Optimizing your PageSpeed score
In this blog post, Emma will explain the importance of PageSpeed. It's a crucial component of a successful migration and therefore a topic we're continuously working on within our Syncer Framework.
Your website's speed is crucial. Visitors have short attention spans: if your site takes longer than three seconds to load, they're likely to abandon it. Google also rewards fast websites with better rankings. A fast website isn't just good for your visitors; it can also boost your search engine rankings.
Improving your PageSpeed score is often a challenge. Fortunately, besides an optimized theme, you can also influence your website's performance yourself. This article explains how to make your website faster and which improvements are most effective.
Important Disclaimer
A high PageSpeed score is great, but not always achievable. Sometimes you have to balance functionality and speed. Moreover, a site with a low score can still load quickly. So don't get hung up on a perfect 100; this is practically impossible, especially for online stores.
How do you measure the speed of a website?
There are several tools to measure your website's speed. The most commonly used are:
Google PageSpeed Insights: provides insight into speed and optimization options
Lighthouse: Available through Chrome Developer Tools. Provides comprehensive and realistic measurements.
GTmetrix: provides in-depth analysis of loading times and areas for improvement
WebPageTest: Ideal for advanced tests, such as loading times per region
Regularly testing your speed will give you insight into areas for improvement and help you optimize them. We also recommend testing your website multiple times with the same tool. Results may vary. Use an average score, not the worst.
Optimizing images for a faster website
Images are often one of the biggest culprits for a slow website. The theme ensures that images load as optimally as possible, but we can't control everything. Here are some steps to optimize them:
Use the correct format: Upload images in the exact dimensions they will be displayed in
Compress your images: remove unnecessary metadata and reduce file size without losing quality. Useful tools for this include TinyPNG and CompressJPEG.
Use modern formats: Formats like WebP or AVIF offer better compression than traditional JPG or PNG
Minimize external scripts for better loading times
Imagine using Trustpilot to collect reviews, Hotjar to gather data, and a chat widget. These are three third-party providers that each add multiple files to the website—usually a script file and one for styling. The size and weight of these files, and the extent to which they lower your score, varies depending on the provider. These external scripts can be added via apps, theme settings, or Google Tag Manager.
We regularly see online stores using a lot of external scripts. We always advise: be critical about what you add to your website. Every addition (both app and script) affects the amount of data that needs to be loaded on the website. The less, the better. Using a speed measurement tool, you can gain insight into which external files are loading and which have the greatest negative impact.
Also check whether any unused scripts are being added to your website via Google Tag Manager. Many people don't realize that old or unused scripts can be a major problem via GTM. Check your scripts periodically (for example, every six months), be critical, and remove anything that isn't serving a purpose (or isn't serving a sufficient purpose).
Help optimizing your PageSpeed score
Want to know what's slowing down your website? Sometimes the impact of external scripts or theme changes can be difficult to pinpoint. A developer can help analyze and optimize your site. Curious how you can improve your PageSpeed score? Contact us, and we'll be happy to help!
