Adding Sounds for web-based apps/games (where to start?)

I've used Adobe Animate to put together some educational games and activities fur students (something I think Animate is perfectly suited to BTW - as you can apply Javascript to give interactivity, whilst exploiting the visual creativity of using an on-screen editor for graphical elements). I have used various methods in the past for incorporating sound into these activities without really knowing if I'm choosing the best options. For example, which file formats are most suitable? Should I call them externally from a separate sound file when needed, or import the sounds directly into Animate's timeline? 

Some of the factors I'm thinking about are...

• Compatibility and accessibility (needs to work on all/most browsers). 
• Speed (will there be a 'lag' between clicking and the sound playing?)
• Sound quality vs File size (are some file types out of the question for use in games for being too large/too poor quality?) 
• Do sounds need to be preloaded in any way? (If so, how?)

I understand it's a vague question, but I'm open to learning and looking for pointers. Are there any standard best practices in this area? Any advice/thoughts/tips on this would be gratefully received!