Shopify Speed Optimisation: How to Hit 90+ on PageSpeed

Page speed directly impacts conversion rates, SEO rankings, and user experience. Google's data shows that as page load time increases from 1 to 3 seconds, bounce probability increases by 32%. Here's how to get your Shopify store scoring 90+ on PageSpeed Insights.

Audit Your App Stack

This is almost always the biggest win. Every Shopify app injects JavaScript and sometimes CSS into your store. Many merchants install apps to try them, forget about them, but the scripts keep loading.

• Go to Settings > Apps and remove anything you're not actively using
• For each remaining app, check its speed impact by temporarily disabling it and re-testing
• Contact app developers to ask about lazy-loading options for their scripts

Optimise Images

Images are typically the largest assets on any e-commerce page. Shopify automatically serves images in WebP format to supported browsers, but you still need to manage source image quality:

• Upload images at the maximum size they'll be displayed — not larger
• Use Shopify's built-in image resizing in Liquid: {{ image | image_url: width: 800 }}
• Implement lazy loading for below-the-fold images (most modern themes do this)
• Compress images before upload using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh

Choose a Performant Theme

Your theme is the foundation of your store's speed. Dawn (Shopify's reference theme) and themes built on OS 2.0 architecture are significantly faster than older themes. If your theme predates OS 2.0, consider upgrading — the speed improvement alone often justifies the effort.

Minimise Custom Code

Custom JavaScript and CSS added to your theme accumulates over time. Audit and remove any custom code that's no longer serving a purpose. For necessary custom code, ensure it's minified and loads asynchronously where possible.

Font Optimisation

Custom fonts are a common speed bottleneck. Each font weight and style is a separate file download. Limit yourself to two font families maximum, and preload the most critical font weight. System fonts eliminate font loading entirely if brand guidelines allow it.

Reduce Third-Party Scripts

Analytics, chat widgets, social media pixels, and marketing tags all add load time. Audit your third-party scripts:

• Do you need both Google Analytics and Shopify Analytics, or is one sufficient?
• Can your chat widget load after the page is interactive rather than on page load?
• Are you running pixels for platforms you're not actively advertising on?

Speed improvements benefit both user experience and paid advertising performance — faster landing pages improve Quality Scores and reduce CPCs. See our SEO checklist and checkout optimisation guide for related improvements.

FAQ

Want a professional speed audit of your Shopify store? Get in touch or book a call with our Shopify development team.