All features/Image optimization
Faster pages and readable images, without another subscription
Images are usually the heaviest part of a page and the least maintained. SEOWing compresses them and creates WebP and AVIF versions on your own server, serves them through picture tags and shows you which images still lack alt text. One module replaces the separate image tool.
Image optimization is included from Starter (99 € per website per year); restoring originals and viewing statistics keep working without a license.
The problem with image debt
Every uploaded image without compression slows the page; every image without alt text is invisible to search engines, AI systems and screen readers. Multiply that by years of uploads and you get the debt most sites carry without knowing it.
What you get
WebP/AVIF, self-hosted
Modern formats generated on your server. No third-party upload, no external dependency, no data leaving your site.
Alt text at scale
The image audit lists every image without alt text. The Autopilot fills gaps from the image title or file name after a dry-run preview, and an AI client connected via MCP can write descriptive alt texts and save them in bulk.
Speed where it counts
Smaller files and next-gen formats cut page weight. Inside the picture tag your original img tag stays intact, including its alt, sizes and loading attributes.
How it works
Run the image audit
Every image is checked: format, size, alt text, usage.
Convert and fill
Queue the whole library for background optimization, with a backup of every original. Alt-text fixes show a dry-run preview first.
Stay clean
New uploads are optimized automatically. Elementor images included.
Replace the image plugin, keep the results. Your pages get faster and your images finally speak.
In detail: what happens to your images
Compression on your own server
Compression runs on your web server with Imagick, or with GD when Imagick is missing. JPEG and PNG originals are re-encoded at the quality of the chosen level: normal 86, aggressive 80 (default) or ultra 68. With Imagick, metadata such as EXIF is stripped and JPEGs are saved as progressive files. All thumbnail sizes are processed too. Optionally, originals wider than 2560 px (adjustable) are scaled down. GIF and SVG files stay untouched.
WebP, AVIF and the picture tag
For each optimized image SEOWing writes a WebP file with the same name next to the original, plus one for every thumbnail. WebP is on by default. AVIF is off by default and needs AVIF support in Imagick or GD. On the front end, img tags pointing to JPEG or PNG files in your uploads folder are wrapped in a picture element with AVIF and WebP sources, but only if the converted file exists. No .htaccess or nginx changes are needed.
Backups, background jobs and limits
Before an image is changed, the original is copied to uploads/seowing-backup. One click in the media library restores it and removes the WebP and AVIF versions. New uploads are queued automatically via Action Scheduler or WP-Cron, and a bulk run queues every image not yet optimized. A per-image lock prevents double compression. Images above 50 megapixels or beyond the free PHP memory are skipped instead of crashing the request.
Alt texts: audit and bulk fixes
The site audit counts every image without alt text. The MCP tool seo_image_audit checks up to 500 images for missing alt text, files above 500 KB and files above 100 KB without WebP, including Elementor widget images. The Autopilot fills empty alt texts from the image title or file name, up to 100 per run, after a dry-run preview. Descriptive texts can come from an AI client connected via MCP and be saved in bulk with seo_bulk_update_images.
Questions
Does SEOWing convert images to WebP without an external service?+
Yes. Compression and WebP and AVIF conversion run on your own web server with the PHP extensions Imagick or GD, so images are not uploaded to a third party. Which formats work depends on your host: WebP and AVIF each need matching support in Imagick or GD. Without either extension, SEOWing reports an error instead of optimizing.
How does SEOWing serve WebP images to browsers?+
SEOWing rewrites the finished HTML of each front-end page. An img tag pointing to a JPEG or PNG in the uploads folder is wrapped in a picture element with AVIF and WebP sources, if those files exist. The original img tag stays inside as the fallback, with alt, sizes and loading unchanged. The class no-picture excludes an image.
Can I restore the original image after optimization?+
Yes, if backups are enabled, which is the default. SEOWing copies each original to uploads/seowing-backup before compressing. Restoring copies it back, removes the WebP and AVIF versions and regenerates the thumbnails. Restoring and statistics work without an active license; only new optimization runs need Starter or higher.
Does SEOWing write alt texts automatically with AI?+
Not on its own. The built-in fixes derive alt text from the image title or file name and show a dry-run preview first. Descriptive alt texts come from an AI client connected via MCP, such as Claude, or from the AI assistant in Pro. Both read the image audit, propose texts for your review and save them in bulk.
See it on your own site
Install SEOWing, run the first audit and watch the score move. 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan.