What is Brotli?

Brotli is a compression method developed by Google and optimized specifically for the web. Introduced in 2015, it compresses web data more efficiently than older formats such as gzip and Deflate, so that websites load faster. It works with text based files such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript as well as with binary data.

What sets Brotli apart is its ability to produce highly compressed files that are noticeably smaller than with other compression methods, which cuts latency and improves page loading times. Brotli pays off in particular for visitors on slow internet connections and for websites that transfer large amounts of data.

How do I enable Brotli on my website?

To switch Brotli on for your website, you first have to make sure that your web server supports this compression method. The most common web servers, Apache, Nginx and Microsoft IIS, can all be configured to use Brotli, either directly or through an additional module.

• Apache: for Apache you need the module mod_brotli. Once it is installed and active, you enable Brotli by adding directives to your .htaccess file or to the main configuration file of the server.
• Nginx: with Nginx, Brotli requires the server to be compiled with the Brotli module. After that you switch it on in the Nginx configuration file.
• Microsoft IIS: for IIS you enable Brotli by installing and configuring a matching compression module.

It is important to verify that the files of your website really are delivered compressed. Tools such as the DevTools in Google Chrome or online header checkers show you the response headers your server sends back.

What are the SEO benefits of Brotli?

Brotli brings several SEO benefits, because compression has a direct effect on the loading speed and the performance of a website. Google has pointed out repeatedly that page speed is an important ranking factor, and Brotli helps improve it. The main benefits:

• Faster loading: smaller files mean pages load quicker, which makes for a better user experience.
• More satisfied visitors: faster pages lower the bounce rate, because visitors are less likely to lose patience and leave.
• Better on mobile: mobile users often have to live with slower connections, so stronger compression can lift performance on their devices considerably.
• More efficient crawling: shorter loading times let search engines crawl your website more efficiently, which leads to better indexing.

With Brotli in place you improve the user experience and your SEO performance at the same time. Whether compression is configured correctly on your server is one of the points we check in an SEO audit.