SquishMate Turns Image Optimisation Into a One-Step Workflow
The Background
SquishMate began when Raels Robertson recognised that one of the most repetitive parts of Mettro’s workflow deserved a better solution. Working with Lifers, her long-standing collaboration with Adam Jowett, the idea became a simple goal: build one tool that could prepare images properly from start to finish.
The Challenge
Preparing images for websites sounds simple, but the process was anything but. Compressing files, renaming them, writing alt text and metadata, optimising them for search engines and uploading them into WordPress all relied on multiple subscription tools and a lot of manual effort.
More importantly, consistency depended on the person doing the work. We wanted a process that produced the same high-quality result every time, regardless of who was using it.
Our Strategy
The best automation doesn’t just save time. It makes quality consistent.
Developed as part of the MateSuite ecosystem, SquishMate combines image compression, AI-generated metadata, intelligent file naming and WordPress integration into a single workflow. Rather than replacing people, it removes repetitive tasks so they can focus on higher-value work.
The AI has been carefully refined using contextual prompts, ensuring metadata is meaningful rather than generic. Images can be pushed directly into the WordPress Media Library or downloaded for use on any platform, making the workflow just as useful outside WordPress.
The Results
SquishMate has become an essential part of Mettro’s publishing process. Every image is consistently compressed, correctly named and supplied with meaningful metadata before it reaches a website, dramatically reducing manual effort while improving quality and consistency. What started as an internal workflow has grown into a tool available through MateSuite, allowing other businesses to benefit from the same streamlined process that powers Mettro’s own websites.
