to optimise all the images on my site all at once I decided to buy the extra credits so I could finish the job.
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Clicked Bulk Optimise and let it do its thing!
It worked in the background while I got on with other things. No crashes, no chaos.
What About the Errors?
Yes—ShortPixel told me there were 127 “errors.” But when I looked closer, most of them were:
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Duplicate thumbnails
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Image sizes I don’t even use
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Skipped files already optimised before
None of them broke anything. They didn’t stop the rest of the site from becoming faster and lighter. So—no panic needed. Phew!
The Results
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My site loads faster on mobile
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Pages feel smoother and more responsive
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I don’t have to worry about uploading “too big” images anymore
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Best of all? It’s one less invisible task on my to-do list
Would I Recommend It?
Yes, absolutely—especially if you’re not technical and just want a plugin that handles things quietly in the background.
You don’t need to understand all the jargon. Just pick ‘Glossy’, let it run, and enjoy a lighter, more professional-feeling site.
And Finally...
If you’re new to this and feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry—I’ve been there too.
Leave a comment below or drop by my Start Here page.
I’m always happy to walk through it with you, step by step.
Now… off to bed for me. 😴
And if you’re still reading this late at night—maybe it’s time to tuck in too.
The internet will still be here tomorrow. Your peace of mind matters more.
Here’s a little transparency: My website contains affiliate links. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Don’t worry, there’s no extra cost to you. It’s a simple way you can support my mission to bring you quality content.
