The WebP image format can be used to resolve “Serve images in next-gen formats” warnings in Google Page Speed Insights.
Next-gen image formats (JPEG 2000, JPEG XR, and WebP) have better compression and quality compared to JPEG and PNG.
WebP is supported in Chrome and Opera and provides better lossy and lossless compression for images on the web.
How to Convert Images to the WebP Image Format
Some image optimization plugins like ShortPixel already provide the ability to convert images to the WebP format. You’ll want to make sure you have a backup of your original images.
Note, we are not recommending the WebP setting at this time, because it can pose some issues. It may prevent users from downloading images or sharing images on some social networks. Additionally, some sites can’t automatically insert WebP images.