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To speed up a Shopify store, remove what you do not need: unused apps, oversized images, extra fonts and third-party scripts. Then fix what shoppers meet on the way to paying: a clear product page, honest delivery and returns information, and a short checkout. The 20 checks below cover both, and each one says how to test it.
This is the checklist we run when a store lands on our desk, whether we are doing a new build in our Shopify development service or a tune-up. We do not quote conversion benchmarks, because we cannot source one that fits your products. Measure your own store before and after each change.
How do you measure Shopify speed for free?
Use Google's PageSpeed Insights. Google's PageSpeed Insights documentation says it reports two kinds of data: field data from real Chrome users over the previous 28 days, and lab data from a simulated Lighthouse run. Field data tells you how shoppers actually experience the store. Lab data helps you find causes and test fixes.
Test your home page, one collection page and one product page, on mobile, because most shoppers are on phones. Write the numbers down before you change anything.
What are the Core Web Vitals, and what is a good score?
Core Web Vitals are three measures of page experience. Google's web.dev guide to Web Vitals defines good scores as follows (checked 4 November 2026):
| Metric | What it measures | Good score |
|---|---|---|
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | How fast the main content loads | 2.5 seconds or less |
| Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | How fast the page responds to taps and clicks | 200 milliseconds or less |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | How much the page jumps while loading | 0.1 or less |
Google recommends judging these at the 75th percentile of page loads, split by mobile and desktop. A page passes when all three meet the target. You can read more about why this matters for search in our technical SEO service.
Speed checklist: 10 checks
Work through these in order. The first four give the biggest wins on most stores we see.
| # | Check | How to test it | What to do if it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Run PageSpeed Insights on home, collection and product pages | Mobile tab, note LCP, INP and CLS | Record a baseline |
| 2 | List every installed app | Shopify admin, Apps | Remove any you do not use; deleting the app is not enough if code stays in the theme |
| 3 | Check for leftover app code | Search the theme code for old app names | Remove the leftover snippets, with a theme backup first |
| 4 | Check hero image size | PageSpeed "Largest Contentful Paint element" | Resize the image to the largest size it is shown at, and do not lazy-load it |
| 5 | Check product images | Open one in a new tab and check its dimensions | Upload sensible sizes, not camera originals |
| 6 | Lazy-load images below the fold | View the page source for loading attributes | Add them to collection grids and long pages |
| 7 | Count the fonts | PageSpeed font warnings | Use one or two families and few weights |
| 8 | Count third-party scripts | Browser DevTools, Network tab, filter by domain | Remove chat, pixel and heatmap tools you do not read |
| 9 | Look at layout shift | Watch the page load on a throttled connection | Set image width and height, and reserve space for banners |
| 10 | Check theme choice | Compare PageSpeed on the theme's demo store | Pick a lighter theme if the demo is already slow |
A note on apps, since it is the most common cause. Each app can add scripts that run on every page. Our view: remove first, optimise second. We cover app costs too in the Shopify store setup cost post.
Conversion checklist: 10 checks
Speed gets people to the page. These checks help them decide. Our Shopify CRO service is built on the same list.
| # | Check | How to test it | What to do if it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Product title and price are clear in the first screen | Open a product on your phone, without scrolling | Move price, title and the buy button up |
| 12 | Photos show the product in use and at scale | Ask someone outside your team what size it is | Add photos with a hand, a room or a ruler |
| 13 | Product description answers the real questions | Read your last 20 customer messages | Add the answers to the page |
| 14 | Delivery time and cost are visible before checkout | Look at the product page and cart | Put them on the page, not only in the footer |
| 15 | Returns policy is easy to find and plain | Click from a product page | Link a short policy near the button |
| 16 | Trust signals are real | Check for reviews, contact details and a real address | Show only genuine reviews and a working contact |
| 17 | Cart is easy to edit | Add, remove and change quantity on mobile | Fix small buttons and hidden links |
| 18 | Checkout asks for only what is needed | Go through checkout yourself | Remove optional fields and forced account creation |
| 19 | Payment options match your buyers | List the methods shown | Add the ones your customers use |
| 20 | Mobile buy button is reachable with a thumb | Test on a small phone | Make it large and keep it in view |
Do not buy reviews or invent scarcity. Fake urgency breaks trust and, in many places, consumer rules.
Which fixes should you do first?
Do them in this order: remove unused apps, resize images, fix the product page, state delivery and returns, then test checkout. Change one thing at a time and re-run PageSpeed so you know what worked.
Custom stores and Shopify can both be fast. If speed problems come from the platform choice rather than the store setup, see Shopify vs custom ecommerce before you rebuild.
How do you know a change improved conversions?
Watch your store's own conversion rate in Shopify analytics for a few weeks after each change, and compare similar periods. Seasonality and ad spend change results, so a single week proves little. Keep notes on what you changed and when.
Talk to us
Want a second pair of eyes? Send us your store link and we will run this checklist, tell you the three things we would fix first and give a written price if you want us to do it. Book a 30-minute call, message us on WhatsApp or email hello@astrafolio.com. We reply within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 21:00 IST. You can also use the free audit on our site.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Shopify page speed score?
Google's Core Web Vitals targets are the clearest guide: LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, INP of 200 milliseconds or less and CLS of 0.1 or less at the 75th percentile. The PageSpeed score out of 100 is a lab number and moves between runs. Focus on field data when it is shown.
Do Shopify apps slow down my store?
They can, because many add scripts to every page. Test PageSpeed before and after installing one. If the app does not earn more than the speed it costs, remove it.
Is Shopify fast by default?
Shopify provides the hosting and checkout, but your theme, images and apps decide how fast the storefront feels. A clean theme with few apps is usually fast. A theme loaded with apps and large images is not.
How often should I run this checklist?
Run it after any theme change, any new app and before a big sale. A light check every quarter is enough for a stable store. Keep the baseline numbers so you can see drift.
Can I do these checks myself?
Most of them, yes. Code edits in the theme, such as removing leftover app snippets, are safer with a developer and a theme backup. That is where our help usually starts.
Written byAstrafolio Team, senior web, SEO and AI specialists in Noida, India.
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