In former years, it was simply enough to own a well-functioning website and fill it with content overtime. Now, however, a lot more goes into owning a website, including regular maintenance and speed optimization. Having your website speed optimized is a step that every serious entrepreneur often considers.
But how much attention, and as a result, funds, should be given to speed optimization? This question can be better phrased as this, "Where is Shopify site speed optimization on my priority list?"
For startups and small businesses, you may not easily get it all at once. Ecommerce is as wide as the horizon, so there will always be something to improve and a new standard to meet.
If you are wondering at what point speed optimization became a pressing issue, here is the answer; it has always been.
Just as time is always running regardless of whether we notice it or not, speed affects our sales whether we optimize it or not! What you really want is to turn the results in your favor.
Here are the various stages of a business's growth and the perfect phase to turn to speed optimization.
Stages of Growth in Ecommerce
These three stages can be called the lifecycle of ecommerce.
Stage 1: The Forward Leap
Usually, when a business first launches, it experiences a huge welcome. The extent of this leap is dependent on the product, the chosen platform, and your audience. At this stage, your success has more to do with your influence and hard work than with your site speed.
Stage 2: The Plateau
Consider this your first rest period. Instead of panicking because there is a reduction in traffic and activity, this is the perfect time to plan for the next leap. As an eCommerce business, it is important to always stay on the move, always improving. Needless to say, this is the best time to work your website into a routine of speed optimization, along with SEO optimization and a host of other maintenance services.
Stage 3: The Next Leap
After you are sure that your business is prepared for it, get ready to be busy again. In this stage, you introduce a new feature or make some changes to jumpstart your progress. If you are introducing a new product or running a campaign, you want to make sure that you have eased perfectly into your routines so that you do not end up juggling several things and fumbling in the end.
For forward-thinking merchants, investing in speed optimization is a priority.
Benefits of Optimizing Speed at the Right Time
For you, investing in speed optimization may be something you have to plan and work towards. These advantages of timely investment in speed optimization may be the motivation you need to start saving now.
- More income: An investment would not be proper if it didn't bring in anything, would it? Optimizing your speed regularly will keep your site responsive. This is a key factor in establishing a great customer experience. This, in combination with a lot of other factors, keeps customers coming back.
- More traffic: Shopify site speed optimization is one good way to get in Google's good books. Google, the world's most popular search engine, loves optimized sites, but not just any kind of optimization, speed optimization. When your site speed remains optimized, Google has no choice, but you give you a higher ranking than if it weren't.
- More security: Shopify speed optimization also serves as a security strategy. Your page is more likely to be hacked when it is unoptimized. Speed optimization is a 2 in 1 maintenance service.
- More stability: Optimizing Shopify site speed leads to site stability. If you want your site to become a household name, you really cannot afford site crashes and an unresponsive web page. Shopify site speed optimization is an investment that pays off in more ways than one.
Important things to note when planning towards Shopify speed optimization include:
- The longer it takes for you to get it done, the more expensive it becomes.
- A stitch in time saves nine; site issues get worse over time. It is better to get them fixed as soon as you can.
What do We do?
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
How Much Will Speed Optimization Cost Me?
Shopify speed optimization services range from as low as $50 to $12,000 as of 2021. The prices are never fixed; some agencies use a flat rate while others don't. Depending on your preferred speed optimization service (agency or freelance), this is how much investing in speed optimization may cost.
- Agency- Most agencies have a flat rate and work upwards depending on what problem your site presents with. For their wealth of expertise, agencies usually charge a fee not less than $1,000. Some other agencies have plans or packages that may sound like Basic, Classic, and Premium packages. For the basic plan, expect a fee within the $1000-$5000 range. For a classic, $6000-$10,000 and anything above that for Premium.
- Freelancers- With freelancers, prices are more negotiable. The less time they are given, the higher the price shoots. As with agencies, they also gauge the job handed to them and determine what class it falls under. Freelancer pricing is extremely dynamic and may start from as low as $60 and work up towards $1,500.