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Troubleshooting Common Smush Lazy Load Issues: A Comprehensive Guide

87 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Smush image optimization – optimize images | compress & lazy load images | convert webp & avif | image cdn

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Lazy loading is a powerful feature designed to speed up your website by deferring the loading of off-screen images and iframes. However, users of the 'Smush Image Optimization – Optimize Images | Compress & Lazy Load Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | Image CDN' plugin sometimes encounter conflicts that prevent it from working correctly. This guide compiles the most common lazy load problems and their solutions, based on community reports.

Why Do Lazy Load Conflicts Happen?

Most issues are not due to a flaw in a single plugin but occur when multiple pieces of software try to manage the same website resources simultaneously. Themes, page builders, sliders, and other optimization plugins often have their own lazy load or image handling scripts. When these operate at the same time as Smush's Lazy Load, they can conflict, causing images to disappear, break, or load incorrectly.

Common Lazy Load Issues and How to Fix Them

1. Images Not Appearing or Loading (Blank Spaces)

This is one of the most frequently reported problems. You enable lazy load, and parts of your page—especially in sliders, galleries, or headers—turn up blank.

  • Primary Cause: Conflict with another lazy load feature.
  • Solution: Identify and disable the duplicate lazy load feature. Common culprits include:
    • Jetpack's Site Accelerator: Disable its lazy load option.
    • Caching Plugins (e.g., WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache): Check their settings for lazy load and disable it.
    • Themes (e.g., Newspaper, Divi): Some themes have built-in lazy load. For example, in the Newspaper theme, navigate to Theme Panel > Template Settings > LazyLoad to disable it.
    • Other Optimization Plugins (e.g., Autoptimize): Ensure lazy load is only active in one plugin.

2. Layout or Aspect Ratio Problems

Lazy load might change how images are displayed, making rectangular images appear as squares or breaking complex layouts like masonry galleries.

  • Primary Cause: The lazy load script interacting poorly with a theme or plugin's custom layout JavaScript.
  • Solution: For specific galleries or sliders (e.g., Maika Gallery, Soliloquy, JetWooBuilder), the most reliable fix is to exclude the problematic element from lazy loading. In Smush, go to Lazy Load > Include/Exclude and add the relevant CSS classes or IDs for the container or images.

3. Interactive Elements Breaking (Links, Videos, Embedded Posts)

Clickable links inside iframes or embedded social media posts may stop working when lazy load is enabled for iframes.

  • Primary Cause: A known compatibility issue with lazy-loaded iframes.
  • Solution: The simplest and most effective fix is to disable lazy loading for iframes. In Smush, go to Lazy Load > Media Types and uncheck the iframe option.

4. Lazy Load Not Working on Specific Browsers

You may configure exclusions that work in Firefox or Edge but not in Chrome.

  • Primary Cause: Browser-specific rendering or caching issues.
  • Solution: After adding exclusions, always clear all your caching layers (plugin, server, and browser cache) and test in an incognito/private window. If the issue persists, try using the Native Lazy Load option in Smush's settings, which uses the browser's built-in functionality and can be more compatible.

5. Background Images or Specific Images Not Lazy Loading

Smush's lazy load may not detect images loaded via specific PHP functions (e.g., wp_get_attachment_image_src()).

  • Primary Cause: The plugin's script may not easily hook into every method a theme or plugin uses to output images.
  • Solution: If possible, use alternative WordPress functions like get_the_post_thumbnail() which are more widely compatible. If you must use a specific function, you may need to exclude the entire page or post from lazy loading.

General Troubleshooting Steps

If you encounter any lazy load issue, follow this standard procedure:

  1. Conflict Test: Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Four) and disable all other plugins except Smush. If the problem resolves, re-enable your plugins one-by-one to identify the conflict.
  2. Clear All Caches: Clear your browser cache, any WordPress caching plugins, and your hosting or CDN cache.
  3. Test in Incognito Mode: Always check your site in a browser's private mode to avoid cached assets skewing your results.
  4. Use Native Lazy Load: In Smush's Lazy Load settings, try enabling the Native lazy load option. This can resolve many JavaScript-based conflicts.
  5. Check the Scripts Method: Toggle the Scripts method setting in Smush between Header and Footer to see if loading the script at a different time helps.

By understanding these common pitfalls and their solutions, you can effectively troubleshoot and enjoy the performance benefits of lazy loading on your WordPress site.

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