Enhancing Page Load Speed

I cut Shopify load time 20% by using a single code snippet (simple enough to chatGPT generate) In all my decorated years of being an autist-rank code wizard, the fastest way to trim site speed is Image Optimisation (or you can just serve blank pages, but that's sometimes, occasionally may not be good for SEO). Sounds simple, but this is web fundamentals. Images avg 50% of a page's file size, and the are largest contributing group (scripts being second). And that is just downloading the files - then the browser also has to process and paint them. Combine that with video and things get very laggy. Site speed is made up of 5 core metrics, together they combine for a total of 100% score. Images are normally the biggest needle-mover for 2 of these, and this code snippets helps with them both. CLS - how much the page jumps on load LCP - how fast the largest browser paint is (normally hero images / PDP img) LCP: By wrapping your Shopify images in the code snippet below, you can use Shopify's CDN to grab the correct size and format for your image. Remember how I said 50% of your page file size is from images? 30% of images (avg) are downloading files too big to even display. If your screen width is 400px (mobile), but you're downloading an image for desktop (1200px), that's a 3x larger file that won't be used. Especially bad for PDP images, as users are left waiting before they can interact with the content. CLS: When the browser first downloads HTML from Shopify, it tries to paint all the elements. Images are not render blocking by default, which means the page will normally load BEFORE the images (especially for larger files) as they download in the background. When this happens, the browser doesn't know what size the image is going to be - it hasn't been downloaded yet, it's just a URL. This means it allocates no space for the image. Then suddenly, the image loads, and the page is pushed down 400px. But for every image. This is frustrating for users. You're starting to read and interact with the page, when suddenly a load happens, you're leap-frogged to the bottom, and totally lose your trail of thought. I frequently rage quit websites for this (I'm impatient, especially if I'm doing a curiosity browse) This snippet injects the image HTML with size dimensions so that the browser allocates space before downloading the image. No layout shift on load, everything stays consistent! There's an image below, so you can try to manually type it out, or use chatGPT to create a replacement. However, if you want the copy + paste solution, I'll send a blog with selectable code, and deeper walkthrough on how it works (and what to look out for). Just put "code" in the comments and I'll send it through!

Is your Shopify store a maze of apps? Simplify to amplify. Less is more when it comes to optimizing for conversion! Imagine walking into a store with products scattered everywhere. Confusing, right? Your online store isn't so different. Too many apps can clutter your digital shelves, slow down your site, and frustrate potential customers. Here's how to streamline your Shopify store for maximum impact: ✔ Audit your apps → List all the apps you're currently using. → Identify which ones are truly essential. → Remove the ones that don’t directly contribute to your core goals: conversion and customer satisfaction. ✔ Evaluate functionality over quantity → Opt for apps that provide multiple functions. → This reduces complexity and improves site speed. ✔ Test site speed regularly → Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. → Monitor how each app impacts your speed. → Prioritize apps that are lightweight and optimized. ✔ Continuous review → The #ecommerce landscape evolves rapidly. → Regularly reassess your app suite to ensure you're aligned with the latest trends and customer expectations. Remember, it's not about how many apps you have. It's about having the right ones. Simplify your digital storefront to amplify your sales. What app has made the biggest impact on your #Shopify store?

The Reality of #WebPerformance Consulting in #Shopify Ecosystem 🥲 I've been working with a Shopify brand for a while now—naturally, for #pagespeed optimization. And as expected, the challenges are more than just technical: The Situation 1️⃣ The business wants Auditzy™ RUM + Auditzy Synthetic because their Shopify storefront is painfully slow. They are not #Headless 😊 2️⃣ An agency is managing their store, but they aren't well-versed in web performance. They've butchered the code—lazy loading LCP images (above-the-fold), piling on third-party scripts without defer, and creating an overall disaster. 3️⃣ Load Time Stats (p75): - Native Browsers: 8s (some pages hit 12s) - #InAppBrowsers: 12s (Of course, caching doesn’t help here—every session is a cold load.) Through intense optimization, We’ve brought native browser load time down to 4s and InApp Browser load time to ~6s—still room for improvement, but a significant leap. The Challenge? - The agency devs push back on every suggestion because web performance isn’t in their contract. They implement a few changes, but mostly resist since they aren't paid for this. - The "no bandwidth" excuse is a convenient cover-up for a lack of understanding. Many Shopify devs are great at building but clueless when it comes to performance. The easiest scapegoat? The theme and the 3rd parties. 🤦♂️ The brand expects faster load times, but the agency isn’t aligned with the goal. This creates friction and slows down real impact. Why This Matters? Being a web performance consultant isn’t just about selling your product or recommending some other tools; it’s about making sure your recommendations get implemented—otherwise, data collection is meaningless. For Shopify Devs: Upskill. Seek guidance. Ask for help. Don’t just write code—understand the reasoning behind it. A slow site = lost revenue. 😑 For Brands: Make sure your MSA (Master Service Agreement) includes web performance deliverables. Passing #CoreWebVitals shouldn’t be optional—it should be contractual. Don’t settle for meaningless Lab Data reports—demand real performance gains. At the end of the day, the goal is simple: 🚀 Faster Website = Higher Conversions 🤑 #WebPerf #Shopify #CoreWebVitals #PerformanceMatters #Auditzy

Yesterday, an e-commerce client asked how to increase site speed without losing their marketing tracking. Here's our approach. This client is a $100M+ online retailer with a complex channel mix. Thus, they have lots of marketing pixels onsite. Our recommended approach: 1.) Remove libraries and pixels no longer needed. Audit your existing pixels and events. Disable any pixels/events that are no longer needed. Check for errors and fix any broken pixels. 2.) Tag Managers Move all 3rd party javascript (libraries/pixels) into a tag manager. Tools like GTM, Tealium, Adobe Launch benefit primarily help with data governance and standardization. However, tag managers can also minify and cache 3rd party libraries, reducing page load times. Additionally, they often have OOTB capability to set the priority (sequence) of the tags, more on this below. 3.) Server-side tagging Many ad platforms can receive events server-side vs. clientside (through javasript in the browser). Examples include Meta, Google, TikTok. This can take some of the load off the browser. There are good 3rd party tools for this, including Blotout and Elevar. Server-side tracking has the added benefit of restoring signal to the ad platforms. More conversions to the ad platform will result in better optimization and reduced ad spend. 4.) Sequencing Less-important libraries This is a biggie. If pixels aren't required for the page render, have your web-dev team defer them later in the page. This can also be done in the tag manager. Most tag managers load tags asynchronously by default. That means they load in parallel and won't block other resources from loading. Full-service performance optimization tools like Yottaa can automatically sequence the libraries and calls (very good but not cheap). In summary, I'd tackle in this order: - Remove any pixels/libraries you no longer use/need - Move all 3rd party pixels to a tag manager (GTM) - Fix broken pixels - Optimize the load order of the libraries (sequencing) - Setup server-side tracking for ad platforms if available What else would you add? #measure #digitalanalytics #marketinganalytics #ecommerce

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗳𝘆! Traditional e-commerce platforms are monolithic - they bundle the front-end (your website) and back-end (product management, orders, payments) into one system : Headless commerce breaks that connection, allowing brands to build a fully custom shopping experience while keeping a powerful back-end intact. With headless, your e-commerce back-end becomes an API-first system. Your storefront—whether it’s a website, mobile app, social commerce integration, or even a voice assistant—fetches product data, pricing, and inventory from the back-end through APIs. Instead of being locked into rigid templates, brands can design their own UX from scratch with frameworks like Next.js, React, Vue.js, or any other front-end tech. But why headless ?! 🏃♂️ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱  → Faster load times and smoother interactions, improving conversion rates. 🖌️ 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  → No more template limitations—build exactly what fits your brand. 🔀 𝗢𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆  → Power multiple storefronts (web, mobile, marketplaces, IoT) from one unified back-end. ⚙️ 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆  → Easily adapt and integrate new tools (CMS, payments, AI, personalization engines) as your business grows. Of course it may fear but keep in mind it’s not just for enterprise - more DTC brands and scaling e-commerce players are leveraging headless to escape platform constraints and build future-proof online stores. If you’re feeling boxed in by Shopify’s rigid front-end or Magento’s complexity, headless lets you own your tech stack while keeping a solid commerce engine running behind the scenes. More control, better UX, and a faster, more adaptable e-commerce setup. 🚀 If you're using Shopify as your back-end but want to build a custom front-end experience, here are some headless commerce solutions that allow you to connect to Shopify via its APIs: 🔸 Hydrogen → Shopify’s own React-based framework for headless storefronts, optimized for performance and Shopify APIs. 🔸 Nacelle → A serverless headless commerce platform that integrates with Shopify and provides a fast, scalable API layer. 🔸 Sanity → A headless CMS that integrates seamlessly with Shopify for managing content-rich shopping experiences. 🔸 Alokai → A front-end PWA framework that works with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms for fast, mobile-first experiences. 🔸 Storyblok → A powerful headless CMS that integrates with Shopify to manage and deliver highly customizable content-driven experiences. If you have good examples of Shopify stores built with headless, please share it - I'm very curious about the experiences 👇

Dear Shopify store owners, your product pages NEED optimization. In just a few tweaks, you can boost conversions. How? Use this cheatsheet to do so: ✅ Effective CTAs Make a Difference • Test Button Text: The right wording can boost clicks. Try variations like “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” to see which drives action. • Sticky Add-to-Cart: A button that follows users as they scroll keeps the option to buy always within reach, reducing the steps needed to take action. ╳ Poor Visuals Drive Customers Away • High-Resolution Images: Grainy, low-quality images can deter potential buyers. Use clear, detailed shots that show the product in the best light and from multiple perspectives. • Videos: Show the product in real-life scenarios. Videos capture attention and help explain features quickly. ✅ Good Reviews Build Trust • Highlight Top Reviews: Displaying positive feedback prominently assures new customers of your product’s value and reliability. • Photo Reviews: Images from real customers add authenticity. They make the buying decision easier by showing how the product looks in everyday use. ╳ Ignoring SEO is a Mistake • Schema Markup: Adding structured data helps search engines understand your page and can lead to enhanced listings in search results, attracting more clicks. • Optimize Meta Tags: Well-crafted meta titles and descriptions improve visibility and entice users to click. Use clear keywords and a call to action to draw traffic. • Internal Linking: Direct visitors to related products or categories to enhance user engagement and help them find what they need. ✅ Speed Matters • Lazy Loading: Load images only as the user scrolls, speeding up the initial page load and improving the user experience. • Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN ensures faster delivery of your site content by using servers closest to the user’s location. • Minimize Apps and Scripts: Streamline your site by reducing unnecessary apps and scripts that can slow down page performance. ╳ Neglecting Mobile Users Costs You Sales • Responsive Design: Ensure your site adapts to any screen size for a smooth browsing experience. • AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): AMP speeds up page loading on mobile, keeping users engaged and reducing bounce rates. • Mobile-Friendly Checkout: Simplify the checkout process on mobile devices to minimize abandoned carts and close more sales. Shopify product pages can make or break your sales. Optimize them for success.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 100/100 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 ₹1000𝗖𝗥+ 𝗔𝗥𝗥 𝗲𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 The secret sauce? 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Here’s the exact breakdown of how we did it - 1️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀: We delayed non-essential scripts like chat tools and behavioral tracking until after the page loaded or user interaction, ensuring faster access to key elements, drastically improving user experience. 2️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲: By removing unnecessary third-party scripts, we lightened the page, significantly improving overall speed and making the site more responsive. E.g. Remove the scripts of tools that we don't need anymore 3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: We collaborated with marketing, sales, and product teams to schedule tools like user behavior tracking once the page load is complete. 4️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀: Working with our tech team, we inlined long-term critical scripts. This helped in speeding up the First Contentful Paint to just a few seconds, giving users immediate access to key visuals. 5️⃣ 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The game-changer! Only the most critical tags, like conversion tracking, fired on page load. Marketing tags such as retargeting were delayed, significantly improving both speed and user engagement. 6️⃣ 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗴𝘀: We paused tags that no longer contributed to key decision-making, reducing time-to-interactive and directly improving conversion rates by speeding up the user journey. 7️⃣ 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: We set triggers to fire tags only based on specific user actions, which not only saved load time but also increased session duration, as users interacted more fluidly with the site. 8️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Every new script was rigorously tested before launch, ensuring peak performance and zero downtime, even during high-traffic periods. 9️⃣ 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀: Regular audits every few months allowed us to remove obsolete tags, keeping performance sharp and maintaining the high page speed we achieved. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 - Effective management of Google Tag Manager can boost conversions by up to 30% and improve page speed score by up to 20 points, boosting both user experience and bottom-line revenue. I'd love to hear your experiences and insights on leveraging GTM for page speed optimization. How has GTM transformed your marketing operations and contributed to better user experiences? . . Also a big shoutout to Gunjan Agrawal and Mandar Zope for their awesome contributions in making this happen!. . . #GrowthInsights #GoogleTagManager #PageSpeedOptimization #UserExperience #ConversionOptimization

Your site is bleeding rankings because it loads slower than your competitors. Google made page experience an official ranking factor, but agencies keep treating technical optimization like an afterthought. They'd rather create more blog posts than fix the foundational issues preventing your existing content from ranking. I've audited sites where agencies created hundreds of articles... While ignoring critical speed issues that were tanking the entire domain's performance. It's like building a beautiful house on a cracked foundation. The agencies that don't prioritize Core Web Vitals are either technically incompetent... Or hoping you won't notice while they focus on easier, more scalable work like content creation. When we implement your SEO Growth Accelerator, technical optimization comes first. Your team learns to monitor and improve Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift – the metrics that directly impact how Google evaluates your user experience. Because all the content optimization in the world won't save you if users bounce because your pages take forever to load. Your agency should be fixing the foundation before building the house, not hoping you won't notice the cracks.

I wrote two lines of code to +20 a site's speed score. But it's proof of two common misconceptions: 1. Optimization is way more complicated than most people think. Usually, you're told to: - Optimize images and their tags (e.g. preload). - Avoid loading large Javascript files. But the truth is: Most Shopify stores load anywhere between 20 and 120 files on a single page. Optimizing page load isn't just about "making things load faster". This has major limitations. Instead: It's about orchestrating how files load. Finding the ideal prioritization that: - Presents what's important first. - Loads the rest without shifting things around. - Lets the user interact without any delay, at all times. 2. A better speed score may not make any real-life difference. Most people obsess over the PageSpeed Insights lab score. But Google uses the Core Web Vitals to rank your site. The real-life score. Shopify has its own real-life metrics too. Also, users rarely experience page load as the lab test does. The lab test assumes the user is using 2010 tech to browse the site. So, what happened in this example? I had to investigate dozens of files. I found out that one JS file was hiding the product page for a while. Until some calculations were made, and to avoid layout shifts. I just predetermined the results of these calculations and added them in the site's CSS. And removed the code that was hiding the page. This immediately sped up LCP by 300% and increased the total score from 45 to 65. #shopify #shopifyplus #ecommerce

A 2 month problem, a 2 hour fix. This conversation happens more often than you think. Prospect: "Hey Arjen, what's your estimate to fix our Cumulative Layout Shift?" Me: "That depends entirely on the cause. Can you share the URL?" (Prospect sends the link) Me: "Ah, I see it. It's a combination of font loading strategy, how elements load asynchronously, and JavaScript timing. For me, that's a 2 hour fix." Prospect: "…" Me: "Everything okay?" Prospect: "You're telling me you can fix in 2 hours what our entire dev team has been working on for 2 months?" Their developers are skilled, but they are not web performance specialists. They spent hundreds of hours treating symptoms because they couldn't pinpoint the root cause. I have diagnosed this exact pattern hundreds of times. That pattern recognition is what you're really investing in. They didn't just lose 2 months of developer salary. They lost 2 months of better conversions, higher search rankings, and happier users. The opportunity cost was massive. Don't pay for hours; pay for experience. The right specialist doesn't just work faster, they know exactly where to look. #CoreWebVitals #PageSpeed #WebPerformance #SEO #LayoutShift