How to Speed Up Shopify Website - 17 Practical Ideas

With Google’s shift to mobile-first indexing, page speed has become a prominent ranking factor. 

Moreover, nearly 70% of shoppers stated that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online shop.

If you're looking at how to speed up Shopify website, then here's a list of 17 speed optimization tips to bookmark today.

17 Shopify Speed Optimization Tips That Work In 2023

1. Prioritize above-the-fold content 

Your above-the-fold content should load quickly. 

If shoppers have to wait too long, they’re more likely to exit your page. 

Additionally, loading speeds impact SEO rankings.

Here’s how to speed up Shopify website:

✅ Lazy load content below the fold to make the above-the-fold load faster.

✅ Use Shopify’s fonts instead of downloading external fonts that come with more codes. 

✅ Insert relevant videos below the fold so they pop up as a shopper scrolls down. 

✅ Replace GIFs with static images and compress image sizes.

✅ Limit animations on the site page and headers.

2. Use a hero banner on the homepage

A recent report shows that only 1% of people click on a slider. 

Additionally, sliders and carousels take more time to load and have a negative impact on Google's ability to crawl a site. 

Therefore, a featured hero image can speed up Shopify websites.

3. Use pop-ups sparingly  

Yes, pop-ups are great. 

Every Shopify marketer recommends it to get more leads. 

However, many shoppers find it annoying. 

Pop-ups can slow down your Shopify page speed if it has to load images or different elements (e.g., countdown timer). 

Now, we are not saying get rid of all pop-ups. 

Instead, apply a pop-up teaser to speed up Shopify website.

The pop-up expands when clicked on.

4. Limit third-party apps  

An online store we worked with had around 25+ apps installed and running in the background. 

Each app typically adds scripts, stylesheets, and functionality to a Shopify store. 

Even if you are not using an app, it still loads those Javascript files which will slow down your site speed.

If you're trying to speed up Shopify website and load time while using apps, then follow these speed optimization tips:

✔️ Evaluate and research apps before installing them (Does the app load fast? Does it have bad quality coding? )

✔️ Ensure that apps are well-optimized and regularly updated by their developers.

Pro Tip 🚀

If you're removing an app, then remove the code that was added as part of the app install process. Some Shopify apps help you with this process by wrapping their code in {% comment %} tags that mention the app name.

5. Select a fast and responsive theme

While it’s important to choose a theme that suits your preferences, most of your shoppers will bounce off if the store theme loads slowly. 

Many new store owners ask us ‘Which Shopify theme loads fastest?’.

So, here’s a list of fast loading Shopify themes that have been optimized for faster Shopify page speed:

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

6. Beware of excessive Liquid Loops

As Shopify’s templating language, Liquid loops cannot be overlooked.

The Forloop iteration functions like a crawler.

When it’s looking for specific product information (e.g., price), it loops through all the products in a collection. 

While this is great for stores with a smaller number of products, it increases the collection page load times for larger product collections. 

Enable these Shopify speed optimization tips to improve website load time:

✔️ Avoid the duplication trap: Make sure you aren’t running liquid forloops multiple times looking for the same information. This often happens when multiple developers work on a theme and duplicate tasks or introduce conflicting code. Removing these duplications will help you to reduce Shopify page speed time.

✔️ Limit the number of loops: Select a minimum number of loops for your templates and avoid unnecessary nested loops.

✔️ Use pagination: While infinite scrolling is all the rage, pagination helps to break content (a large number of products) into smaller, more manageable sections.

✔️ Review resources: Shopify has detailed documentation and developer resources that can help to regularly optimize the Liquid code.

7. Don’t enable quick view on category pages 

In theory, the quick view should save your customers time.

However, a quick-view pop-up can sometimes pre-load the information from an entire product page in case a visitor clicks the “Quick View” button.

This slows down the Shopify site speed and decreases Shopify’s category page load time.  

So, how can you remove the quick view feature?

• Check your theme customizer 
• Review your apps 

However, if part of the theme itself, you’ll need a developer to identify and remove it. 

8. Merge all JavaScript files into one single file

Many Shopify stores customize Shopify themes. 

This often involves adding JavaScript for specific features or functionality. 

However, poorly optimized or inefficient JavaScript code can slow down Shopify's site speed. 

3 steps on how to merge all the JavaScript files into a single file to speed up Shopify website:

Step 1: In your theme’s asset folder, create a fresh file called ‘application.js.liquid’

Step 2: Paste all the content from each javascript file into the freshly created file.

Step 3: Next, from your theme’s main layout (theme.liquid), delete all javascript link tags, and add these to the newly created main file, towards the bottom–right above the closing:

In <body> tag, you can use the following command:

<script src="{{ 'application.js' | asset_url }}" async defer></script>

</body>

Pro Tip 🚀

Place slow-loading JavaScript-based features in the lower half of the Shopify page: 

“Tag This Product”, “Buy This Product and Related Accessories”, “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought”, and “Customer Discussions”.

9. Minimize redirects HTTP requests

If there are a higher number of HTTP requests, it can slow down your Shopify website load time.

Check your HTTP Requests. 

Check to know the actual number of requests and start reducing them. 

Here are some more Shopify speed optimization tips:

• Minimize the image use
• Combine JS code
• Combine and inline CSS scripts
• Use CSS image sprites

11. Optimize the product listing page

Loading fewer products means fewer data needs to be downloaded and fewer graphics need to be rendered on a shopper’s device.

Therefore, reducing the number of products loaded at once means that the impact on the load performance of the average page visit is significantly lowered. 

However, we have also observed that seeing few products on a listing page can add more steps to a buyer’s journey. 

A report shows that:

• For desktop sites, it’s generally safe to load between 100–150 products.
• For mobile sites, fewer products should be loaded, typically between 15 and 30 products.
• For search results, a lowered threshold is typically warranted, but ideally, the threshold is instead dynamic for search and based on any sudden drop in relevancy score within the search results.

To circumvent issues with Shopify site speed, use a combination of a “Load More” button and lazy-loading to load products onto the listing page as shoppers scroll down. 

12. Leverage browser caching 

Shopify temporarily caches or saves some elements on your customer's local storage.

The next time a shopper visits your online store, the browser can load resources from the cache instead of sending another request to the server.

In addition to local browser caching, Shopify caches pages on the server side. 

The first time a page is loaded, it might be slower. 

But on the return visit, the site loads faster because customers are receiving a cached copy.

13. Migrate tracking with Google Tag Manager

Every Shopify store collects data. 

JavaScript tracking tags that collect data like for general analytics, conversions, goals, and behavioral retargeting often slow down your speed performance. 

Google Tag Manager condenses all your tags into one JavaScript request. 

You can connect your Shopify Plus store tags with Google Tag Manager through custom web pixel. 

14. Optimize videos on Shopify store

We collaborated with a store that heavily invested in video formats as backgrounds. 

While videos are visually appealing, they can significantly impact Shopify page speed.

Here are some Shopify speed optimization tips for video marketing:

✅ Use lite embed videos instead of uploading them 

✅ Host videos externally on video hosting sites 

✅ Disable mobile video autoplay so the page doesn’t have to download the video code  

15. Consider using Accelerated Mobile Pages 

While AMP is a great Shopify speed optimization strategy, Shopify does not offer built-in AMP support.

This means you'll need to use an AMP app or develop custom solutions to create and manage AMP pages for the Shopify store.

Create separate Accelerated Mobile Pages versions of your Shopify pages, including product pages, collection pages, and blog posts. 

These AMP versions are simplified, stripped-down versions of your regular pages designed for fast loading on mobile devices.

16. Run the Shopify store through Google PageSpeed Insights 

Google PageSpeed Insights is a speed testing tool that scores your Shopify site speed on a scale from 0 to 100. 

The higher the score, the better your Shopify website speed is performing.

Google PageSpeed Insights can generate tests for both your desktop and mobile website. 

The tool also offers suggestions to improve Shopify store speed performance, some of which you can implement right away. 

What we love is that PageSpeed Insights tests your online store against Google’s core web vitals, breaking down the time it takes your website to reach each stage of the page-loading process. 

Core web vitals allow for a more nuanced understanding of what your Shopify speed time looks like and how it affects a shopper’s user experience.

17. Run an audit on your Shopify store 

Many shoppers who visit a Shopify site—bounce off without buying anything.

Why: user experience like slow Shopify page speed and website load time that causes friction for visitors.

And this is the problem Convertcart solves.

We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions.

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX and Shopify speed optimization issues and suggest changes to improve conversions.

What is a good Shopify site speed?

An average Shopify speed score that’s over 50 is considered to be a good site speed. Any speed score over 70 is considered to be awesome.

How does Shopify site speed affect conversions?

When your Shopify store is responsive and efficient, visitors are more likely to complete desired actions, such as making purchases, signing up for newsletters, or requesting quotes.

Here are 6 core reasons why Shopify store speed affects conversions:

User Experience and Engagement: A fast-loading Shopify store speed provides a better overall user experience for browsing, viewing images, and navigating different product categories.

Improved Pageviews: Faster site speed often leads to visitors exploring more pages within your Shopify store. This increased pageviews-per-session metric can expose visitors to a wider range of products, increasing the likelihood of finding something they want to purchase.

Reduce Bounce Rates: Slow-loading pages can frustrate visitors, leading to higher bounce rates. When shoppers come across delays, they may abandon your store before making a purchase. 

Enhanced Mobile Shopping: Many shoppers use mobile devices to browse and shop. Optimizing your Shopify store for mobile speed is crucial. Fast-loading mobile pages improves the mobile shopping experience, encouraging more conversions from smartphone and tablet users.

Customer Retention: An improved Shopify store speed not only helps acquire new customers but also retains existing ones. Satisfied customers are more likely to return for repeat purchases, leading to higher customer retention rates and lifetime value.

Cart Abandonment Reduction: Slow-loading pages, particularly during the checkout process, can contribute to cart abandonment. A fast Shopify store speed ensures a smooth and seamless checkout experience, reducing cart abandonment rates and increasing completed purchases.

Does Shopify site speed affect your SEO performance?

Yes, Shopify site speed can have a significant impact on your SEO performance. 

Faster-loading pages are more likely to rank higher than slower ones. 

This means that if your Shopify store speed is slow, it may not appear as prominently in search results, potentially leading to lower organic traffic.

Furthermore, Google allocates a specific crawl budget to each website. 

If your Shopify store speed loads slowly and has numerous crawl errors, Google's bots may spend less time crawling your site, resulting in incomplete indexing and potential SEO issues.

Recommended reading for Shopify speed optimization:

How To Get More Sales on Shopify: 31 Proven Hacks

24 Best Shopify Marketing Strategies to Promote your Shopify Store

Optimize your Shopify Store for Mobile: Proven ideas + Examples