Can i use base64 images (URI) for better SEO performance - faster site loading?

[Termex]

Hi,

Do you think the use of image data URI is SEO friendly? I got 20 JPG icons on each site, but use too many HTTP requests. So can i use base64 (URI) images for my small icons?

Thank you for answer!

[LynnPatchett]

Hi,

There are some differing opinions on the benefits of using base64 images to reduce http requests. From an seo point of view I don't think it will make much of a difference one way or the other if you are only talking about 20 icon images, but from a performance point of view I would use css image sprites which also reduce http connections and are (in my opinion) easier to maintain.

[Gerald-Vandeveer]

There are pros and cons to it. I would just make sure you have some good caching rules in place and let it load once and be done with it. Realistically Google is not going to refuse to serve your page because you ran 20 http requests for some icons. That would be silly.
I try to remember that at the core of all things search related every search engines holy grail is the perfect result for your search query. In one of Matt C's videos they hit the subject of on-page factors versus content and he said they would overlook a lot of things in order to deliver the better result to the query. So for SEO purposes cache it and get to that content rocking.