HTML lazy image loading
Adding lazy image loading to Hugo's figure shortcode
The HTML <img />
tag has this handy attribute loading="lazy"
that enables lazy image loading, so that images are only loaded whenever the user scrolls all the way down to their position. This makes page loading super-fast, and reduces the amount of wasted bandwidth, especially when browsing from page to page. In the past this was achieved by a few lines of custom JavaScript code, but it is supported by all major browsers, both for PC and mobile. It should always be used unless there’s a very good reason not to, to the point where it can probably be argued that it should be the default behavior of images.