Understanding PSI Image Warnings on Squarespace
Learning Objectives
- Recognise when PageSpeed Insights warnings are false positives
- Learn to focus on warnings that actually impact your site's performance
- Understand how Google uses Core Web Vitals over PSI metrics for rankings
- Apply practical strategies to optimise Squarespace images for better SEO
Introduction
PageSpeed Insights warnings can cause unnecessary panic for Squarespace users. You'll see red warnings about images and wonder if your SEO is suffering. The truth is, many PSI warnings are false positives that don't reflect real user experience. This chapter shows you how to identify which warnings matter and which ones you can safely ignore while focusing on what actually improves your site's performance.
Lessons
Lesson 1: How PSI Actually Works with Squarespace
PageSpeed Insights tests your site under lab conditions that don't always match real user experiences. Squarespace's built-in optimisations often work better in practice than PSI suggests.
Step 1: Run your Squarespace URL through PageSpeed Insights
Step 2: Note any image-related warnings in red or amber
Step 3: Check your actual site speed by visiting it on different devices and connections
The difference between PSI scores and real performance often surprises people. Your site might score poorly but load quickly for actual visitors.
Lesson 2: Spotting False Positives vs Real Problems
Not every PSI warning needs fixing. Some are false alarms that waste your time without helping your users.
Step 1: Look for warnings about "serve images in next-gen formats" – Squarespace handles this automatically
Step 2: Check for "properly size images" warnings on images that display correctly
Step 3: Note any warnings about images that load outside the viewport (below the fold)
False positives often appear for images that Squarespace already optimises behind the scenes. The platform serves different image formats to different browsers automatically.
Lesson 3: Focus on Core Web Vitals Instead
Google uses Core Web Vitals data from real users to rank your site, not PSI lab scores.
Step 1: Open Google Search Console and navigate to Core Web Vitals
Step 2: Check if your pages show as "Good," "Needs Improvement," or "Poor"
Step 3: Compare this real data with your PSI warnings
If your Core Web Vitals are good, PSI warnings matter much less. Real user experience trumps lab testing every time.
Lesson 4: When Image Warnings Actually Matter
Some image issues genuinely slow down your site and hurt user experience.
Step 1: Identify images over 1MB in file size
Step 2: Look for images much larger than their display size
Step 3: Check for missing alt text on important images
These issues affect real users. Large file sizes slow loading, oversized images waste bandwidth, and missing alt text hurts accessibility.
Practice
Check your Squarespace site's PageSpeed Insights report right now. List three image warnings you see. For each warning, decide whether it's likely a false positive by asking: "Does this actually slow down my site for real visitors?" Test your site speed on mobile and desktop to compare with the PSI results.
FAQs
Do PSI image warnings directly hurt my Squarespace SEO rankings?
No. Google uses Core Web Vitals data from real users, not PSI lab scores, to determine rankings. Many PSI warnings don't reflect actual user experience.
Should I ignore all PSI warnings then?
Not all of them. Focus on warnings about genuinely large images, missing alt text, or files that are clearly oversized for their display area.
How can I actually improve image performance on Squarespace?
Upload images at reasonable sizes (under 500KB when possible), use descriptive filenames, add alt text, and let Squarespace handle the technical optimisation.
Why do some images get flagged even after I've optimised them?
Squarespace sometimes serves different image versions to different users. PSI might test one version while real users see an optimised version.
Jargon Buster
Core Web Vitals: Google's measurement of real user experience based on loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability
False Positive: A warning or error that appears problematic but doesn't actually cause issues for real users
PageSpeed Insights (PSI): Google's lab testing tool that simulates how your site performs under controlled conditions
Next-gen Formats: Modern image formats like WebP that load faster than traditional JPEG or PNG files
Wrap-up
PSI warnings often look scarier than they are. Many image warnings on Squarespace are false positives because the platform optimises images automatically. Focus on Core Web Vitals data from real users instead of chasing perfect PSI scores. When you do optimise images, target genuine issues like oversized files or missing alt text rather than warnings that don't affect real user experience.
Your next step is monitoring Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console and only addressing image issues that actually impact your visitors' experience.
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