Speed Optimization

Shopify Speed Optimization & Core Web Vitals

Most agencies apply surface-level fixes. We understand exactly how Shopify themes work under the hood and address the root causes of poor performance.Get a Speed Assessment

Why Speed Matters More Than You Think

Google Uses Speed as a Ranking Factor

Core Web Vitals became an official ranking signal in 2021. Slow sites get pushed down in search results.

Conversion Rates Drop

A one-second delay can reduce conversions by 7% or more. For a £1M store, that's £70,000 left on the table.

Mobile Users Are Impatient

Over half of ecommerce traffic is mobile, often on cellular connections. Your site needs to be efficient.

Bounce Rates Increase

When pages take too long, visitors leave before seeing what you sell. High bounce rates hurt rankings.

Understanding Core Web Vitals

LCP

Largest Contentful Paint

Under 2.5s

How quickly main content appears. Common issues: oversized images, render-blocking JS, aggressive lazy loading.

INP

Interaction to Next Paint

Under 200ms

How responsive the site is to interactions. Common issues: heavy app scripts, inefficient theme code, third-party scripts.

CLS

Cumulative Layout Shift

Below 0.1

Does content jump around while loading? Common issues: images without dimensions, late-loading fonts, dynamic content injection.

What We Optimize

Theme Code

Removing unused CSS/JS
Deferring non-critical scripts
Critical CSS extraction
Restructuring code execution

Images

Modern formats (WebP, AVIF)
Responsive sizing
Proper lazy loading
Layout shift prevention

Third-Party Scripts

App impact auditing
Defer/async loading
Redundant app removal
Custom alternatives

Fonts & Server

Font preloading strategies
File size reduction
CDN configuration
Browser caching headers

Pricing

One-Time Optimization: from £1,500

Ongoing Performance Retainer: from £750/month

Many clients start with one-time work and move to ongoing monitoring once they see results.

Common Questions

Our developer says it's already optimised. Why is it still slow?

"Optimised" is relative. Many developers don't have deep performance expertise. There's usually more that can be done.

Will speed optimization break anything?

Not if done properly. We test thoroughly before deploying. Optimization sometimes reveals existing problems that were hidden.

How long do improvements last?

Initial fixes are permanent, but adding new apps or content can introduce problems. That's why ongoing monitoring matters.

Our apps are essential. Does that mean we're stuck?

Not necessarily. Apps can often be configured differently, loaded only where needed, or replaced with lighter custom solutions.

Get Your Store Running Faster

We'll do an initial assessment, tell you honestly what we find, and give you a clear plan for improvement.Book a Speed Assessment