Why Speed Matters for Your Shopify Store
Page speed directly impacts both SEO rankings and revenue:
The good news: most Shopify speed issues are fixable without a developer.
How to Measure Your Store's Speed
Before optimizing, benchmark your current performance.
Tools to Use
| Tool | What It Measures | Cost |
| Shopify Page Speed Checker | Quick Shopify-specific analysis | Free |
| Google PageSpeed Insights | Core Web Vitals + suggestions | Free |
| GTmetrix | Waterfall analysis + historical tracking | Free / $15 mo |
| Shopify Admin Speed Report | Store-level speed score | Built-in |
Key Metrics to Track
The 10-Step Speed Optimization Plan
Step 1: Optimize Your Images
Images are responsible for 40-60% of page weight on most Shopify stores.
Actions:
See our image optimization guide and image size guide for exact specifications.
Step 2: Audit and Remove Unused Apps
The average Shopify store has 8 installed apps but actively uses only 4.
How to audit:
Common offenders: Popup apps, review apps with heavy JavaScript, chat widgets that load on every page, abandoned cart apps with exit-intent scripts.
Step 3: Choose a Fast Theme
Your theme is the foundation of your store's performance. The fastest Shopify themes in 2025:
| Theme | PageSpeed Score (Mobile) | Price |
| Dawn | 90-95 | Free |
| Refresh | 88-92 | Free |
| Streamline | 90-93 | $350 |
| Turbo | 88-94 | $350 |
If your current theme scores below 60 on mobile, consider switching. Use the Shopify theme detector to identify what successful competitors use.
Step 4: Enable Lazy Loading
Lazy loading defers offscreen images and videos until the user scrolls to them. This dramatically improves initial page load time.
Check if your theme supports it:
Step 5: Minimize Custom Code
Custom CSS and JavaScript added to your theme can slow things down:
Step 6: Optimize Fonts
Custom fonts add page weight and render-blocking requests.
Best practices:
font-display: swap to prevent invisible textStep 7: Reduce Homepage Sections
Every section on your homepage adds load time. Audit your homepage:
Step 8: Optimize Third-Party Scripts
Scripts from analytics, pixels, chat widgets, and marketing tools add up:
Step 9: Enable Browser Caching
Shopify handles server-side caching, but ensure your theme does not prevent browser caching:
Step 10: Monitor Continuously
Speed is not a one-time fix. Set up ongoing monitoring:
Speed Optimization by Page Type
| Page | Target LCP | Priority Actions |
| Homepage | Under 2.0s | Reduce sections, optimize hero image |
| Collection pages | Under 2.5s | Limit products per page, lazy load images |
| Product pages | Under 2.0s | Optimize product images, defer reviews |
| Blog posts | Under 1.5s | Compress images, minimize embeds |
| Cart page | Under 1.5s | Keep it lean, no upsell app overload |
Common Speed Myths
Myth: "I need to hire a developer to speed up my store."
Reality: 80% of speed improvements come from image optimization and app cleanup, which any store owner can do.
Myth: "My theme is fast, so my store is fast."
Reality: Apps, custom code, and unoptimized images can make even the fastest theme slow.
Myth: "Shopify is just slow and there is nothing I can do."
Reality: Shopify's infrastructure is fast. Store-level issues (images, apps, code) are what cause slowness, and they are within your control.
Your Speed Improvement Checklist
The Speed-Content Connection
A fast store is only half the equation. You also need content that brings visitors to those fast pages. SEO-driven blog content targets the keywords your customers search for and funnels them toward your products.
Combine speed optimization with consistent content publishing for maximum impact. Obsess AI helps you maintain that publishing cadence without sacrificing your time on store operations.
Want to build the content engine for your fast store? Try Obsess AI free for 7 days and start driving organic traffic today.