In this post, I’ll explain lazy loading \ud83e\udda5 and its benefits and then show you exactly how to lazy load WordPress images and comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quick start<\/strong>: use WordPress’ built-in lazy loading for a simple setup for images and iframes, use a plugin such as Optimole<\/strong> or a3 Lazy Load<\/strong> if you want more control, use Lazy Load for Videos if you embed lots of videos, and use Lazy Load for Comments if you want to lazy load native WordPress comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcda Table of contents<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t be put off by the name! Though laziness is commonly associated with negativity, it’s truly not a bad thing in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lazy loading works by delaying loading certain elements on your website until they’re absolutely needed. It makes them…lazy. They sit around doing nothing until a user starts scrolling down the page. Then, they jump into action as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take your WordPress comments section as an example…<\/p>\n\n\n\n In pretty much every WordPress theme that I’ve ever looked at, the comments section is at the bottom of the post. Usually, it requires scrolling at least a few page lengths to reach the comments. So what’s the point in loading comments right away?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lazy loading says there is no point. Instead, lazy loading only loads such elements once a reader starts scrolling down the page (which is the only time they’re actually needed). \ud83d\udc0c<\/p>\n\n\n Lazy loading WordPress elements is primarily about page speed. You can seriously speed up the initial page load times for your sites with lazy loading. Of course, those elements will need to be loaded eventually, but your reader won’t know that the page isn’t fully loaded when they first arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On average, the majority of a web page’s file size is comprised of images. So by lazy loading your already-optimized images<\/a>, you’re delaying the need to load a majority of your site’s page size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it’s the same with your comments section. Lazy loading WordPress comments can eliminate both page size and external HTTP requests (if you’re using a third-party comment plugin like Disqus). Without going into too much detail, I’ll just say that too many HTTP requests can slow down your WordPress site just like a large file size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lazy loading also has a secondary benefit of reducing how much bandwidth your site consumes, which is beneficial to both you and any of your readers with bandwidth limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you know how lazy loading WordPress elements can help, here’s how you can quickly implement lazy loading for your images and comments with free plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n When WordPress launched version 5.5, it began including built-in support for native browser lazy loading for images, in the core system files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that your images will lazy load already without you lifting a finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there’s a catch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This feature only works for visitors using web browsers that support the loading<\/strong> attribute. Most major web browsers now support this attribute, including Chrome (and Chrome-based browsers like Edge and Opera), recent versions of Safari, and Firefox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put together, support for the loading<\/strong> attribute now covers well over 90% of internet users [2]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, that still leaves some people who aren’t<\/em> able to benefit from the native lazy loading feature. This could be people using older versions of macOS\/Safari, certain mobile browsers, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, the native browser lazy loading feature doesn’t give you a lot of control over how you lazy load images. For example, you can’t use a static placeholder image or manually exclude certain key images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To offer broader lazy loading support for images and<\/em> get more control over how lazy loading functions, you can use a dedicated WordPress lazy loading plugin for your site’s images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, you’ll find some of the top options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
What is lazy loading?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why lazy load WordPress comments and images?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to lazy load WordPress images<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Optimole<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Optimole](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Optimole-plugin-lazy-loading-settings-scaled.png\")
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