Shopify Speed Optimization Guide – Updated 2023

Introduction of Shopify speed optimization Guide

• Avoid using high scaled images.
• Avoid Jpeg , Jpg format low quality images.
• Avoid layout shift on the web page.
• Avoid lengthy content on your home page.
• Avoid many sliders on home page & Product page.

Are you excited to achieve your shopify store score on Google Speed Insight approx 90 this will be load time less 2.5 seconds.

• Pass all web Vitals.
• Higher Conversion rates.
• Higher SEO ranking.
• Better user experience.
• Any online store’s success is largely determined by user experience in this case speed is a very crucial factor for user experience.
• Cumulative layout shifting (CLS) has become an important factor of user experience this should be considered an integral part when Shopify speed optimization is done.

How to Audit in Shopify speed optimization?

• Benchmark Current Performance: Before you start making changes, it’s essential to measure your store’s current performance. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom to get insights into your website’s loading speed and performance scores.

• Google Page Speed
• GT Metrix
• Pingdom

• → Google analytics is used for average server response time this calculate the average page speed.
• → Google search console for web vitals.
• → It’s not just checking a page on these tools. It’s about overall user experience in to all pages during peak load

• Review Image Optimization: Assess the size and format of images used on your store. Compress and resize images without compromising quality to reduce their file sizes.
• Evaluate JavaScript and CSS: Examine the amount of JavaScript and CSS files your store loads. Minimize and combine these files to reduce the number of server requests.
• Check for Broken Links and Redirects: Broken links and improper redirects can negatively impact your store’s speed and SEO. Regularly audit and fix any broken links or redirects.
• Assess Third-Party Scripts: Review third-party scripts used on your store, such as analytics and tracking codes. Limit the number of scripts and consider asynchronous loading to prevent them from blocking page rendering.
• Optimize Fonts: Limit the number of fonts and font weights used on your store to reduce HTTP requests and improve load times.
• Test Checkout Speed: Ensure that the checkout process is optimized for speed, as this is a critical stage for conversions. Eliminate unnecessary steps and reduce the time it takes for customers to complete their purchases.

How to Improve Image Payload:

• Use PNG or advanced image format, so that shopify converts png to webP format.
• WebP is a new format that is supported by browsers which requires less space for media storage.
• Deliver responsive images : using picture tag.
• Use Apps for image optimization.
• Remove hidden images.
• Use Lazy loading Method
• Redesign the page if necessary
• Reduce third party images
• Use CSS instead of images.
• Use SVG

Replace GIFs With Static Images for Shopify speed optimization:

• GIFs are a valuable asset for customers’ experience.
• File types affect the size of your images. According to Shopify, the best image file type is PNG (30 kb – 100 kb), followed by JPEG (approximately 30 kb), GIF (approximately 35 kb), replace the GIFs with static images.
• It looks like an excellent job of improving your business, Gifs can take a large approx larger 10 MB.

Decrease Thumbnail Image Size for Shopify speed optimization:

Reduce Apps Impact On Performance for Shopify speed optimization:

• When you install any app, it may have a significant performance impact on the stores.
• Use Shopify API methods instead of using Apps.
• Lots of shopify apps may loads may affect the loading time. find the apps which are lighter & usable for your store.
• When you Uninstall any non-essential apps then there should be the unused app code in your theme files, you should find that & remove it from the shopify store.
• Apps should be removed properly. It should be a great start.

• Popup images
• Image gallery
• Faceted search
• Product meta data

Choose a Lightweight Shopify Theme

• It’s a good decision to start with shopify, when you select the shopify theme, you should be aware of their ratings , services & features any purchase.
• Check their reviews. & live sites for scores where the Shopify theme has been used.
• Theme should be super fast, well Optimized & light weight, instead of the one that is cluttered with fancy elements.
• Their main goal is to help visitors navigate your store , perform the action they came to do.
• There are many themes available in shopify that are well optimized.

• → Prestige Theme
• → Flex
• → Turbo
• → Shoptimized
• → Boostertheme
• → Shella
• → Fastor
• → Debutify

Choose The Right Font for Shopify speed optimization :

• The experience of your customers will be quick easy. That’s why the potential customers will not face any trouble navigation your store.
• There is no doubt that readability is the very important factor. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking at the font for a header, a button, the body of a blog post.
• If a customer is not able to read the text on the website, they will not want to buy the product use the service.
• I want to suggest limiting the fonts to one. Use a standard web font.
• Shopify’s font library contains a collection of fonts system, Google fonts, licensed fonts from Monotype. You can use all fonts freely available to use on all Shopify online shops.

Advance Technique to Improve Shopify speed optimization.

Optimize Cumulative Layout Shifting :

• Cumulative Layout Shift measures the movement of visible elements within the viewport.
• To solve the CLS issue, you have to arrange the layout. Avoid large layout shifts.
• The Image element should have explicit width/height. For video elements correct spacing is used for images/video.

Here is example :

• Webfonts that are Invisible Should be Prevented.
• You should avoid adding content existing content, except in response to a user interaction.

Optimize Total Blocking Time :

• Any improvements to JavaScript execution ( generally, optimizations that improve TTI ) will likely reduce your TBT.
• You can use the async & defer method. Remove unwanted javascript code, unused app JS code.
• Replace the large javascript libraries with smaller alternatives.
• Reducing JavaScript payloads with code splitting, removing unused app code, efficiently loading third-party JavaScript should improve your TBT score.

<!-- Defer Attribute -->

<head>

<script type="text/javascript" src="theme.js"defer/>

</head>

<!-- Async Attribute -->

<head>

<script type="text/javascript" src="theme.js"async/>

</head>

• Reduce the impact of third-party code & Reduce JavaScript execution time.
• Consider reducing the time spent parsing, compiling, executing JS. You may find delivering smaller JS payloads helps with this.

Optimize Largest Contentful Paint :

• Deliver your images in lighter formats.
• Eliminate render-blocking resources
• Optimize web Fonts.

Optimize First Contentful Paint :

• Reduce your DOM size.
• Serve images in future-gen formats.
• Avoid lazy load images screen fold.
• Host your fonts locally.
• Avoid multiple page redirects.
• Don’t use bulky elements the fold.
• Ensure text remains visible during web fonts load.
• Optimize store images.

Remove, Replace Move Code on a High Priority Basis :

• Remove commented additional HTML.
• Eliminate render-blocking resources.
• Unused CSS
• CSS screen fold to go to critical CSS.
• Unused JS from previous uninstalled apps.
• Check with app providers for CSS, JS other payloads their apps.
• Make sure that JS are not all pages if they are needed for some specific pages add js condition wise.
• Shopify Themes page builders can result in lot many code lines make sure that your JS is less 16 KB( recommended difficult to achieve).
• Replaces 3rd party JS libraries like Jquery  others with Javascript code  a lightweight library. Core Javascript code is recommended.
• Go for PWA

Health Check Your Shopify Store Weekly Keep a Record :

• Google Analytics : If implemented it will keep history of average response time average page load time.
• Google Search Console keeps data of 3 months for web vitals.
• Keep a good handy document with monthly/weekly updates of the score preferable via some tool services.
• Keep a note of JS payload, image payload, CSS, HTML stats for a few pages as developers apps on times results in additional payloads which will impact score.
• Keep a log of modules added removed the purpose of the module used.

Simplify Your Homepage Design

• Use design to improve user experience.
• Add more valuable & important content.
• Add testimonials, reviews, logos.
• Make your store mobile responsive.
• Include trust indicators on the homepage.
• Homepage content should be strategically decided.
• Add ‘Call to action banner’ ‘New arrivals’, ‘Top selling products, Most popular collection, announcement bar.

Minify Webpage

• Minify JS
• Minify CSS

• Compress (done by Shopify we do not have control if the content is coming from Shopify site).
• When a user opens the webpage, the entire page’s images are downloaded, instead of loading all of the images at one time, It can be loaded when scroll on viewport. You can resolve this issue by using lazy loading.
• Here is Example, if your web page contains 100 more images instead of loading all the images at one time we can add images in lazy loading load only required images on page scrolling.

Remove Unnecessary HTTP Requests :

• Combine & inline your CSS scripts.
• Use inline JavaScript code for smaller snippets.
• Load less priority JavaScript on page load page scroll.
• Convert images to Base64 code.
• Limit the number of social buttons.

https://www.oscprofessionals.com/blog/how-to-make-fewer-http-requests-to-speed-up-your-site/

JavaScript, CSS Performance Optimization :

• Some apps will come with CSS,  JS.
• As an expert you need to identify how some of the CSS, JS of an app can be removed.
• Always beware of excessive liquid loops.

List of Opportunities Audit Tool :

• Defer off screen images
• Render Blocking CSS

Conclusion :

If you are looking for expert Shopify Speed optimization plus other services : you can always reach out to us!