Shopify takes care of servers, scaling and a global CDN. So why do so many Shopify stores still feel slow on mobile? The answer is almost always what runs on top of Shopify: apps, theme code, images and third-party scripts.
The good news: all of these are in your control. Here are 15 practical ways to speed up a Shopify store.
How to measure Shopify speed
- Shopify admin → Analytics → Web performance: Core Web Vitals from real visitors (where available)
- Google Search Console → Core Web Vitals
- PageSpeed Insights for individual pages
- Chrome DevTools (Performance and Network tabs) to see what loads
Focus on real-user data (LCP, INP, CLS) on mobile for your home, collection and product pages. See Core Web Vitals for e-commerce.
Apps and scripts
1. Audit your apps
Every app that adds features to your storefront can add JavaScript and CSS. List all installed apps and ask for each: do we still need this, and does it load on every page?
2. Remove leftover app code
Uninstalling an app does not always remove its code. Older apps often injected snippets into the theme. Search your theme code for references to apps you removed (snippets, script tags, {% render %} calls) and clean them up. Newer apps using theme app extensions are removed more cleanly.
3. Prefer theme app extensions and app blocks
When choosing apps, prefer those that use app blocks/embeds. They are easier to place only where needed and to remove.
4. Control tracking and marketing tags
Pixels, heatmaps, chat widgets, reviews, popups and A/B testing tools add up quickly. Use Shopify’s Customer Events for pixels where possible, remove duplicates, and load chat widgets only after interaction.
Theme
5. Use a modern, lightweight theme
Recent Online Store 2.0 themes, including Shopify’s free themes, are generally built with performance in mind. Very heavy premium themes with many built-in effects can be slow.
6. Limit sections on the home page
Every slider, video and product carousel adds weight. Keep the home page focused. One strong hero beats five sliders.
7. Avoid heavy sliders and autoplay video above the fold
They often become the LCP element and delay rendering. A static hero image is usually faster and converts just as well.
8. Optimise Liquid code
Inefficient Liquid (nested loops over large collections, many all_products lookups) slows server rendering. Use Shopify’s Theme Inspector for Chrome to find slow Liquid sections.
Images
9. Use Shopify’s image filters with correct sizes
Use image_url with width parameters and image_tag with widths and sizes, so the browser downloads the right size. Shopify’s CDN serves modern formats automatically.
10. Do not lazy-load the hero or main product image
The LCP image should load immediately. Use loading: 'eager' and fetchpriority: 'high' for it, and lazy-load everything below the fold.
11. Set image dimensions
Width and height (or aspect ratio) on every image prevent layout shift (CLS).
Fonts and CSS
12. Limit custom fonts
Each font family and weight is an extra download. Use system fonts or a small number of font files, and preload the most important one.
13. Reduce unused CSS and JavaScript
Remove theme features you do not use. Avoid adding large libraries (for example a full animation library) for small effects.
Content and structure
14. Paginate large collections
Collections with hundreds of products on one page are slow. Use pagination or “load more” with sensible page sizes.
15. Fix internal links to collection-based product URLs
Linking to /products/handle instead of collection-based URLs helps SEO and caching consistency (see the Shopify SEO checklist).
Quick priority list
| Fix | Impact | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Remove unused apps and leftover code | High | Low to medium |
| Hero/LCP image eager + correct size | High | Low |
| Delay chat and non-essential tags | High (INP) | Low |
| Simplify home page sections | Medium | Low |
| Optimise Liquid | Medium to high | Medium |
| Switch to a lighter theme | High | High |
Before peak season
Make speed changes before your code freeze. See the Black Friday checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Shopify plan affect speed?
Storefront speed is mostly determined by your theme, apps and content, not by the plan.
Is the Shopify speed score in the admin important?
Real-user Core Web Vitals matter more than any single lab score. Use scores as a guide, not a goal.
Can I make Shopify as fast as a custom headless store?
A well-optimised Online Store 2.0 theme can be very fast. Headless setups give more control but add complexity and cost; they are not automatically faster.
Want a faster Shopify store?
I audit and optimise Shopify themes and app setups for speed and Core Web Vitals. See my Shopify service or request a speed audit.