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![How to Speed up Shopify Website [2024 Guide]](https://transformagency.com/media/magefan_blog/2024_Guide__How_to_Speed_up_Shopify_Website.png)
Did you know that 70% of consumers say that page speed affects their willingness to buy from an online retailer? A one-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions. For Shopify store owners, this means every millisecond counts when it comes to engaging customers and boosting sales.
This short guide covers essential strategies on how to speed up Shopify websites for lightning-fast performance and higher search rankings. From minimizing images to combining files, there are many tips and tricks to improving store performance that you can handle on your own.
Optimize Your Images
Compress images to keep the file size manageable. This has a negligible impact on quality, and Shopify store developers skip this step at their peril. Your site will load much faster with resized image files. For fast page loading, use the correct file formats, as follows:
- JPEG for blog posts’ cover pictures
- JPEG for product images
- PNG for crisp logos and infographics
- PNG for graphics with transparent backgrounds
Shopify does a great job at compressing images, and it does so automatically with a built-in compression tool. The software also converts optimized images to the required WebP format. However, you can try resizing and cropping images to further reduce file sizes or rely on special Shopify apps that achieve better compression quality than default Shopify.
Minify and Combine Files (JavaScript, CSS, HTML)
Reducing image sizes is just one way to build a sleeker page to delight your Shopify community. Another step is minimizing the rest of the files in your database. Comb through your code to minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files. Take out extra characters to streamline every file. Additionally, you can look for opportunities to combine multiple CSS and JavaScript files.
What's the payoff? With fewer files, you reduce the number of HTTP requests, which can slow down page load speeds. UglifyJS and similar tools for JavaScript and CSSNano for CSS make this process a little easier. And if you need assistance to speed up your Shopify load times, turn to the experts in custom development.
Leverage Browser Caching
Browser caching improves user experience by storing website elements like fonts, images, and HTML on a visitor's device during their first visit. When the user revisits the site, the browser quickly retrieves this cached data instead of re-downloading it, resulting in faster page load times.
There are many benefits to caching page details. First, it saves bandwidth since your Shopify sites don't have to keep downloading the same files. Second, the cache is specific to each user and resides on their hard disks, not your servers.
As a best practice, remember to set the appropriate cache expiration times for different file types. You can also try using Cache-Control to define when files get cached. We recommend that you follow these tips for Shopify caching strategies to further boost your load times and conversion rates.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) lets you distribute page content on servers around the world. By reducing the distance between your Shopify community and your site content, you'll see page speed optimized.
What content should you include in your CDN? Include static page elements essential to your brand and products without hampering store performance. By default, Shopify uses the Fastly CDN. However, if you find one you like better, the platform supports third-party CDNs as well.
Optimize Third-Party Scripts
If you use too many or low-quality third-party themes or apps, they can slow your load times. To speed up your Shopify page loading, optimize third-party scripts. That means limiting non-native apps to those that truly contribute to the user experience.
If you have non-critical third-party scripts, load them after the elements needed to render the page. This ensures that your page can load if something goes awry with the third-party scripts.
Implement Lazy Loading
Lazy loading improves how users experience your Shopify store by loading images only as they scroll, rather than all at once. This approach prevents slowdowns, especially for first-time visitors, by focusing on loading essential content first and delaying non-essential elements. It's particularly useful for below-the-fold content, ensuring critical parts of your page appear quickly.
Shopify has built-in lazy loading, and many third-party apps support it too. Imagine a product page with 45 images – loading them all at once would slow down your site. With lazy loading, you not only enhance user experience but also help improve your store's overall performance.
Choose a Lightweight Theme
Choosing a fast Shopify theme will prevent a bloated interface from dooming your store performance. Some themes have animation and other attractive features that can result in slow load times. Avoid the allure because it comes at a cost with relatively little value.
With a lightweight theme, you're setting your Shopify site up for success. Check out this Shopify theme optimization guide for more ideas on smart theme development.
Monitor and Test Performance
Once you have compressed images and repackaged your Javascript files, you still need to develop an ongoing schedule to monitor and test your site. However, you don't have to do it on your own. The team at Transform Agency can build custom Shopify apps to better serve your community without sacrificing performance.
Besides that, you can use Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and Lighthouse to monitor your store performance. If you regularly test and monitor your load speed, you can identify issues before they tank your revenue.
Google PageSpeed Insights is free and easy to use. It provides a performance score for comparison before and after you make improvements to your site. You simply add your Shopify website URL into PageSpeed Insights, click Analyze, and wait for your results. And if you already use Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse is available directly in the browser.
Conclusion
When you implement any or all of these Shopify speed optimization techniques, you can create a fast, user-friendly store that delivers an exceptional shopping experience and ranks higher in search results. Make sure to follow this guide to Shopify data protection to make the right changes while protecting sensitive data.
For expert assistance, partner with Transform Agency to effortlessly get an improved Shopify store speed and always maintain topnotch performance.
FAQs
How does website speed affect SEO?
Website speed directly impacts user experience and search engine rankings. Plus, website speed is a ranking factor in Google’s search algorithm.
What are the most important metrics for measuring website performance?
Here are three of the top metrics to measure your Shopify store’s performance:
- Page Load Time: Includes total time to load the page.
- Time to First Byte (TTFB): How long it takes to send the first byte of data to the browser. Streamlined pages send data quickly without getting bogged down in loading static assets.
- Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) shows how long it takes to render the largest content on the page (usually an image). First Input Delay (FID) measures responsiveness to user input. If you want to measure page stability, track Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) for your product pages. Ask our team for advice on tools that will provide Core Web Vitals for your Shopify websites.
How can I optimize images for better performance?
Compress images to reduce file size and format images appropriately to prevent load delays. Consider using lazy loading to optimize Shopify website page rendering.
Why is it important to limit third-party scripts and apps?
By limiting third-party scripts and apps, you can reduce HTTP requests to the server. Every request slows down your page-loading process.
How often should I test my store's performance?
Google PageSpeed Insights is easy to use and provides a score you can use to compare page speed before and after you make development changes to your Shopify online store.
Written with the assistance of Sergey G.
Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner | Certified PSM & PSPO at TA
Sergey ensures project success by validating business cases, defining success metrics, and identifying sustainable benefits. His proactive approach leverages existing systems, processes, and data to deliver additional value. Serge excels in planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling all aspects of the project lifecycle, ensuring meticulous attention to detail and strategic oversight.
Sergey ensures project success by validating business cases, defining success metrics, and identifying sustainable benefits. His proactive approach leverages existing systems, processes, and data to deliver additional value. Serge excels in planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling all aspects of the project lifecycle, ensuring meticulous attention to detail and strategic oversight.
