There is more than one way to kill a bird, but which way is best?
Once you have decided to speed up your Shopify store, the next step is to decide who'll be handling your site speed optimization. The options available to you include patronizing an agency, employing a freelancer, or doing it yourself.
While each of these options may land you a faster page, they follow different routes, each with its benefits and shortcomings. Let us look into each of them and see which option works best for you and your Shopify store.
Agency vs. DIY vs. Freelancers
- Agency
A Shopify speed optimization agency is a business expert that specializes in using the latest performance tools, codes, and Google updates, to optimize Shopify site speed. An agency consists of a pool of expert developers devoted to one cause; improving your Shopify store's page loading speed. Due to this high standard, their prices may be on the high side.
However, this is only a small price to pay for a professional, trustworthy agency guaranteed to improve your site speed keeping your business goals in mind.
Advantages
- Expertise
- Professionalism
- What-you-order is what-you-get
- Convenience
Disadvantages
- Expensive
- Freelancers
Freelancers, on the other hand, are sole entrepreneurs. A freelancer has a platform through which he communicates to his clients. This, however, should not be taken as a company or organization. Usually, a freelancer is one person who may or may not be worth his weight. When you employ a freelancer, there is a possibility of dissatisfaction or improper work ethics. Most times, you have to rely on a profile or portfolio to aid your discernment.
Advantages
- Cheaper than agencies
- More flexible
Disadvantages
- Higher possibility of dissatisfaction
- More time-consuming
- Poor customer experience
- DIY
You could save yourself some money by sitting down and optimizing your Shopify site speed yourself. The problem is, you may save some banknotes, but you will definitely be spending more time. Fixing your site issues by yourself can be tasking and time-consuming. Worse still, your knowledge of the issue is limited to what Google search, and your favorite YouTubers can offer. This means the final results may be unsatisfactory, and you may end up having to patronize an agency or freelancer, despite all your efforts not to.
Advantages
- You monitor every step
- It saves you a lot of money
- You get better at it over time
Disadvantages
- Extremely time-consuming
- Strenuous for non-tech savvy entrepreneurs
- May worsen site condition
- May end up spending money to correct errors made
In the end, all the routes will lead you to an optimized site. The right choice for Shopify site optimization is highly relative and dependent on your business priorities.
Who Do I Employ?
If you are still unsure of the best option, follow the following to get your site optimized in a way best suited to you and your company, based on your priorities.
- Speed- if you want your site to get faster but you only have a couple of days to work with, your best bet is an Agency. With an agency, you'll enjoy access to several experts who specialize in Shopify speed optimization. So, no problem is too big or task too difficult for them. You will get your store optimized in a matter of days.
- Expertise- of course, if you want your site expertly optimized, you will have to consult an agency. The expertise may come at an additional price, but speed optimization is always an investment. The greater the investment, the greater the returns.
- Saving money- both engaging a freelancer and doing it yourself will save you money, but fixing your site problems yourself is the cheapest option. An important point to consider is what you would do if you make a mistake? While you try to save money doing it yourself, you should also consider having to spend even more money to fix any mistakes you make.
At EcomExperts, we pride ourselves on being a world-class Shopify speed optimization agency. Our top-notch, expertly tailored speed maintenance services include:
- Fast UI/UX, page loading time under 3 seconds
- Web core vitals auditing resulting in higher Mobile and Desktop scores
- A guarantee of a score above 80 in PageSpeed Insights Report and a score above 90 in GTMetrix, for both desktop and mobile
- Removal of redundant codes
- Store cleanup; removal of unused templates, theme files, unlinked online stores, etc
- Restructure sections and optimization of codes
- Image optimization, including resizing
- Application of lazy loading, apps, scripts, CSS, and Javascript priority settings
- Minification of Javascript and CSS files