5 Shopify speed optimization apps to improve store speed

Store speed is the first thing affect the success of a Shopify store. Luckily, the Shopify platform offers several high-quality speed optimization apps for merchants that claim to make their stores run at lightning speed. It is time to explore the numerous Shopify speed optimization apps and learn how they can bring changes to your business

What to know about Shopify store speed optimization?

Store speed refers to how quickly the pages on your Shopify store load. Thus, it is linked directly to the bounce rates and conversion rates of your store. A study mentioned that 79% of customers are less likely to repurchase from an online store if the site’s speed is too slow. 

If you build an online store yourself, you have a lot to do with store speed. For example, getting a server that close to your main market, use CDN (content delivery network) to deliver content faster, GZIP compression & image size reduction, etc.

If you’re using Shopify to build your store, you can IGNORE all things I mentioned above, except for the image size points. So, there are 03 principles to keep Shopify speedy & smoothy:

• Use a fast theme
• Use as little apps as possible.
• Care about image cu

The Shopify speed store will be evaluated on a weighted average of Google Lighthouse performance metrics from your homepage, product page, and collection page with the most traffic over the last 7 days. There are many factors that affect Shopify store speed including Page load time, Time to First Byte (TTFB), Render-blocking resources, Image optimization, App and theme optimization, etc. But, as I mentioned above, Shopify is well-done anything for you to optimize your speed store.

How to check speed of your Shopify? 

Generally, a good Shopify speed score is ranged from 50 to 70. To ensure your store operates efficiently, you should check your score frequently on Shopify, following the steps below: 

• Step 1: Go to your Shopify Admin dashboard 
• Step 2: Select Analytics in the left sidebar
• Step 3: Open Reports 
• Step 4: Select Show All under Behavior 
• Step 5: Open Online store speed

Besides, if you are a beginner and not familiar with Shopify, there are several Shopify app optimizers to help you identify your store performance and improve Shopify store speed effortlessly. These apps can significantly enhance your store’s speed, providing a better user experience, improving SEO, and ultimately increasing conversions.

What Shopify speed optimization apps can do?  

It is stated in the Deloitte study that with a 0.1-second increase in site speed, your conversions can be increased by 8.4%. Using apps to speed up Shopify store provides you with various features including: 

• Image Compression: Automatically compress images without compromising quality. 
• Code Compression: Minimize and compress HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, removing unnecessary characters and blank spaces. 
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): Make use of global CDN services to distribute your content across multiple servers in different continents.  
• Lazy Loading: Implement lazy loading for images and videos, so they only load when they come into the user’s viewport, reducing the initial load time. 
• Mobile-first optimization: Mobile commerce is a growing trend currently with ~60% traffic coming from smartphones. Mobile-focus speed is a must. 

Shopify has countless optimization apps that provide the above advantages. To determine which third-party apps benefit your store, take a moment to evaluate these Shopify speed optimization we suggest: 

Booster: Page Speed Optimizer

Booster is a comprehensive tool to speed up Shopify website and store performance. This optimization app can improve every aspect of your online store’s loading times by addressing the factors that impact user experience and SEO rankings. Whether you are a novice or an expert, you can use Booster as an essential tool to increase customers’ experience.

User feedback on Booster: Page Speed Optimizer

• Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
• Total Reviews: 1200+ reviews 

Key features of Booster

• Compress and resize images automatically to optimize loading speeds.
• Minimize file sizes and remove unnecessary characters or whitespace.
• Prioritize essential content loading while deferring non-critical elements until they are needed.
• Optimize browser caching to store static resources locally, reducing the need for repeated downloads and speeding up subsequent visits to your site.

In general, Booster is one of the speed apps free on Shopify that you can consider while choosing the appropriate app for your store. However, you may have to wait for a while to see the improvement in loading time after installing this app, making vague results for Shopify store owners. 

Plus, some product display apps can make your product site more dynamic & appealing appearance.

RT: Page Speed Booster 

RT is an essential tool to increase your Shopify page speed performance. To retain customers and maximize conversions, fast page load times are crucial in today’s competitive e-commerce environment. RT offers advanced features that maximize your store’s speed and enhance user experience.

User feedback on RT: Page Speed Booster

• Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars 
• Total Reviews: 600+ reviews 

Key features of RT

• Compress and resize images automatically to enhance your product displays and site loading.
• Minimize HTML, CSS, and JavaScript file sizes by removing unnecessary factors to speed up Shopify store.
• Analyze specific optimizations from Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to further enhance page speed.
• Provide compatibility with other Shopify apps and themes, minimizing conflicts while maximizing performance.

Overall, RT is suitable for beginners and low-budget businesses because it provides a free pricing plan. Nevertheless, some users also reported that it sometimes might slow your site without any reason. Thus, check your speed frequently while using this app to avoid losing your sales. 

Hyperspeed: Extreme Page Speed

Hyperspeed is an all-in-one tool to supercharge the speed of your Shopify store. This app uses the leading technology to deliver the most effective and fast browsing experiences to keep customers engaged and satisfied when shopping in your store. Leveraging Hyperspeed to increase Shopify website speed seamlessly.

User feedback on Hyperspeed: Extreme Page Speed

• Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars 
• Total Reviews: 200+ reviews 

Key features of Hyperspeed: Extreme Page Speed

• Reduce image load times and banner pop delays.
• Implement smart content-loading strategies that prioritize what’s visible on the screen.
• Harness the power of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to distribute your store’s assets globally.
• Decrease the impact of third-party Shopify apps.

Apart from other store optimization apps mentioned in this article, this app has a paid plan with a price of $49/month and a 7-day free trial. Although with a paid plan, some customers still had experience with slower page speed and some technical issues while using Hyperspeed. 

SpeedBoostr: Google Speed ‑ SEO

SpeedBoostr is a necessary app that can effectively boost your Shopify store speed to the next level. This app can help businesses increase the speed to provide customers with a satisfactory experience and increase conversion rate. If you want to grow your Shopify store in the long term, SpeedBoostr is the perfect tool for you. 

User feedback on SpeedBoostr: Google Speed ‑ SEO

• Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars 
• Total Reviews: 30+ reviews 

Key features of SpeedBoostr

• Improve the page speed booster with the incorporation of smart lazy load and the compression of assets.
• Check the real-time mobile and desktop page speed of your store.
• Explain how social media can help in SEO improvement Meta, Image alt, JSON-LD, 404 Redirect, etc
• Encourage the visitors and decrease the number of bounces.

Generally, despite being a newbie on Shopify, SpeedBoostr is a potential optimization app to improve store speed significantly even on the free plan. To experience the Basic and Advanced options for more On-demand runs, you can use its 3-day free trial. After all, it will be more effective if the paid plans have more advanced features to improve Shopify store speed. 

Swift SEO Page Speed Optimizer

Swift SEO Page Speed Optimizer is the ultimate tool to enhance your Shopify store’s best performance. As a plug-and-play app for the Shopify environment, this app effectively reduces page load time, improves search engine results, and consequently increases conversion rates.

User feedback on Swift SEO Page Speed Optimizer

• Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
• Total Reviews: 300+ reviews 

Key features of Swift SEO Page Speed Optimizer

• Auto-generate the SEO meta tags and alt text for products and other essential pages.
• Boost SEO & CTR by getting the site on featured snippets: rating, geolocation, questions, and answers.
• Ensure you are always updated on your SEO competition with competitor deep-dive analysis.
• Improve your page speed for JavaScript, CSS, and HTML by deflating and converting them into string format, as well as lazy loading and preloading.

Swift SEO Page Speed Optimizer is structured with a free plan available, allowing basic optimization features, and a premium plan with more advanced optimization tools and support, typically from $9/month to $29/month. One potential disadvantage of this app could be its dependency on the complexity of individual Shopify store setups. Thus, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance across all configurations might present a challenge in some cases.

Wrap things up! 

In summary, Shopify speed optimization apps provide a great opportunity to boost the performance of your online store. By leveraging those suggested apps, Shopify merchants can significantly improve site speed, enhance user experience, and ultimately increase sales and revenue.