How to Fix Shopify SEO Problems: Speed

Why is Page Speed Important (for SEO and Beyond)

Page load speed is a crucial factor in search engine optimization (SEO) for two main reasons.

1. Google, Bing and other search engines consider page speed as one of the very important signals used to rank websites. Page load speed is a significant ranking factor for search engines. They prioritize websites that deliver content quickly, as it ensures a smoother experience for users. Faster loading times mean search engine crawlers can efficiently analyze more pages on your site, potentially leading to a more comprehensive understanding of your content and a higher ranking in search results. 
2. Beyond search engine algorithms, a speedy website provides a better user experience. Visitors are more likely to stay on a site that loads quickly, and less likely to bounce back to the search results. This can lead to better engagement, increased sales, and ultimately, a more positive SEO impact.

Key Takeaway:

Faster loading times can contribute to your website appearing higher in search results.

Best Practices for Web Page Speed in Shopify 

• Optimize Images: Large, uncompressed images are a major culprit for slow loading times. Use tools like Photoshop to compress images without sacrificing quality significantly. Consider using efficient image formats like JPEG or WebP.
• Minify Code: Minification removes unnecessary characters like spaces, commas, and comments from your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. This reduces file sizes without affecting functionality and can significantly improve loading speeds.
• Leverage Browser Caching: Set cache headers to instruct browsers to store frequently accessed files like images and stylesheets locally. This way, users won't have to download them again on subsequent visits, speeding up page loads.
• Reduce HTTP Requests: Every element on your page, like images, scripts, and stylesheets, requires a separate HTTP request. Minimizing the number of elements can significantly reduce load times. Combine multiple stylesheets into one or explore techniques like CSS sprites to reduce image requests.

How to Use the Speed Data included in your SEO Shop Scan Report

For each page in the report you'll be provided with the following summary information:

• Load Time (in Seconds) - Shows you how long it takes for the webpage to be loaded in the user's browser. The number of seconds to load the page. Lower is better. 
• Page Size (in Kilobytes) - Shows you how large the page. This includes all resources like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images.
• Requests - The number requests for external resources that your page is making during the loading process.

Each of these stats are available to you in the Speed Insights panel for both Desktop and Mobile. You can toggle between the two using the buttons at the top right of the panel.

What to do if you Have Warning or Critical Results Related to Speed

If you're seeing warnings or critical messages that your page speed needs to be improved, you should start by taking the following steps:

1. Install Plug In Speed - This app is a companion to Plug In SEO and will solve some of the common speed related problems. 
2. If your pages still need improvement, next look at your Shopify theme. The theme developers can make their pages faster or slower depending on which techniques they are using. It's a good idea to look at speed data before you purchase a Shopify theme. 
   You can try to load up a different theme and run the scan for the page again to determine if the theme made an positive or negative impact to page speed.

Prioritize these based on the severity of the problem. Speed issues marked as critical should be a top priority for your SEO improvements.