Key Takeaways
- Outrun slower Shopify stores by fixing the biggest speed leaks first, like oversized hero images and extra app scripts that drag down Core Web Vitals on mobile.
- Run Ecommerce Fastlane’s 60-minute Shopify speed audit by baselining one product page and one collection page, applying the right fixes for LCP, INP, or CLS, then retesting to confirm the win.
- Reduce shopper doubt and drop-offs by making pages feel fast and steady, so people trust your store and can tap, scroll, and buy without delays or layout jumps.
- Spot quick wins by treating speed like a “leak check” instead of a rebuild, because a few small cleanups can make your store feel dramatically lighter in under an hour.
Speed is not a developer flex. It is a promise.
When a store loads slowly, shoppers do not say, “My LCP is suffering”. They feel something simpler: Is this legit? Is this going to be annoying? Do I trust this enough to keep going?
That tiny hesitation is the friction tax. And it compounds.
Most Shopify stores do not need a rebuild to feel fast again. They need a leak check: oversized images, too many scripts, and page elements fighting to load before they are needed.
This is a 60-minute Shopify speed audit built for founders and marketers. You will baseline two revenue pages, apply high-leverage fixes, retest, and lock in the gains, without tearing down your theme.
Start Here: A 30-Second Decision Tree
If your store:
- Feels slow to show the page: start with LCP fixes (1 to 6)
- Feels laggy when people click or change variants: start with INP fixes (7 to 10)
- Feels jumpy or causes misclicks while loading: start with CLS fixes (11 to 12)
You can do all 12. But in 60 minutes, focus is the advantage.
The Only Scoreboard We Need: Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals measure real shopper experience across loading, interaction, and layout stability. Targets to aim for:
- LCP at or under 2.5s (Largest Contentful Paint)
- INP under 200ms (Interaction to Next Paint)
- CLS under 0.1 (Cumulative Layout Shift)
Two notes that matter:
- These metrics are based on the 75th percentile of real visits, meaning what most people experience, not your best run on a fast laptop.
- INP replaced FID, so responsiveness across real interactions matters more than a single first tap moment.
Tools (Keep It Simple)
You only need two places to look:
- Shopify Web Performance report (real user data)
- Google PageSpeed Insights (lab test plus diagnostics)
Shopify tells you what shoppers are living with. PageSpeed hints at why. If you are short on time, run tests on mobile first. Mobile is where the pain usually lives.
A Quick “What Good Looks Like” (Illustrative Mini Case)
A common pattern: desktop looks fine, mobile feels heavy.
The product page hero image is oversized, the cart drawer is doing too much, and a few apps load scripts on every page. The store is not broken. It is just carrying weight it does not need.
After an hour of cleanup:
- LCP improves because the hero image is resized and above-the-fold is simplified
- INP improves because fewer scripts compete during variant changes and add-to-cart
- CLS improves because banners and popups stop pushing content around
No rebuild. Just less friction.
The 60-Minute Schedule
Minute 0 to 10: Baseline (Do Not Skip This)
Step 1: Pick two pages that represent revenue
Do not audit only your homepage. Pick:
- Your top-selling product page
- Your highest-traffic collection page (or top paid landing page)
Step 2: Pull your baseline in Shopify plus PageSpeed
- In Shopify, note LCP, INP, and CLS in Web Performance reports
- In PageSpeed Insights, record LCP, INP, and CLS plus the top “Opportunities” and “Diagnostics” items
Step 3: Work safely
Duplicate your live theme before changing anything.
Your 60-minute Speed Log (use this instead of a spreadsheet)
- Baseline: LCP, INP, CLS on (Product page) plus (Collection page)
- Change: what you removed or edited (one line)
- Retest: what moved, and what did not
That is it. Three lines. You are building clarity, not paperwork.
Minute 10 to 50: Apply 12 Fixes (In the Order That Matches Your Problem)
Fixes 1 to 6: The LCP Movers (Loading)
1) Resize the image that is likely your LCP element
On many product pages, the main product image becomes the LCP element. If your hero image is huge (think 3000 to 4000px wide or multiple MB), you are forcing the page to carry a piano up the stairs.
Do this now:
- Replace the worst offenders first
- Aim for a sensible size (often 1200 to 1600px wide is plenty for most themes)
- Avoid PNG unless you truly need transparency
Why it works:
LCP is often “how fast the biggest visual shows up.” Make the biggest thing lighter.
2) Make the first screen simpler (clarity helps speed)
If your first screen has banners, sliders, big review blocks, and animations, you are asking too much to load before the shopper can even decide to buy.
Do this now:
Above the fold, keep only what helps a decision:
- Title, price, variants, buy button
- One small trust line (shipping, returns, guarantee)
Everything else can wait its turn.
3) Move heavy widgets below the fold
Reviews, chat, social feeds, popups, and recommendation blocks usually do not need to load before someone even reads the product name.
Do this now:
Move them lower, or temporarily disable one widget at a time and retest. The fastest way to learn is subtraction.
4) Reduce app “everywhere scripts”
Apps often load scripts on every page even if you only need them on one template.
Do this now (fast audit):
- Uninstall apps you do not use
- Disable non-essential app embeds
- Check for leftover code from old installs
Mental model:
Every app is an employee. If it is not producing, it is overhead. If you would not hire it today, do not keep paying it.
5) Prefer modern app embeds over older snippet installs
If an app supports Shopify’s app embed approach, use it. It is easier to control than scripts pasted into theme files.
Do this now:
Consolidate installs so you can toggle features without hunting through theme files like an archaeologist.
6) Turn off non-essential animations (just for a test)
Animations can add load cost, and sometimes interaction cost too.
Do this now:
Disable non-essential animations, retest, then bring back only what genuinely improves understanding. Motion is a privilege, not a default.
Fixes 7 to 10: The INP Movers (Responsiveness)
INP measures how fast the page responds when someone changes a variant, clicks Add to Cart, opens a cart drawer, uses a filter, or types into a field.
7) Load non-essential scripts after the first screen
If a script is not needed to render and use the first screen, it can load later.
Often safe to delay:
- Review widgets
- Chat tools
- Heatmaps
- Some marketing scripts (especially after consent)
Simple question:
Does this script help someone buy right now? If not, it can wait.
8) Remove duplicate tracking and unused tags
Many stores accidentally run tracking twice (theme plus tag manager) or keep old tags around forever.
Do this now:
Cut duplicates. Keep a small “tag inventory” so your store does not become a haunted house of pixels.
Quick tell:
If you see the same platform installed in multiple places, you are probably paying twice in performance for the same measurement.
9) Simplify your cart drawer (this is a high-intent moment)
Cart drawers become slow when they are overloaded with upsells, estimators, rewards, timers, and widgets.
Do this now:
Make it “minimum viable” for a day:
- Items, quantity, subtotal, checkout button
If INP improves, add extras back only if they earn their weight.
A cart is a bridge. Do not turn it into a trade show booth.
10) Reduce collection load and filter strain
Huge collections with too many products per page can feel laggy, especially on mobile.
Do this now:
Use pagination and keep the grid lighter. If you need infinite scroll, be intentional about what else is running on that page at the same time (filters, badges, quick-add, recommendation blocks).
Fixes 11 to 12: The CLS Movers (Stability)
CLS is the “page jump.” It is the moment when content shifts and you misclick. Even if your products are premium, a jumpy experience feels cheap.
11) Reserve space for images, banners, and embeds
Layout shifts happen when an image, promo bar, or widget appears late and pushes content down.
Do this now:
Reserve space for the things you know will appear. Predictability is part of trust.
Easy check:
Load your product page and watch the buy button. If it moves, your shopper is aiming at a moving target.
12) Stop late-loading UI from pushing the page
Common offenders:
- Cookie banners that push content down
- Popups that shift layout instead of overlaying
- “Back in stock” blocks injected above the buy button
Do this now:
Use overlays that do not move the page, or reserve a dedicated slot.
If the buy button moves after someone aims for it, you are literally moving the target.
Minute 50 to 60: Retest and Lock in the Wins
- Rerun PageSpeed Insights on the same two pages
- Compare to your baseline
- Add one line to your Speed Log: what changed, what moved
Then monitor Shopify Web Performance for real-user improvements over time. That is the scoreboard that matters.
Keep Speed Gains From Disappearing
Most stores do not get slower overnight. They get slower one “quick install” at a time.
Speed requires a boundary. That boundary is a performance budget:
- No new app unless it replaces another
- No new script on every page unless it is essential
- Any new homepage section must justify why it deserves above the fold priority
This is less about perfection and more about identity: we protect attention here.
A fast store is not a project. It is a posture.
Author Bio
Milan Kordestani is the founder of Ankord Media, a studio that helps startups and nonprofits across the U.S. build modern brands and high-performing web experiences. His work focuses on the intersection of editorial clarity, UX, and conversion, with an emphasis on creating digital experiences that earn trust while meeting business goals. Past brands he has worked with include Audo, Nota, The Doe, and Martin Archery.
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