Shopify Speed Issues

5 Common Shopify Speed Issues and How to Fix Them

The Aberdeen Group found that 40% of shoppers abandon a website if it loads in more than three seconds. When you run a Shopify store, the speed at which your store loads can directly impact conversion rates and customer satisfaction. 

Now, let's look at 5 typical Shopify speed problems and how to solve them.

#1 - Heavy Images and Media Files

Large images or videos need more bandwidth and take longer to render, particularly for mobile users or those with slower internet connections. 

Google prioritizes websites with fast loading speeds, and media files that take too long to load can hurt search engine rankings. Slow site speed harms conversion rates, as users who get annoyed are less likely to buy things.

To fix this problem, you need to optimize image dimensions and file sizes. Shopify lets you upload images up to 5000 x 5000 pixels and files no larger than 20 MB. For square product images, it's best to use 2048 x 2048 pixels.

You can use tools like TinyPNG to compress images without compromising their quality. Use JPEG for photographs and web images, and PNG for logos with transparent backgrounds and web graphics. 

Instead of uploading videos directly to your Shopify store, think about hosting them on sites like YouTube or Vimeo. Using embedded videos from other sites takes the pressure off your store's servers, which speeds up pages and boosts website performance.

The lazy loading method improves user experience. It holds off on loading non-essential images and videos until they're needed. This technique cuts down on initial page load time.

# 2 - Excessive Apps and Unused Code

When you install an app, it often brings additional scripts, styles, and files that load every time a page is accessed, even if the app is not being used. Also, when you remove apps, their residual code can remain in your theme, unnecessarily using resources and slowing down your site.

Check your installed apps. Review which apps you're using and uninstall the ones you don't need anymore. If possible, try to find apps that provide multiple features to combine functionalities and cut down on the total number of apps. After you remove apps, look through your theme files for any leftover code. Shopify Theme Inspector can help you identify problematic code.

Many apps offer extra features that might load more resources. Make sure you only turn on the features you need. When selecting new apps, go for lightweight offer server-side functionality, as this can make your website run faster. 

#3 - Unoptimized Theme 

Unoptimized themes frequently include redundant code or excessive bloat from features you don’t use. Complex layouts, excessive animations, and bulky images within the theme can further slow things down.

Choose a Shopify theme for a speed-optimized store. Debut, Dawn, and Turbo are known as fast Shopify themes. Stay away from themes with to many features or heavy multimedia elements. Go for responsive designs that fit different screen sizes. Make sure the theme is optimized for mobile. 

Work with a professional website development agency to review and simplify your theme’s code. Minify CSS, JavaScript, and Liquid files to reduce file sizes, and clean up redundant or outdated code that no longer serves a purpose.

#4 - Unminified CSS, JavaScript, and Liquid Code

If your store uses code that isn't minified, web browsers need more time to process and load files, which makes pages take longer to load.

Minification is removing unnecessary characters such as spaces, comments, and line breaks from code, making it more compact.  You can use Shopify's theme editor or external tools like UglifyJS to automate this process. Many Shopify themes also include built-in settings or plugins for automatic modification. Check if your theme supports this feature.

Remove unnecessary loops, logic, and redundant snippets to optimize Liquid code. Minify Liquid files where possible and avoid using excessive inline styles or scripts. Shopify Theme Inspector can help identify performance bottlenecks in your Liquid code. 

#5 - Third-Party Scripts and Tracking Tools

Third-party scripts add external resources that your website must load, often pulling data from servers outside your control. This can cause delays, as each script increases the number of HTTP requests and consumes more bandwidth. Moreover, if a third-party server experiences downtime or slow response times, it can slow down your site's loading speed.

Review all third-party scripts and tools integrated into your Shopify store. Find scripts you don't use or that are out of date and no longer help, and get rid of them.

Asynchronous loading lets the page render while the script loads in the background, cutting down on wait times. Make sure essential scripts load asynchronously. Besides, defer loading for non-critical scripts, such as chatbots or social media widgets, until after the main content has loaded. 

Consolidate multiple tracking codes using a tag management system like Google Tag Manager. This tool helps you organize and control all your scripts in one place, reducing the number of direct integrations on your site and speeding up the loading process.

Conclusion 

Test your store's speed often to identify problems and fix them to keep it running at its best.  Focus on Shopify speed improvements to enhance customer satisfaction and boost conversions. If you need any help to optimize speed for your store then BOOST STAR Experts are here to help E-commerce businesses.

 

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