How to improve your speed performance
This article will provide you a check list of what elements that you can control to improve your website speed performance.
If you don't know how to measure your site speed, you can use Google PageSpeed Insights tool at this link: https://pagespeed.web.dev/
Theme structure is the basic element determining your loading speed. If the essence of the theme is slow then the score is not expected to be as high as a well-structured theme.
In most cases, we always recommend our customers to use a theme submitted on Shopify themes store because themes submitted successfully on that platform has to follow strict rules of Shopify for speed performance. In details, only themes having a minimum average Lighthouse performance score of 60 across the theme's product, collection, and home page, for both desktop and mobile can be displayed on Shopify themes store. You can refer to this article for more information.
Besides, if you use Page Builder app to build your page, your website will need more time to load the content from Page Builder app server to your site although Page Builder would be a convenient choice for owners to design the website. It's a trade-off for you to balance the benefits between design and speed performance.
Third-party apps, especially apps powering front-end features, have certain scripts that slow down the loading of your page. If your website get the issue of "unused Javascript" on Google, you should consider the following solutions:
- Review your app list and remove the apps that are not being used to avoid unexpected codes on your website.
- Find alternatives for the apps that are detected to slow down you website on Google.
- Hire Fireapps Expert to address those scripts without affecting your store's functionalities.
Heavy images and videos or images hidden from view can block the loading of other essential parts of your page. Your visitors have to wait for those elements to be loaded fully before they can scroll on your page, which cause negative experience to your users and also lower your speed score on Google. Therefore, when designing your images and videos, please kindly pay attention to:
- Avoid using heavy contents like GIFs/ auto play videos
- Keep slider banner to only 2-3 slides or use one featured image.
- Hire Fireapps Expert to defer the loading of offscreen images/ videos.
If you want a detailed audit of your speed performance and support to optimize your website, you can hire Fireapps Expert to have your store taken care by our senior Developer. We will help to investigate and optimize your website in an intensive way to bring you a faster site with guarantee for higher score on Google PageSpeed Insights.
Feel free to contact us via live chat or email support@onecommerce.io for more details and further assistance.
If you don't know how to measure your site speed, you can use Google PageSpeed Insights tool at this link: https://pagespeed.web.dev/
1. Your store's theme structure
Theme structure is the basic element determining your loading speed. If the essence of the theme is slow then the score is not expected to be as high as a well-structured theme.
In most cases, we always recommend our customers to use a theme submitted on Shopify themes store because themes submitted successfully on that platform has to follow strict rules of Shopify for speed performance. In details, only themes having a minimum average Lighthouse performance score of 60 across the theme's product, collection, and home page, for both desktop and mobile can be displayed on Shopify themes store. You can refer to this article for more information.
Besides, if you use Page Builder app to build your page, your website will need more time to load the content from Page Builder app server to your site although Page Builder would be a convenient choice for owners to design the website. It's a trade-off for you to balance the benefits between design and speed performance.
2. The third-party apps you use for your store's functionalities
Third-party apps, especially apps powering front-end features, have certain scripts that slow down the loading of your page. If your website get the issue of "unused Javascript" on Google, you should consider the following solutions:
- Review your app list and remove the apps that are not being used to avoid unexpected codes on your website.
- Find alternatives for the apps that are detected to slow down you website on Google.
- Hire Fireapps Expert to address those scripts without affecting your store's functionalities.
3. Images and videos:
Heavy images and videos or images hidden from view can block the loading of other essential parts of your page. Your visitors have to wait for those elements to be loaded fully before they can scroll on your page, which cause negative experience to your users and also lower your speed score on Google. Therefore, when designing your images and videos, please kindly pay attention to:
- Avoid using heavy contents like GIFs/ auto play videos
- Keep slider banner to only 2-3 slides or use one featured image.
- Hire Fireapps Expert to defer the loading of offscreen images/ videos.
Get support with your store speed
If you want a detailed audit of your speed performance and support to optimize your website, you can hire Fireapps Expert to have your store taken care by our senior Developer. We will help to investigate and optimize your website in an intensive way to bring you a faster site with guarantee for higher score on Google PageSpeed Insights.
Feel free to contact us via live chat or email support@onecommerce.io for more details and further assistance.
Updated on: 09/01/2023
Thank you!