According to Google, the average mobile page load time is 22 seconds, but 53% of mobile users abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Moreover, a one-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions, 11% fewer page views, and 16% decrease in customer satisfaction.
Therefore, optimizing your Shopify store speed is not only a good practice, but also a necessity for your online store’s success. In this blog, we will show you how to measure and optimize your Shopify store speed using various tools and techniques.
How to Measure Your Shopify Store Speed
Before you start optimizing your Shopify store speed, you need to measure it and identify the areas that need improvement. There are different tools and methods that you can use to measure your Shopify store speed, such as:
– Shopify’s Online Store Speed Report: This is a new feature that Shopify launched in 2020 to help merchants measure and improve their online store speed. You can access this report from your Shopify admin dashboard, under Online Store > Themes > Online Store Speed. This report shows you the Google Lighthouse speed score of your online store, which is based on the performance of your home page and your highest-traffic collection and product pages. It also shows you how your online store speed compares to similar businesses and gives you suggestions on how to improve it.
– Google PageSpeed Insights: This is a free tool that analyzes the speed of your web pages and provides you with detailed metrics and recommendations on how to optimize them. You can use this tool to measure the speed of any page in your online store, such as your home page, product page, collection page, or blog page. You can also use this tool to measure the speed of your online store on both desktop and mobile devices.
– GTmetrix: This is another free tool that analyzes the speed of your web pages and provides you with comprehensive reports and insights on how to optimize them. You can use this tool to measure the speed of any page in your online store, as well as the speed of your online store as a whole. You can also use this tool to measure the speed of your online store on different browsers, locations, and devices.
Tips on how to Optimize Your Shopify Store Speed
After you measure your Shopify store speed and identify the areas that need improvement, you can start optimizing your Shopify store speed using various tools and techniques, such as:
– Optimizing your images: Images are one of the main factors that affect your online store speed, as they usually take up a lot of space and bandwidth. Therefore, optimizing your images can significantly improve your online store speed and performance. You can optimize your images by:
– Reducing the size and quality of your images without compromising their appearance. You can use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress your images and reduce their file size.
– Choosing the right format for your images. You can use formats like JPEG or WebP for your images, as they are more efficient and compatible than formats like PNG or GIF.
– Using lazy loading for your images. This means that your images will only load when they are visible on the screen, rather than loading all at once when the page loads. This can reduce the initial loading time and bandwidth usage of your online store. You can use apps like Lazy Load or Rocket Image Optimizer to enable lazy loading for your images.
– Minifying your code: Code is another factor that affects your online store speed, as it determines how your online store functions and looks. Therefore, minifying your code can also improve your online store speed and performance. You can minify your code by:
– Removing any unnecessary or redundant code from your online store, such as comments, spaces, or unused variables. You can use tools like HTML Minifier or CSS Minifier to minify your HTML and CSS code.
– Combining multiple files into one file, such as your CSS or JavaScript files. This can reduce the number of HTTP requests and improve the loading time of your online store. You can use tools like CSS Compressor or JS Compressor to combine your CSS or JavaScript files.
– Using Shopify’s native minification feature. Shopify automatically minifies your online store’s code when you enable the “Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript” option in your Shopify admin dashboard, under Online Store > Preferences > Performance.
– Using a CDN: A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of servers that deliver your online store’s content to your customers based on their geographic location. This can improve your online store speed and performance by:
– Reducing the distance and latency between your customers and your online store’s content. This can improve the loading time and responsiveness of your online store.
– Reducing the load and bandwidth on your online store’s server. This can improve the reliability and availability of your online store.
– Providing additional security and protection for your online store. This can prevent or mitigate attacks and threats from hackers and cybercriminals.
Shopify provides you with a free CDN service that automatically delivers your online store’s content to your customers from the nearest server. You don’t need to do anything to enable or configure this service, as Shopify does it for you automatically.
Shopify store speed is a crucial factor that affects your online store’s performance, user experience, and conversion rate. By measuring and optimizing your Shopify store speed using various tools and techniques, you can improve your online store speed and boost your sales and revenue. Shopify store speed optimization is not a one-time process, but an ongoing one that requires constant monitoring and improvement.
Therefore, you should always keep an eye on your online store speed and look for ways to optimize it, partner with The Odd Wave to keep your Shopify Store Optimized Get in touch for a free audit 😊
