I’m looking for advice on how to improve my Shopify store’s page loading speed to boost overall SEO performance. My store includes multiple product images, videos, and design elements that might be slowing it down. What are the best practices or apps to optimize loading time without sacrificing quality or user experience? Any tips on image compression, theme optimization, or third-party app management would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!
Try compressing images, optimizing your theme, and removing unused apps to boost speed and SEO. Use lazy loading and Shopify’s CDN for faster performance. Share your store link, and I can suggest tailored improvements!
Thanks for the helpful tips! I’ve applied some of these suggestions already, but I’d love your feedback on what else could be improved. Here’s my store link: https://mondollamabrand.com/. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
Hi @jacktyson
First, your images and videos are the biggest culprits. Use an image optimization app to automatically compress all your photos and serve them in a modern format. For videos, never upload them directly; instead, embed them from YouTube or Vimeo and ensure they are “lazy loaded” so they don’t slow down the initial page load.
Second, audit your third-party apps. Every app adds its own code, which can slow your site down. Be ruthless: if you are not using an app, uninstall it.
Finally, your theme itself is critical. If it’s old, consider upgrading to a modern Online Store 2.0 theme, as they are built for speed. You can also use an SEO app to handle the technical optimization. Our app, SearchPie, includes a speed optimization feature that can run a technical audit to find issues and help you “minify” your site’s code, which makes it faster for browsers to load.
We do have a FREE plan that you can check out for yourself!
i went through your website. here are some tips that i can offer:
- i saw that you have a lot of graphics on multiple pages, such as this home page.
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in addition, your website also has a lot of content. for example, this markers page:
i felt here, just sharing different markers (products), why should somebody purchase your products, and FAQs would have been okay. also, remember that too much information can overwhelm users.
so, again, try and go with a minimalistic approach.
- apart from that, others have shared some great tips such as trying lazy loading, reducing image sizes, etc. that should help.
- lastly, if required, you should go with a better and fast-loading shopify theme.
Hii,
Page speed affects both your SEO and your sales, so improving it is one of the smartest things you can do for your store. You can do few things to get your store loading faster without compromising design or quality.
Start with images
Images are usually the biggest reason for slow pages.
Export product photos in WebP format — it keeps quality high but makes files much lighter.(you can use Image Optimizer Pro for this).
Keep each product image under 250 KB and use Shopify’s built-in resizing so it serves the right size for mobile and desktop.
Replace long GIFs with short MP4 or WebM clips — they’re much faster.
Optimise your theme
Disable animations and scripts you don’t use (sliders, hover effects, etc.).
Remove unused sections or templates.
If your theme is older, consider updating or switching to the newer ‘Online Store 2.0’ themes; they’re much better optimised.
Review your apps
Each app adds extra code.
Keep only what you actually use uninstall the rest.
For tracking or chat widgets, add them through Google Tag Manager so they load after the main content.
Avoid having multiple apps that do similar jobs like two review widgets.
Lazy load everything below the fold
Anything that’s not visible when the page first loads reviews, recommended products, extra images should load later.
Most modern themes already have this option, or you can enable loading=“lazy” for images.
Keep testing
After each change, re-test on PageSpeed Insights and look at your Core Web Vitals, especially LCP and TBT. Even small improvements stack up.
If you want an easier, automatic option you can take a look into[ the Website Speedy App that is built to optimize stores without changing your design. It compresses images, defers scripts, and improves mobile load times automatically. Many store owners see their speed score and conversions jump within a few days.
Hello @jacktyson
Great question! To boost your Shopify store’s speed and SEO, focus on these key areas:
Optimize Media: Compress all images before uploading using a tool like TinyPNG. For videos, embed them from YouTube/Vimeo instead of hosting them directly. Implement lazy loading for images so they only load when needed.
Manage Apps & Theme: Audit your apps and delete any you don’t use, as they can slow down your site. Use a lightweight, speed-optimized theme (like Shopify’s free Dawn theme).
Use Optimization Apps: Consider a speed optimization app to automate tasks like image compression, code minification, and script management.
Optimizing these three areas will give you the biggest performance boost without sacrificing quality.
Thank You!
Hallo @jacktyson,
great question — page speed is one of the biggest SEO and conversion boosters for any Shopify store. Here are some best-practice steps you can take:
1. Optimize your images:
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Use WebP format instead of JPG/PNG for faster loading.
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Compress all images using tools like TinyPNG, Squoosh, or the app Crush.pics.
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Implement lazy loading for below-the-fold images (most modern Shopify themes already support this).
2. Clean up apps & code:
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Uninstall unused apps — even disabled ones can inject scripts.
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Combine scripts where possible and use Shopify’s native app embeds instead of custom code.
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Run Shopify’s built-in Speed Report and Google PageSpeed Insights to see which scripts slow things down.
3. Optimize theme performance:
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Use a lightweight, modern theme (like Dawn, Impulse, or Impact).
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Minify CSS and JS (Shopify does much automatically, but check for leftover custom files).
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Limit autoplay videos or large GIFs — replace with lightweight MP4 or embedded YouTube with a thumbnail preview.
4. Consider caching & CDN benefits:
Shopify already uses a global CDN, but ensure large media files (like background videos) are also hosted efficiently.
Many regards,
Rafael from Muthwerk
E-Commerce Solutions & Shopify Optimization
Hi @jacktyson,
Totally get why you want to improve speed, especially when your store has a mix of images, videos, and design elements. Here are a few practical fixes that usually give stores a noticeable lift without changing the overall look:
1. Compress your images properly
Large images are one of the most common reasons for slow pages. Try keeping each product image as light as possible while keeping quality sharp.
2. Review any autoplay videos
If you have videos loading on page load, consider using a static thumbnail first and loading the video only when someone clicks on it.
3. Clean up unused apps and leftover scripts
Even when you remove an app, some scripts can stay behind. Try disabling apps one by one to see which ones impact speed the most.
4. Remove unused theme sections
Themes often load scripts for features you are not actively using. Cleaning up unused blocks or effects can help a lot.
5. Make sure your theme supports lazy loading
This ensures images load only when they enter the screen, which reduces the initial load time.
6. Keep your homepage simple
Many stores add too many banners, sliders, and videos on the homepage. The simpler the page, the faster it loads.
Sometimes just fixing two or three items can speed things up more than expected.
Hello, @jacktyson
Here are the most impactful areas to focus on, addressing your specific concerns about images, themes, and apps.
1. Image and Video Optimization
High-resolution images and videos are often the biggest culprits behind slow load times. The goal is to reduce their file size without a noticeable drop in quality.
Compress and Resize Images:
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Compression: Use image compression to reduce file sizes. Many Shopify apps can automate this process for your entire product catalog.
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Resizing: Ensure your images are sized appropriately for their container. Don’t upload a 4000x4000 pixel image for a 600x600 pixel thumbnail. Shopify themes handle some of this, but starting with properly sized images is best practice.
Choose the Right File Format:
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JPEG: Best for photographs due to its balance of quality and small file size.
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PNG: Use for logos or graphics that require a transparent background.
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WebP: This modern format offers superior compression compared to JPEG and PNG. Many image optimization apps can automatically convert your images to WebP and serve them to compatible browsers.
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Implement Lazy Loading: Lazy loading is a technique that defers the loading of off-screen images and videos until the user scrolls down to them. This significantly speeds up the initial page load. Most modern Shopify themes, including the free Dawn theme, have this feature built-in.
Optimize Videos:
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Host Videos Externally: Never upload videos directly to Shopify. Instead, use platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and embed them on your product pages. This prevents the large video files from being loaded from your store’s server.
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Use Lite Embeds: To prevent video players from loading heavy scripts upfront, consider using “lite” embeds. This technique loads only a preview image of the video, and the full video player is loaded only when the user clicks to play.
2. Theme Optimization
Your Shopify theme is the foundation of your store’s performance. A bloated, poorly coded theme can slow you down, no matter how much you optimize your content.
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Choose a Lightweight, Speed-Optimized Theme: Not all themes are created equal. Start with a theme that is built for speed. Shopify’s free themes (like Dawn) are excellent choices because they are minimalist and designed for performance. When considering a paid theme, always test its demo store in Google PageSpeed Insights before you buy.
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Be Mindful of “Feature Creep”: It can be tempting to choose a theme with every imaginable feature, but these often come with a heavy cost in terms of performance due to excessive JavaScript and CSS.
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Limit Theme Adjustments: While customizing your theme is part of creating your brand, be cautious about adding too many custom features, especially those that rely on heavy JavaScript.
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Avoid Homepage Hero Sliders: While popular, sliders with multiple high-resolution images can significantly slow down your most important page. A single, well-optimized hero image is almost always faster and often more effective for conversions.
3. Third-Party App Management
Each app you install can add JavaScript and CSS files to your store, which can slow it down. Regularly auditing your apps is crucial for maintaining a fast site.
Conduct an App Audit: Go through your installed apps and ask yourself:
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Is this app absolutely essential for my business operations or customer experience?
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What is the return on investment for this app versus its impact on my site speed?
Remove Unnecessary Apps: If you’re no longer using an app, or if its value is minimal, uninstall it. When you uninstall an app, check your theme’s theme.liquid file to ensure any leftover code snippets from the app have been removed.
Load Scripts Asynchronously or Deferred: Some apps allow you to control how their scripts are loaded. If possible, choose to load them async or defer. This prevents the app’s script from blocking the loading of the rest of your page content.
By systematically addressing these three core area. images, themes, and apps, you can make a significant and lasting improvement to your Shopify store’s loading speed, leading to better SEO rankings, a better user experience, and more sales.
Thank You!
Hi @jacktyson
Hope you’re doing well. I would like to suggest some don’ts that would eventually improve your store’s loading speed.
- Don’t upload large or uncompressed images.
- Don’t use too many apps or keep unused ones.
- Don’t use heavy sliders, GIFs, or video backgrounds.
- Don’t upload videos directly to Shopify.
- Don’t use outdated themes.
- Don’t overload pages with too many sections or scripts.
If you want, I can analyze your store speed issues individually. Just share your store URL and your theme name.
I’ll check:
- What’s slowing it down
- What apps/scripts are heavy
- What you need to delete or optimize
Hi @jacktyson Improving page speed usually comes down to reducing heavy files and cutting out anything your store doesn’t really need. A few things to focus on:
Image sizes: Try to upload smaller images whenever you can. WebP is a good format, and keeping big banner images light makes a big difference. However, for photos like Featured Images (usually recognized as social photos), it is still best to keep them as JPG for best visibility.
Videos: If you’re using videos, host them on YouTube or Vimeo instead of uploading them directly to Shopify. Uploading videos directly to hosting is usually not preferred because hosting storage capacity is limited and bandwidth is not as fast as YouTube or Vimeo. Also turn on lazy loading so the video only loads when someone scrolls to it.
Theme cleanup: Some themes are heavier than others, so make sure you’re using a fast Shopify 2.0 theme. Remove extra sections, effects, or custom code you don’t actually need. Of course only do this if you know what you are doing and don’t forget to backup before touching the theme code.
Apps: Apps are one of the biggest causes of slow pages. Delete anything you’re not using, and try to stick to one app that can handle multiple tasks instead of several separate ones. (Don’t forget to cancel your subscription before completely uninstalling the paid app)
Shopify tools: Shopify’s CDN and the Speed Score give you a good idea of how your store is doing and what’s slowing things down.
These changes usually give a noticeable speed boost without hurting the look or quality of your store. Hope this helps! 
Hey @jacktyson
Page speed is such a crucial factor for both SEO and conversions, so you’re absolutely right to focus on this. I’ve seen stores lose customers just because pages took a few extra seconds to load, so let’s tackle this.
First things first, images are usually the biggest culprit when it comes to slow loading times. You’ll want to compress them before uploading, but the key is finding that sweet spot where they still look great but aren’t massive files. I’d really recommend checking out TinyIMG or Crush pics. Both work in the background to optimize your images without you having to manually compress each one. TinyIMG is particularly good because it also handles lazy loading, which means images only load as customers scroll down the page rather than all at once. If your theme doesn’t have lazy loading built in, you definitely need to enable it.
For videos, don’t host them directly on Shopify if you can avoid it. Upload them to YouTube or Vimeo and embed them instead. This takes the load off your server and speeds things up considerably. If you must host them on Shopify, use a thumbnail image that plays the video when clicked rather than having it autoplay.
Now let’s talk about apps, because this is where a lot of store owners unknowingly kill their speed. Every app you install adds code to your store. Go through your apps and honestly ask yourself if you’re actually using each one. I’ve seen stores with 20+ apps installed when they really only need about 8. Uninstall anything you’re not actively using, and look for lighter alternatives if some apps are causing issues.
Your theme itself matters too. Some themes are bloated with features you’ll never use. Dawn, Shopify’s default theme, is actually incredibly fast and clean. If you need more features, themes like Impulse or Prestige are well-optimized while still looking professional.
Also take a look at your third-party scripts like Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, chat widgets, and pop-ups. Each one adds loading time. Make sure they’re loading asynchronously so they don’t block your page from rendering.
Run your store through Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to see exactly what’s slowing you down. Don’t stress if you don’t hit a perfect 100 score - anything above 70-80 on mobile is pretty solid for an ecommerce store with lots of visual content.
Hi @jacktyson,
This is Sophia from Tapita AI SEO & Speed Optimizer. Here are some practical tips to improve loading speed, you should try:
- Image Optimization
Images often make up 60–80% of a page’s weight
Therefore, optimizing the size of your images to make your pages load faster is essential.
If you want an easy, automated way to compress images safely, you can use our app Tapita AI SEO & Speed Optimizer.
To start optimizing your images automatically, click ‘Enable Auto-Optimize’ (from Basic plan and above).
- Fixing LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
Google’s Core Web Vitals measure key aspects of user experience. The Core Web Vitals report shows how your pages perform, based on real world usage data (sometimes called field data).
Since Google uses LCP as a key ranking factor, poor LCP can also hurt SEO and organic traffic.
Quick actions to improve LCP:
- Avoid fade-in/transition effects on big hero images
- Use fetchpriority= ‘high’ on Important Images: For images that contribute to LCP (e.g. large hero/banner images), mark them as high priority so the browser starts fetching them before less critical images.
- Don’t lazy load the LCP. Identify the LCP element (usually a large banner image, hero section, or main content block) and avoid lazy-loading the LCP element: If the LCP image is lazy-loaded, it might not appear until the user scrolls or some JS triggers. For above-the-fold LCP content, it should load immediately (not lazily).
- Use Tapita SEO & Speed preload key theme assets feature: This feature preloads critical CSS resources to ensure they are loaded with high priority, resulting in faster user interface.
- Use Tapita SEO & Speed instant page speed feature: This feature preloads links immediately when customers hover over the links, so it will feel fast instantly to customers.
- Preload the LCP element with the preload attribute so the browser fetches it as a top priority. This ensures the main content loads faster, improving both user experience and LCP score.
- Make Images Responsive with srcset & sizes attributes: Let the browser pick the correct image size depending on screen size. Smaller devices get smaller images, reducing download time. This also prevents loading overly large images meant for desktops on mobile screens.
- If Transitions Must Stay, Move Them to Load Early / Separately: If you want to preserve transitions for visual design reasons, don’t have them buried in large, delayed JS bundles. Extract that code into its own file and load it as early as possible (and asynchronously if possible) so it doesn’t block or delay showing of the image. This reduces the delay significantly.
- Remove unused 3rd-party plugins or optimize them to reduce render-blocking time since not every 3rd-party plugin’s code is optimized.
You should check our full guide here: Why is LCP poor?
If you want help reviewing your store’s speed or LCP element, install Tapita AI SEO and Speed for free, then chat to our support - we’re happy to take a look!
Hope this helps,
Sophia.
Hi @jacktyson
The quickest win is to “clean house” by auditing your apps. Every app adds code to your site, so if you aren’t using one, delete it immediately. Be aware that uninstalling often leaves behind “ghost code” snippets that continue to run in the background; manually removing these leftovers is often the single biggest factor in improving your site’s reaction time.
Next, you need to optimize your media, which is the heaviest part of any store. Ensure videos are embedded via YouTube/Vimeo (never uploaded directly) and images are compressed into WebP format. If doing this manually for a large catalog sounds exhausting, A bit biased but you can check out our app SearchPie to auto-compress your images and enable our own Instant Page feature!
Also, it is absolutely for FREE!
Hope this helps!
Speed is huge for both UX and SEO. Here’s what usually makes the biggest difference:
Images. This is almost always the #1 culprit. Use WebP format, compress before uploading (TinyPNG is free), and let Shopify serve responsive sizes. Add loading=“lazy” to images below the fold.
Apps. Every app you install adds JavaScript that has to load. Audit your apps list—remove anything you’re not actively using. Some apps load on every page even if you only need them on checkout.
Theme. Some themes are just heavy. Dawn (Shopify’s default) is pretty fast out of the box. If you’re using a paid theme with tons of features, you might be paying for it in load time.
Fonts. Stick to 1-2 font weights max. System fonts are fastest. If you use custom fonts, preload them.
Third party scripts. Chat widgets, analytics, etc. all add up. Defer or async load when possible.
Test with PageSpeed Insights and look at what it flags. Usually it’s images.
One thing I’d add though—speed isn’t everything. If your pages load fast but have thin content, Google still won’t rank them well. I’ve seen stores obsess over speed scores while having 50-word product descriptions. The content depth matters too.
I built an app that handles product description optimization and blog content. It’s at ObsessAI ‑ Retail Agent - Obsess AI - AI Blog Writer & SEO Tool for... | Shopify App Store
But yeah, for speed specifically—start with images and apps. That usually gets you 80% of the way there.
A lot of the advice here focuses on images and apps, but regular performance audits are just as important. Even small issues like unused app code, oversized fonts, or unnecessary scripts can gradually slow a store over time. Keeping the design clean and reviewing Core Web Vitals regularly is one of the best ways to maintain both speed and SEO.
Speed remains essential. Try auditing your apps, using aggressive image compression, and implementing lazy loading for videos.
Hello @jacktyson
Given how much ground’s already been covered here on WebP compression, lazy loading, and theme choice, one angle that hasn’t come up yet: it’s not just about deleting unused apps, it’s about how many apps you’re running for overlapping jobs in the first place. A store running separate reviews, wishlist, loyalty, and UGC apps is loading four sets of scripts even if every one of them is actively used. Consolidating overlapping features into one platform often cuts more script weight than uninstalling apps you’ve already forgotten about.
On images, aim to get each product image under roughly 200 to 250KB, not just “compressed.” A lot of tools will shrink a file by 30 percent and still leave a 1.5MB image if the original was huge. If you want to batch convert to WebP outside of Shopify, CloudConvert or Compressor.io both work well for that before you even upload.
Once you’ve made changes, check PageSpeed Insights, especially the mobile score, since that’s usually where the gap is biggest.
Hi! I noticed you seem to know a lot about website performance. Would you mind taking a quick look at my site, https://voutv.com? I’m trying to improve its performance, but the scores are still lower than I’d like. If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate any suggestions on what might be slowing it down and what I should focus on first. Thanks in advance!