How to Make Your Shopify Store Faster (Without Breaking It)
2 Feb 2026 · ConversionAB Team
Speed matters.
If your Shopify store loads slowly, visitors leave. It doesn’t matter how good your products are — if your website feels slow, customers won’t wait.
The good news? You don’t need to be a developer to improve your store speed. Small, safe improvements can make a big difference.
Here’s how to make your Shopify store faster — without breaking anything.
1. Remove Unused Apps
This is the biggest and easiest win.
Every app you install adds code to your store. Even if you’re not actively using it, it may still load scripts in the background.
Over time, many stores collect apps like:
- Old popup tools
- Multiple discount apps
- Extra review apps
- Unused page builders
Too many apps slow down your site.
What to do:
- Go through your installed apps
- Remove anything you don’t actively use
- Avoid installing apps that duplicate features
Fewer apps = cleaner store = faster performance.
2. Compress and Resize Images
Large images are one of the most common reasons stores load slowly.
If you upload a 4000px image but your website only displays it at 800px, you are wasting loading time.
How to fix this:
- Resize images before uploading
- Use JPG for photos
- Use PNG only when transparency is needed
- Avoid extremely high-resolution files
As a general rule, try to keep product images under 200–300KB when possible.
Optimized images load faster and still look professional.
3. Choose a Lightweight Theme
Not all themes are built the same.
Some themes are filled with animations, sliders, and heavy scripts that slow everything down.
If your theme feels slow, consider switching to:
- A Shopify free theme
- A modern Online Store 2.0 theme
- A theme built for performance
Also avoid adding too many homepage sections. More sections mean more content loading at once.
Keep your homepage clean and focused.
4. Reduce Homepage Clutter
Many stores try to show everything on the homepage.
Too many:
- Sliders
- Videos
- Product carousels
- Popups
- Announcements
All of these increase load time.
Simplify your homepage:
- One strong hero image
- Featured products
- Clear call-to-action
- Trust section
Less content loads faster and looks more professional.
5. Avoid Auto-Play Videos
Auto-play videos look impressive — but they are heavy.
They slow down loading, especially on mobile connections.
If you use video:
- Use a thumbnail image instead
- Let users click to play
- Host videos externally (like YouTube or Vimeo)
This keeps your store lighter.
6. Limit External Scripts
Many stores use:
- Facebook Pixel
- Google Analytics
- Chat widgets
- Heatmaps
- Tracking tools
Each script adds load time.
Use only what you truly need.
If you’re running ads, tracking is important — but avoid stacking too many marketing tools at once.
7. Test Your Store Speed
Before and after changes, test your store.
You can use tools like:
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- Shopify’s built-in speed report
Don’t aim for a perfect score. Aim for improvement.
Even reducing load time by one second can improve conversion rates.
8. Don’t Edit Theme Code Randomly
If you are not a developer, avoid editing theme code directly.
Incorrect edits can break your layout.
Instead:
- Use theme settings
- Use trusted apps
- Hire a developer for complex changes
Speed improvement should not damage your store structure.
9. Use Lazy Loading (If Available)
Lazy loading means images load only when users scroll down.
Many modern Shopify themes include this feature automatically.
This helps the top of your page load faster.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need advanced technical skills to improve your Shopify speed.
Start with:
- Removing unused apps
- Optimizing images
- Cleaning up your homepage
- Using a performance-focused theme
A faster store improves:
- User experience
- Search rankings
- Conversion rates
Speed builds trust. Trust builds sales.
Make your store fast — and your customers will stay longer.