For a general overview for syncing other product fields, check out this Product settings add-on article.
Contents:
Image best practices
Syncio's image sync function works well if images on the source store follow best practice for web images to support:
Faster product page loading
Improved Google SEO ranking
Best practices generally prescribe the following for images:
File size: under 200kb
Resolution: under 2000x2000 pixels
File format:
JPEG/JPG files are the recommended web standard for wide compatibility
Saving these at a level 5-8 strikes a good balance between quality and size
PNG files should only be used for product images that require transparency.
Saving a regular photo or product image in this format usually results in an unnecessarily large file.
How to optimise my source store images?
Shopify has a range of speed optimization apps which can help compress your images to the right size. Here are some apps that have a high review rating:
Crush: Speed & Image Optimizer
Tapita SEO & Speed Optimizer
Tiny SEO Image optimize, Speed
Alternatively, if you prefer to optimise images manually, apps like Photoshop or GIMP give you more control.
Another alternative is free image optimisers such as:
TinyPNG
TinyJPG
Impact of introducing large images to the sync
Due to constraints with the Shopify API, sending large files such as images over their network can cause issues.
đ Symptoms on the destination product can include:
Incomplete image sync
Missing images
Partial or full set
New images do not sync over
Currently Shopify allows online stores to upload images up to:
5000 x 5000 pixels
up to 20 MB
Although Shopify allows for these uploads, these specifications far exceed industry best practices with ensuring images are optimised for fast webpage loading.
Generally having very large images works fine if this content is not shared or synced with other stores. But in the long run can cause impacts to:
Customer shopping experience--slow page loads.
Worse Google SEO ranking--page load speed is a consideration.
Issues with image sync--Syncio can only sync what Shopify allows over their network.
Impact of introducing videos to the sync
â ď¸ If the source store's products have videos, do not activate the Syncio image sync function.
Currently Syncio is unable to support syncing videos uploaded to Shopify products due to technical limitations. If videos are present, turning on the image sync function can cause problems with:
Shopify image media order
The videos will always take the 1st position after an image sync
Partial image sync
There is a chance of missing images
đ Our developers are actively working on a video sync update to address these conditions and eventually to support full video syncing across Shopify stores.
Alt Text Synchronization
Alt text synchronization occurs in the following scenarios:
Initial Product Import: When a product is first imported from the Source store to the Destination store, the alt text for images is included in the sync.
Ongoing image sync: If the Images toggle is enabled in Product Settings, alt text changes on the Source store sync to the Destination store. This includes new images added to an already-synced product and edits to the alt text of an existing image.
Limitations
With the Images toggle off, alt text only syncs at the initial product import.
With the Images toggle on, the Destination store's alt text is replaced by the Source store's alt text.