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Preload Featured Images

By WPZOOM

Performance & Optimization / Caching Solutions

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Preload Featured Images Review - In-Depth Analysis

Preload Featured Images to enhance PageSpeed scores. This plugin is essential for themes that display featured images at the top of posts.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.33/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 3+ reviews)

Active Installations

1,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Preload Featured Images automatically in posts to increase the PageSpeed Score.

This plugin is a must-have for websites using themes that display the Featured Image automatically at the top in single post pages.

Suppose your theme displays the Featured Image at the top in posts automatically. In that case, the chances that the image is the Largest Contentful Paint are very high, so the PageSpeed tool will highly recommend you to preload it.

Are you getting the following recommendation when testing the PageSpeed score of a single post: Preload Largest Contentful Paint image? Then this plugin will help you!

Go to the Settings > Preload Featured Images page and choose the image size used by your theme to make sure the right image size is preloaded.

The plugin supports all themes, but it is very important to choose the right Image Size on the settings page.

If you are not sure which is the image size used by your theme, simply get in touch with your theme's developer and they will be able to help you with that.

If you are using one of the following popular themes, then the plugin will automatically pick the right Image Size, so you don't have to configure anything: Foodica, Foodica PRO, Gourmand, Cookely, Astra, Neve, OceanWP, GeneratePress, BlossomRecipe, Divi, Ashe.

Comparing to Alternatives

Preload Featured Images is a specialized plugin focused on preloading featured images to improve site performance. It has a couple of close alternatives that offer similar functionality with some differences in scope and features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and effective at preloading featured images.
Highly rated with perfect user satisfaction.
Lightweight with minimal configuration needed.
No known security vulnerabilities.
Focused functionality ensures ease of use.

Weaknesses

Does not support preloading featured images on pages, only posts.
Limited to featured images, lacks broader image preloading features.
No pro version to extend functionality.
Smaller user base with fewer total ratings.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from all users and no negative reviews, the sentiment towards Preload Featured Images is overwhelmingly positive. Users appreciate its reliability and simplicity.

Positive highlights

"Hidden Gem! Thanks for making this one!" — Saswata Baksi
"This is fantastic and works perfectly!" — jjopllin
"Works with no problem on post blog. Thank you dev team." — Sepi

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Does not preload featured images on pages, only posts.
Limited feature set focused solely on featured images.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a straightforward, reliable plugin to preload featured images on blog posts to improve loading speed and user experience.

Not ideal for

Those who need preloading support for featured images on pages or want a more comprehensive image preloading solution with additional features.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes all core features to preload featured images on posts effectively, providing excellent value for users.

Final Verdict

Preload Featured Images is a highly effective and well-received plugin that excels at its specific task of preloading featured images on posts. Its perfect rating and lack of security issues make it a trustworthy choice for users focused on this functionality.

However, its limited scope and absence of support for pages or a pro version may lead some users to consider alternatives if they require broader image preloading capabilities or additional features.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Preload Featured Images plugin.

Featured Images

Lcp

Pagespeed

Performance

Preload

Screenshots

FAQ

If you have tested your website on PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix and you got the message “Preload Largest Contentful Paint image”, it means that the image in question is being lazy loaded.
You can fix this problem by installing this plugin.