Apple Safari 17’s Hidden Gems: JPEG XL & Font-Size-Adjust

Apple’s recently announced Safari 17 brings several key updates that promise to enhance user experience and web page loading times.

Unveiled at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC23), two new features of Safari 17 worth paying attention to are JPEG XL support and expanded capabilities of font-size-adjust.

As Safari continues to evolve, these updates highlight the ever-changing landscape of web development and the importance of adaptability.

JPEG XL: A Game Changer For Page Speed Optimization

One of the most noteworthy features of Safari 17 is its support for JPEG XL, a new image format that balances image quality and file size.

JPEG XL allows for the recompression of existing JPEG files without any data loss while significantly reducing their size—by up to 60%.

Page loading speed is a crucial factor that search engines consider when ranking websites. With JPEG XL, publishers can drastically reduce the file size of images on their sites, potentially leading to faster page loads.

Additionally, the support for progressive loading in JPEG XL means users can start viewing images before the entire file is downloaded, improving the user experience on slower connections.

This benefits websites targeting regions with slower internet speeds, enhancing user experience and potentially reducing bounce rates.

Font Size Adjust: Improving User Experience & Consistency

Safari 17 expands the capabilities of font-size-adjust, a CSS property that ensures the visual size of different fonts remains consistent across all possible combinations of fallback fonts.

By allowing developers to pull the sizing metric from the main font and apply it to all fonts, the from-font value can help websites maintain a consistent visual aesthetic, which is critical for user experience.

Conversely, the two-value syntax provides more flexibility in adjusting different font metrics, supporting a broader range of languages and design choices.

Websites with consistent and clear text display, irrespective of the font in use, will likely provide a better user experience. A better experience could lead to longer visits and higher engagement.

Reimagining SEO Strategies With Safari 17

Given these developments, SEO professionals may need to adjust their strategies to leverage the capabilities of Safari 17 fully.

This could involve:

• Image Optimization: With support for JPEG XL, SEO professionals might need to consider reformatting their website images to this new format.
• Website Design: The expanded capabilities of font-size-adjust could require rethinking design strategies. Consistent font sizes across different languages and devices can improve CLS, one of Google’s core web vitals.
• Performance Tracking: SEO professionals will need to closely monitor the impact of these changes on website performance metrics once the new version of Safari rolls out.

In Summary

Apple’s Safari 17 brings new features that provide opportunities to improve several website performance factors crucial for SEO.

Detailed documentation on these Safari 17 updates is available on the official WebKit blog for those interested in delving deeper into these features.

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