HOLLOW POINT
Performance · UK/ uk / speed-optimization

Shopify speed optimisation, addressed at the root.

Most agencies apply surface-level fixes — compress images, install a caching app, call it done. We dig into the theme code, audit every script and rebuild the critical path so Core Web Vitals reflect what users actually feel.

Speed isn’t a vanity metric — Google ranks on it, conversions scale with it, and a one-second delay can cost a £1M store £70k a year. We treat it as a load-bearing feature.

PAGE
/uk/speed-optimization
reading ~5 min
AUDIENCE
Shopify Plus stores, slow PDP / PLP
STARTING SCOPE
One-time optimisation pass
from £1,500
TYPICAL UPLIFT
LCP 4.8s → ≤1.8s on category pages
recent engagement
JS BUNDLE
Reduced 60–75% on first-load
typical
FIRST WIN
Render-blocking script audit
wk 01
——

The four levers that actually move Core Web Vitals.

§ 01

Render-blocking scripts in the head.

Every blocking script delays first paint. Most Shopify themes ship with 6–12 such scripts — including ones that have nothing to do with above-the-fold content. We audit, defer or replace them.

lighthouse.json
Render-blocking resources: 11
→ 4.2s of blocked main thread
xLCP: 4.8s · target: ≤2.5s
§ 02

Oversized, unsized images.

Hero images served at 4× the rendered size. PDP gallery images without explicit dimensions causing CLS. We move to responsive WebP/AVIF, set dimensions, and stop layout shift cold.

pdp.liquid
x<img src="hero.jpg">
// 2400×3000 served, 600×750 rendered
<img src="..."
width="600" height="750"
srcset="..." loading="eager">
§ 03

Third-party app bloat.

Every app injects scripts. We audit each app for its real performance cost (not its marketing copy), defer or async non-critical ones, and replace bad actors with custom Liquid alternatives where it pays back.

apps.audit
reviews-app: +320 ms TBT
social-proof: +180 ms TBT
currency-converter: +95 ms TBT
xTotal: 14 apps · +1.4s blocking
§ 04

Server, CDN, fonts.

Even after the theme is clean, font loading strategy, CDN cache headers and TTFB still dictate the floor. We tune all three so the optimisation work holds across geographies and devices.

fonts.css
@font-face {
font-family: "Display";
font-display: swap;
src: url(...) format("woff2");
}
——

What we touch when we open the bonnet.

01

Theme code

  • Removing unused CSS / JS
  • Deferring non-critical scripts
  • Critical CSS extraction
  • Restructuring code execution
  • Liquid output tightening
  • Section schema cleanup
02

Images

  • Modern formats (WebP, AVIF)
  • Responsive sizing + srcset
  • Proper lazy loading
  • Layout-shift prevention
  • Hero pre-loading
  • Gallery image budgets
03

Third-party scripts

  • App-by-app impact audit
  • Defer / async loading
  • Redundant app removal
  • Custom Liquid alternatives
  • Tag-manager rewrite
  • Tracking script gating
04

Fonts & server

  • Font preloading strategy
  • Subset + woff2 conversion
  • CDN cache configuration
  • Browser caching headers
  • TTFB reduction
  • Preconnect / dns-prefetch

Speed work pairs naturally with /technical-seo and /shopify-development. We’ll tell you which scope fits before quoting.

——
HP-PERFFIXED SCOPE
ONE-TIME OPTIMISATION
from £1,500
2–3 wks
PERFORMANCE RETAINER
from £750 / month
rolling
PAIRED WITH SEO RETAINER
Bundled discount available
see /uk/shopify-seo

Most clients start with a one-time pass and move to ongoing monitoring once they see results — and once Core Web Vitals are wired into deploy gates so regressions get caught.

Book a speed assessment
——

Things operators actually ask before signing.

hollowpoint.io / contact

operator@hollowpoint:~$cat next-step.txt

Get your store running faster.

We'll run an initial assessment, tell you honestly what we find, and give you a clear plan for improvement. No hard sell.