The Importance of Page Speed Optimisation for Shopify Websites

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What is Page Speed Optimisation?

Page speed optimisation refers to the process of improving the loading speed of a website’s pages. This can be done through various techniques, such as reducing file sizes, compressing images, minimising code, leveraging browser caching, and more. The goal of page speed optimisation is to improve the user experience by reducing page load times, which can lead to increased traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.

How to Increase Page Speed Insights in Shopify?

Shopify provides various tools and resources to help merchants increase their website’s page speed insights. Here are a few tips on how you can make quick improvements:

Using Shopify’s built-in speed optimisation features.

Shopify offers several built-in features to help merchants optimise their website’s page speed, including:

• Lazy loading images: This feature loads images only when they become visible in the user’s browser, reducing the amount of time it takes to load a page.
• Optimising image sizes: Shopify automatically resizes and compresses images to reduce their file size and improve page speed.

These features can be accessed and enabled through the Shopify admin dashboard. By taking advantage of these built-in features, merchants can significantly improve their website’s page speed without having to make major changes to their website’s design or code.

Choosing a fast and reliable Shopify theme that is optimised for speed.

One of the most important factors in website page speed is the theme that the website is built on. When choosing a Shopify theme, merchants should look for themes that are optimised for speed and performance. Shopify provides a range of themes that are designed to be fast and reliable, with many options available for different types of businesses.

Merchants should look for themes that are lightweight, use minimal code, and have optimized image sizes. They should also choose a theme that is regularly updated and supported by the developer to ensure that it stays up-to-date with the latest web technologies. Alternatively you can hire a Shopify Developer like myself who can help advise you with a comprehensive site audit.

Installing third-party apps that can help optimise website speed.

There are many third-party apps available on the Shopify App Store that can help merchants optimise their website’s page speed. One popular app is Booster: Page Speed Optimiser, which is designed to help merchants improve their website’s page speed by optimising images, reducing page size, and leveraging browser caching.

Merchants should research and choose the app that best fits their website’s specific needs and requirements.

Compressing and optimising images

Images are one of the main culprits of slow page speeds on websites. By compressing and optimising images, merchants can significantly improve their website’s page speed. Tools like TinyPNG and Compressor.io can help merchants compress and optimise images without sacrificing quality.

How to optimise your shopify store for page speed insights

In addition to using Shopify’s built-in tools and resources, there are various other techniques that can be used to optimise page speed insights, such as:

Minimising HTTP requests

Each resource on a web page (such as images, scripts, and stylesheets) requires a separate HTTP request, which can slow down page load times. To minimise the number of HTTP requests, merchants should:

• Combine multiple resources into a single file where possible (such as combining multiple CSS files into a single CSS file).
• Remove any unnecessary resources from the page.
• Use CSS sprites to combine multiple images into a single image.

By reducing the number of HTTP requests, merchants can significantly improve their website’s page speed and provide a better user experience for their customers.

Enabling compression

Compression is a technique that reduces the size of files sent over the internet, which can speed up page load times. Merchants can enable compression on their website by:

• Enabling gzip compression on their server.
• Using a content delivery network (CDN) that automatically compresses files.

By compressing files, merchants can reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent over the internet, which can improve page load times and provide a better user experience for their customers.

Using a content delivery network (CDN)

A content delivery network (CDN) is a network of servers that are distributed around the world, with each server hosting a copy of the website’s files. When a user accesses the website, the CDN serves the files from the server that is closest to the user’s location, reducing server response times and improving page load times.

Merchants can use a CDN to distribute content and reduce server response times, improving page load times and providing a better user experience for their customers. Popular CDN providers include Cloudflare and Akamai.

Minimising the use of external scripts and resources

External scripts and resources (such as social media widgets and third-party analytics scripts) can significantly slow down page load times. Merchants should:

• Remove any unnecessary external scripts and resources from the page.
• Use asynchronous loading for external scripts, which allows the page to continue loading while the script loads in the background.
• Use a content delivery network (CDN) for external resources.

By minimising the use of external scripts and resources, merchants can improve their website’s page speed and provide a better user experience for their customers.

Prioritising above-the-fold content

Above-the-fold content refers to the content that is visible on the screen without requiring the user to scroll down. By prioritising above-the-fold content, merchants can ensure that users see the most important content first and provide a better user experience.

Merchants should:

• Minimise the amount of content that appears above-the-fold.
• Use smaller images and optimised media to reduce load times.
• Use lazy loading techniques to load below-the-fold content as the user scrolls down.

By prioritising above-the-fold content, merchants can improve their website’s page speed and provide a better user experience for their customers.

What is a good page speed for Shopify Websites?

A good page speed for a Shopify website is typically around 2-3 seconds or less. According to research, 40% of users will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load, and every additional second of load time can lead to a 7% decrease in conversion rates. Therefore, it is crucial to optimise page speed for better user experience and sales.

Does your Page Speed Affect SEO?

Yes, page speed insights can directly impact a website’s search engine rankings. Google has stated that page speed is a ranking factor in its algorithm, and websites with faster loading times are typically favoured over slower ones. This is because faster loading websites provide a better user experience and are more likely to be shared and linked to, which can improve their authority and relevance in search results.

Conclusion

Page speed optimisation is critical for the success of any website, particularly for e-commerce websites like Shopify. A slow loading website can lead to a negative user experience, decreased traffic, and lower search engine rankings. By using Shopify’s built-in speed optimisation features, third-party apps, and best practices for page speed optimisation, merchants can improve their website’s page speed insights and provide a better user experience for their customers. Remember, a fast loading website can lead to increased traffic, engagement, and conversion rates, ultimately driving more sales and revenue.