To speed up a Shopify store, measure first with Shopify’s web performance reports and PageSpeed Insights, then remove the weight you added: unused apps and their leftover code, tracking scripts, oversized images, sliders, autoplay videos, extra fonts and surplus homepage sections. Shopify runs the hosting, so nearly every fix lives in your theme and apps.
The 12 fixes below are in the order we apply them on client stores, because the first few usually recover the most speed for the least effort. None of them needs a new platform or a server change, and most need no code.
Before you start, duplicate your live theme under Online Store > Themes and test changes on the copy. That way you can compare before and after, and roll back in one click.
Key takeaways
- Shopify’s web performance reports use real visitor data from the past 30 days and rate LCP, INP and CLS as Good, Moderate or Poor.
- Apps and third-party scripts are the first place to look on a slow Shopify store, and uninstalling an app doesn’t always remove its code.
- Shopify compresses images and serves WebP automatically, but uploading huge files and lazy loading the hero image still slow pages.
- Fewer homepage sections, one static hero instead of a slider, and system fonts are free speed wins in any theme.
- Browser caching, CDN and server settings are managed by Shopify, so ignore advice written for self-hosted sites.
How do you measure your Shopify store’s speed?
Use two tools: Shopify’s web performance reports for how real visitors experience your store, and Google’s PageSpeed Insights to diagnose individual pages. Measure your homepage, a top collection and your best-selling product page, because each template loads different code.
| Tool | Where | Data it uses | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify web performance reports | Analytics > Reports, or the performance summary on the Themes page | Real visitors over the past 30 days, from Chromium browsers and Firefox | Tracking trends and seeing which app install or theme change hurt speed |
| PageSpeed Insights field data | pagespeed.web.dev | Chrome User Experience Report, previous 28 days | Checking a URL against Google’s Core Web Vitals |
| PageSpeed Insights lab data | Same report, lower section | A single simulated Lighthouse test | Finding which scripts, images and fonts cause the delay |
Shopify’s web performance reports rate Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) as Good, Moderate or Poor, and mark app installs, theme updates and code changes as numbered annotations on the graph. Data can be up to 36 hours behind, and the report stays empty while the store is in private mode.
Don’t chase a perfect lab score. The PageSpeed performance score comes from one simulated test, while the field data reflects real shoppers. For what each Core Web Vital means and the passing thresholds, read our guide to why Core Web Vitals are a revenue problem.
Why is my Shopify store slow?
Usually because of what’s been added on top of the theme. Shopify names apps, third-party libraries, analytics scripts, theme code and the number and size of images and videos as the main factors, and says the more scripts you have, the slower your store runs. Match your symptom to a likely cause:
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Poor LCP on the homepage | Heavy hero slider, autoplay video or lazy-loaded hero image | 6, 7, 8 |
| Poor INP on product pages | Too many app scripts, such as reviews, upsells, chat and popups | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Poor CLS | App widgets and banners that load late and push content down | 3, 10 |
| Speed dropped suddenly | A new app, theme update or tracking tag | 1 to 4; check the report annotations |
| Slow on mobile only | Large images and web fonts on slower connections | 5, 9 |
How to speed up your Shopify store: fixes 1 to 4 for apps and scripts
Start with apps and scripts, because each one can add JavaScript to every page. Shopify’s own advice is to keep an app only if it delivers enough value to offset the performance cost.
1. Audit every app against what it earns
List your installed apps under Settings > Apps. For each one, ask what it adds to revenue or operations this month. Apps you tried once, duplicates (two review apps, two popup tools) and features your theme already has should go.
To see which apps cost the most, run a product page through PageSpeed Insights and read the third-party section of the diagnostics, which groups scripts by provider. Our guide to essential Shopify apps for new stores shows which jobs Shopify’s free built-in tools cover.
2. Remove leftover app code
Shopify states that uninstalling an app doesn’t automatically remove its code from your theme, and suggests asking the developer for removal instructions. Look in theme.liquid and the snippets folder for files named after old apps, and remove them on your duplicate theme first. If you’d rather not edit Liquid files, ask a Shopify developer to do the cleanup.
3. Switch off unused app embeds
Newer apps add floating widgets and background code as app embeds. In the theme editor, open the App embeds panel and turn off anything you don’t use, such as a chat bubble on a store that answers on WhatsApp.
4. Consolidate tracking pixels
Move Meta, TikTok and analytics tracking into Settings > Customer events, where Shopify runs app and custom pixels in a sandbox, instead of pasting scripts into theme files. If you use Google Tag Manager, remove tags nobody reports on.
Fixes 5 to 9: images, sliders, video and fonts
Size media for how it’s displayed and keep the first screen light. Shopify’s image CDN already compresses JPGs and serves WebP where the browser supports it, so your job is to avoid uploading far more than the page needs.
- 5. Upload sensibly sized images. Shopify says 2048 x 2048 px usually displays best for square product images. Resize banner photos straight off a camera before upload, and use JPG for photos and PNG only where you need transparency.
- 6. Don’t lazy load the hero image. Shopify’s
image_tagfilter lazy loads images in sections further down the page, and Shopify’s documentation says images above the fold shouldn’t be lazy loaded. If a custom section lazy loads your main banner, LCP suffers. - 7. Replace sliders with one static hero. A slideshow loads several large images and extra JavaScript before the first screen settles. One strong image with a clear offer is faster and easier to read.
- 8. Drop autoplay background video. Use an image, or a click-to-play video lower on the page. Product videos uploaded to Shopify are converted to MP4 or HLS for delivery, so you don’t need a heavy third-party player.
- 9. Use system fonts or fewer web fonts. System fonts are already installed on the shopper’s device, so nothing downloads. If brand fonts matter, limit them to one family and two weights in Theme settings > Typography.
Fixes 10 and 11: trim theme sections and collection pages
Every section you add to a template adds code and often images. Shopify’s guide to improving store performance warns that high numbers of sections can lower web performance.
- 10. Cut homepage and product page sections. Remove duplicated trust badges, Instagram feeds, countdown timers and “featured collection” rows nobody clicks. On product pages, keep reviews, key details and one recommendation block.
- 11. Paginate large collections. Shopify recommends pagination for collections with many products, so each page loads a limited set. Infinite scroll and “show all” options load everything at once.
Tip
Check the web performance report a week after each batch of changes and note what you removed. The annotations show app installs and theme updates, so you can connect a drop or a gain to a specific change.
Fix 12: When should you change or rebuild your Shopify theme?
Change theme when fixes 1 to 11 are done and the reports still show Poor results on key templates. Shopify says its Horizon family and Online Store 2.0 themes are free and optimized for web performance, and themes in the Shopify Theme Store must reach a minimum average Lighthouse performance score of 60 on product, collection and home pages to be listed.
Themes bought outside the Theme Store don’t pass that review, and older themes that predate Online Store 2.0 often carry features coded straight into theme files. Our guide on how to choose a Shopify theme compares free, paid and custom options.
A custom theme makes sense when you need layouts or features that would otherwise take several apps, or when a heavily modified theme can no longer be updated safely. Build it from a lean base, add only the sections you use, and test each template before launch.
Which Shopify speed optimization tips don’t apply?
Skip advice written for self-hosted websites. On Shopify, the hosting, CDN, SSL and caching are managed for you, so tips about choosing a faster host, setting browser caching headers or installing a caching plugin don’t apply.
- Image compression apps: Shopify already compresses and converts images. An app helps mainly with bulk resizing and alt text, not with format conversion.
- “Speed booster” apps: adding an app to fix slowness caused by apps rarely solves the root cause. Remove the heavy code instead.
- Chasing 100/100: reviews, chat and analytics scripts will always cost something. Aim for Good ratings on real-user data for your key templates.
If you are launching a new store, building these habits in from day one is easier than fixing them later; our Shopify store setup checklist includes a speed check before launch.
How TechZone can help
TechZone audits and fixes slow Shopify stores for merchants in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, the UAE and Pakistan. We review your web performance reports, trace which apps and scripts load on each template, clean up leftover app code, rebuild heavy sections and, where it makes sense, move you to a leaner theme. Our Shopify development services cover audits, theme work and custom builds. For stores that are already live, Shopify SEO and speed optimization is often the next step. Book a free 30-minute consultation and we’ll look at your reports with you before any work is scoped.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good speed score for a Shopify store?
A good Shopify speed result is Good ratings for LCP, INP and CLS in Shopify’s web performance reports and in PageSpeed Insights field data, measured on real visitors. The lab performance score out of 100 is useful for debugging but varies between tests. Most Shopify stores with several apps won’t reach 100, and they don’t need to if real-user metrics pass.
Do Shopify apps slow down my store?
Many Shopify apps slow a store because they load JavaScript, styles or widgets on every page, even pages where the app isn’t used. Apps built as app blocks and app embeds can be turned off in the theme editor. Apps that edit theme code directly can leave code behind after uninstalling, so check theme files after removing any app.
Can I change Shopify hosting to make my store faster?
Shopify stores can’t move to a different host, because Shopify hosts every store and serves files through its own global infrastructure. That also means server upgrades aren’t available as a speed fix. Speed on Shopify depends on the theme, apps, scripts and media you add, which is why audits focus on those instead of hosting.
Why is my Shopify store slow on mobile but fine on desktop?
A Shopify store is usually slower on mobile because phones have less processing power and often slower connections, so large images, web fonts and JavaScript from apps take longer to load and run. Shopify’s web performance reports show desktop and mobile separately. Fix the mobile results first, because Google indexes the mobile version of your pages.
Does store speed affect Shopify SEO?
Store speed affects Shopify SEO indirectly: Google uses Core Web Vitals as part of its page experience signals, but relevance and content quality matter far more for rankings. Speed has a clearer effect on shoppers, who leave slow pages before buying. Treat a faster store as a conversion improvement first and a ranking factor second.
