According to Google’s study, a brand’s website has only 3 seconds to make the user stay on the website. The user will remain only if the website loads quickly. So, it is important to have a website that loads within 3 seconds, as well as the design and functionality of the website.

If we talk about e-commerce brands, it not just affects their bounce rate but conversion rate as well. Whether they’re running ads on Google, Meta, or WhatsApp, they need the customer to land somewhere. That somewhere is their website. So, it is important for e-commerce brands to optimise their website for speed.

So, today we are going to talk about one of the most widely used e-commerce website-building platforms — Shopify — and how one can improve the speed of their Shopify website.

Use lightweight and well-coded website themes

Shopify has ready-to-use website themes which can be used to make a brand’s e-commerce store on Shopify. When choosing a website theme, avoid choosing heavy website themes that have unused JavaScript or CSS codes, as they unnecessarily increase the page loading time.

Themes like Shopify’s native theme, Dawn, are one of the lightweight themes. One can even customise a lightweight theme to avoid adding any unnecessary code.

Optimise images and videos

Uploading high-quality images on the website is important for a smooth user experience, but high-quality images are large in size. Those large media files lower the speed of the Shopify store, which in turn affects the customer experience.

To decrease the loading speed of the Shopify store, one needs to optimise the images and videos without compromising on the quality. It is advisable to use the WebP format for images and videos, if supported. If not supported, one can use Shopify apps like Crush.pics to compress images.

Limit the use of custom fonts

When one uses a custom font that needs to be hosted externally, it requires additional HTTP requests, leading to decreased page speed. To avoid this, it is best to use fonts available on Shopify to increase the page loading speed.

If you need to add fonts externally, such as Google Fonts, only add the styles and weights you need of that particular font style. One can even consider self-hosting fonts on Shopify to improve the Shopify store’s speed.

Use Shopify’s native features as much as possible

Shopify native features are easy to install and load fast. They can be used for basics like product reviews, forms, product recommendations, etc., to improve the Shopify store’s loading speed. They don’t need custom coding as well, which reduces the unnecessary load of extra code. Hence, it is advisable to use Shopify’s native features wherever possible.

Avoid unnecessary third-party apps

Adding third-party apps on Shopify increases the code, which affects the Shopify store’s performance. So, whenever adding a third-party app, check the code and script to avoid adding heavily coded apps, which may decrease the page loading speed.

To improve the speed of the Shopify store, keep auditing the apps already installed. Remove any unused or unnecessary apps which are heavily coded to keep the Shopify store’s speed optimal.

Keep evaluating the page speed

Page speed optimisation is not a one-time process. As the website keeps changing, the page speed changes too. One needs to keep a check on the page speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Lighthouse. These tools give you a detailed speed analysis, including the areas where the speed problem exists and how page speed can be improved.

Read what a Shopify Partner is here.

Benefits of a speed-optimised Shopify Store

We discussed how to optimise the page loading speed of the Shopify store; now let’s understand how a speed-optimised Shopify store helps.

1. Reduces bounce rate When someone comes to your website and leaves immediately, an opportunity to tap a potential lead is gone.
   This mainly happens when a website loads slowly and the user can’t wait for that long in the era of 6-second attention spans. Optimising the Shopify store speed helps in making the users stay and explore the website, reducing the website’s bounce rate.

2. Increases conversion rate You go to a website to buy a product, and it takes time to even start the process. Would you go ahead? Of course, no. This is where Shopify store speed optimisation comes into play. It improves the user experience, which in turn increases the conversion rate.

3. Improves SEO ranking Even Google doesn’t list slow websites on top, no matter how good your website looks. When you optimise your website speed and make it SEO-friendly, you’re conveying to Google that your website has a smooth user experience and doesn’t lag.

Optimising the Shopify store with The Pencil Advertising

In today’s fast-paced world, holding a person’s attention is challenging. That’s why the speed of a Shopify store is extremely important. It can be a factor that can make or break the user’s website experience. A Shopify development agency can help you with optimising the speed of your Shopify store.

We, at The Pencil Advertising, are a Shopify Partner and a Shopify web development agency. We specialise in developing Shopify websites that will help your business grow.

If you don’t have a website or are looking to upgrade your existing website, connect with us on Instagram or reach out to us here, and our team will reach out to you.