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DECKED - Site Speed Audit

Brough to you by
Roadrunner
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- Shopify Site Speed Experts

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Website:
https://decked.com/
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Link to PageSpeed Test Results
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Overview
The DECKED Shopify site has solid performance on desktop, but has technical issues that are hindering it’s performance on mobile devices.
The most important metric to note from this audit is the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
DECKED has an LCP of 19.9 seconds on mobile devices. It’s recommended that ecommerce sites have an LCP of 2-3 seconds on mobile devices.
LCP the most common way to measure page load time.
Poor LCP will have negative effects on a site’s conversion rate. Also, it will increase bounce rates, which will have a negative effect on search rankings and paid marketing performance.
Based on the audit results, the primary technical issue hurting DECKED’s load time in excess Javascript/HTML/CSS code present within the site. This is a common occurrence for sites built on top of Shopify. Apps, themes, and third-party scripts (i.e. ad pixels) inject code into the site that will remain on the site even if the theme is changed or app is removed.
I strongly recommend optimizing the site’s codebase to improve load time on mobile devices. This will also improve desktop performance, and boost overall conversion rates.
Shopify found that a 1 second improvement in page load time can increase conversion rates by up to 27%.
For help with site optimization, visit the section titled Next Steps.
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Mobile Page Speed Audit

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Summary

The DECKED Shopify site is failed all 4 of the primary website performance metrics on mobile device: First Contentful Paint, Largest Contentful Paint, Total Blocking Time, Cumulative Layout Shift.
The most important metric to pay attention to is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). DECKED has an LCP of 19.9 seconds on mobile devices. It’s recommended that ecommerce sites have an LCP of 2-3 seconds on mobile devices.
LCP the most common way page load time is measure,.
Poor LCP performance will have negative effects on conversion rates. It will also increase bounce rate, which will hurt search rankings and paid marketing performance.
According to the audit results, the primary issue slowing down the DECKED site on mobile devices is excess and unused Javascript/HTML/CSS code that is slowing down the website’s load time.

Results

First Contentful Paint: 2.5 seconds
Explanation: First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures how long it takes for content to start appearing on a website. This is typically an empty box or plain text. It’s the first pixels rendered in for the site.
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 1.8 seconds.
Largest Contentful Paint: 19.9 seconds
Explanation: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes for a website to display its biggest single content element. It's one of the most common ways to measure page load time.
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 2.5 seconds.
Total Blocking Time: 8160 ms (8.16 seconds)
Explanation: Total Blocking Time (TBT) measures how responsive your site is to user input (i.e. if the user performs an action, such as click a button, how long before the next action can be performed).
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 0.3 seconds.
Cumulative Layout Shift: 0.212
Explanation: Cumulative Layout Shift is a measure of how “stable” your website it after it first renders. A website that has content shift down as more object load will have a higher score. Cumulative Layout Shift is one of the core ranking factors for Google.
Optime score for ecommerce sites is < 0.1.
Speed Index: 8.0 seconds
Explanation: Speed Index (SI) measures how quickly content appears on your website. The value is determined visually by analyzing screenshots of your website during the page load process. Speed Index is a lesser important metric comparatively; however, optimizing it will benefit the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 3 seconds.

Optimization

Accord to the PageSpeed results, there are 4 technical issues slowing down the website:
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Reduce Javascript execution time / Reduced unused Javascript
In short, this means that there is a substantial amount Javascript, HTML, and CSS code that is slowing down the site. There are four ways that Javascript code can accumulate on your site: when you connect a new Shopify app, when you use certain themes, when you use third-party scripts such as Facebook Pixel or Google Analytics, and if you have custom code on your site. The biggest culprit is Shopify apps. Each app “injects” a bit of code into your site. Even if the app is deleted, the code it injects stays behind. Over time, this code will slow down your site’s load time.
Minimize main-thread work
Main thread overload happens when too many tasks, like heavy JavaScript execution, complex CSS code, and third-party scripts, are processed simultaneously. This slows down the site’s load time. The best way to fix this is to delete unused Javascript, compress essential Javascript code, and remove unnecessary third party scripts.
Optimize Largest Contentful Paint element (LCP)
The LCP takes up a considerable amount of main thread resources when loading. As a result, it needs to be optimized through image compression, preloading important page elements, and eliminating unused CSS and Javascript files.
Reduce the impact of third-party code
Third-party scripts, such as ads, analytics, and social media widgets, can slow down your site. Delaying the firing of analytics, or deferring them from using the main thread, can improve performance.
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Desktop Page Speed Audit

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Summary

The DECKED Shopify site has much better performance on desktop devices vs. mobile devices.
Total Blocking Time (TBT) is slightly about the recommended threshold. Not enough to have a considerable impact on website performance.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is much faster on desktop, but is still above the recommended time.
It is recommended that ecommerce sites have an LCP of 1-3 seconds on desktop. DECKED has an LCP of 4.3 seconds.
This could be having adverse effects on the store’s performance in regards to CVR.

Results

First Contentful Paint: 0.5 seconds
Explanation: First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures how long it takes for content to start appearing on a website. This is typically an empty box or plain text. It’s the first pixels rendered in for the site.
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 1.8 seconds.
Largest Contentful Paint: 4.3 seconds
Explanation: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes for a website to display its biggest single content element. It's one of the most common ways to measure page load time.
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 2.5 seconds.
Total Blocking Time: 370 ms (0.37 seconds)
Explanation: Total Blocking Time (TBT) measures how responsive your site is to user input (i.e. if the user performs an action, such as click a button, how long before the next action can be performed).
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 0.3 seconds.
Cumulative Layout Shift: 0.059
Explanation: Cumulative Layout Shift is a measure of how “stable” your website it after it first renders. A website that has content shift down as more object load will have a higher score. Cumulative Layout Shift is one of the core ranking factors for Google.
Optime score for ecommerce sites is < 0.1.
Speed Index: 2.4 seconds
Explanation: Speed Index (SI) measures how quickly content appears on your website. The value is determined visually by analyzing screenshots of your website during the page load process. Speed Index is a lesser important metric comparatively; however, optimizing it will benefit the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
Optimal time for ecommerce sites is < 3 seconds.

Optimization

Accord to the PageSpeed results, there are 4 technical issues slowing down the website:
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image.png
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Reduce Javascript execution time / Reduce unused Javascript, HTML, CSS
In short, this means that there is a substantial amount Javascript, HTML, and CSS code that is slowing down the site. There are four ways that Javascript code can accumulate on your site: when you connect a new Shopify app, when you use certain themes, when you use third-party scripts such as Facebook Pixel or Google Analytics, and if you have custom code on your site. The biggest culprit is Shopify apps. Each app “injects” a bit of code into your site. Even if the app is deleted, the code it injects stays behind. Over time, this code will slow down your site’s load time.
Minimize main-thread work
Main thread overload happens when too many tasks, like heavy JavaScript execution, complex CSS code, and third-party scripts, are processed simultaneously. This slows down the site’s load time. The best way to fix this is to delete unused Javascript, compress essential Javascript code, and remove unnecessary third party scripts.
Optimize Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
The LCP takes up a considerable amount of main thread resources when loading. As a result, it needs to be optimized through image compression, preloading important page elements, and eliminating unused CSS and Javascript files.
Reduce the impact of third-party code
Third-party scripts, such as ads, analytics, and social media widgets, can slow down your site. Delaying the firing of analytics, or deferring them from using the main thread, can improve performance.

It’s common for the same technical issues to affect the site on mobile and on the web. The issues are extenuated on mobile due to the lower processing power.
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Next Steps

Anyone selling products on the internet should think about their website’s speed. It plays a major part in how effectively a website can turn visitors into paying customers.
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Shopify
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found that a 1 second improvement in website speed can boost mobile conversion by up to 27%.
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Deloitte
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found that a 0.1 second improvement in website speed can increase overall conversion rates by 8.4%.
Other sources have found interesting links between fast site speed and better SEO, lower cost acquisition costs when using paid ads, and an increase in repeat purchases.

Let’s make it real with an example. Let’s say an ecommerce site get’s 100,000 visitors per month and has a 3% conversion rate.

If that site is optimized for speed, and see a 20% increase in conversion rates, it would go from 3000 sales/month to 3600 sales/month. At an AOV of $30, that’s an addition $20,000 per month in sales for every 100,000 visitors.

Site speed is important.

That’s why I started
Roadrunner
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, a done-for-you site speed optimization agency helping Shopify brands improve their online performance.

Our process is simple, straightforward, and requires no downtime for the website at all.

If you’re interested in learning more about the work we do at Roadrunner, please reach out to my on my
LinkedIn
⁠
or via email (kris@tryroadrunner.com).

Best,
Kris
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