Shopify Speed & Core Web Vitals Optimization
Slow storefronts lose sales and rank worse. I diagnose and fix what's actually dragging your Shopify store down — render-blocking scripts, oversized images, layout shift, third-party app bloat — and get you passing Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) on mobile, where most of your traffic and most of your problems are.
What’s included
The scope of this work
- Full performance diagnosis: Lighthouse, WebPageTest, Chrome UX Report field data and the theme’s own bottlenecks
- Render-blocking resource removal: defer, async and self-host critical third-party scripts
- Image and media optimisation: responsive sizing, correct formats, lazy-loading below the fold, priority hints for the LCP image
- Layout-shift fixes: reserved space for images, embeds, banners and font swaps
- App and script audit: identify which installed apps cost you the most and what can be removed or replaced
- Search Console Core Web Vitals monitoring so scores don't quietly regress after launch
How it works
From brief to live
Capture lab and field data, and identify the specific metric that’s failing and why.
Highest-impact changes first, each verified against the metric it targets.
Search Console monitoring plus a short guide so new apps and campaigns don’t undo the work.
FAQ
Speed Optimization: common questions
Can you guarantee a specific Lighthouse score?
No, and be wary of anyone who does — scores depend on your apps, traffic and third-party tags, some outside my control. What I commit to is measurable improvement against the specific Core Web Vitals metric you’re failing, and a clear picture of what’s left and who owns it.
Our theme is from a paid vendor. Can you still optimise it?
Yes. Most premium themes have the same handful of issues. I work within the theme so you keep vendor updates, and document anything that needs care when you next update.
How much of the problem is usually apps?
Often a large share. Every app that injects a script into your storefront has a cost. Part of the work is quantifying that so you can make an informed call about which apps earn their keep.
Will this help SEO?
Core Web Vitals are a Google ranking signal and Page Experience factor, so passing them removes a headwind. Speed also lifts conversion directly — that’s usually the bigger prize.
Related work
Where this has come up
Diagnosed and fixed key performance bottlenecks for Muscle Nation, bringing the site in line with Core Web Vitals standards.
Apparel · AustraliaDelivered performance optimization for Harper Charles' website, resolving load-time and responsiveness issues to meet Google Core Web Vitals standards.
Interior Design · UKMigrated Cloud Blvd from their legacy Shopify theme to Horizon, redesigning and rebuilding key templates and custom sections without losing existing functionality. Paired the migration with a technical SEO audit to fix crawl and indexing issues surfaced during the switch.
Lingerie · AustraliaGot a Shopify Project Brewing?
Let's talk it through. Book a free call and I'll tell you exactly where to start.