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National Roper's Supply - Site Speed Audit

Brought to you by
Roadrunner
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- Shopify Site Speed Experts

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Website:
https://nrsworld.com/
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Link to PageSpeed Test Results
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Summary
The National Roper Supply Shopify site failed 2 of the 3 core site speed metrics on mobile devices: First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
The National Roper Supply Shopify site failed 1 of the 3 core site speed metrics on desktop devices: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
The most important metric to note is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). LCP time is how long it takes for the largest images/text blocks to load for users. It is the most common way of measuring a website’s load time.
The site registered an LCP time of 3.6 seconds on mobile. it’s recommended that mobile ecommerce sites have an LCP time of 1-3 seconds on mobile.
The site registered an LCP time of 3.6 seconds on mobile and desktop. it’s recommended that ecommerce sites have an LCP time of 2-3 seconds on mobile and 1-3 seconds on desktop.
Research shows that every millisecond of additional load time above 3 seconds will have negative effects on conversion rates.
53% of visitors will leave a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load on mobile (
Google
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)
1 second improvement in page load time will increase mobile CVR by up to 27% (
Shopify
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)
Every 0.1 second improvement in page load time will increase overall CVR by up to 8% (
Deloitte
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)
There are a handful of technical issues slowing down the website. Most notably, there is excess/unused Javascript code that is slowing down the website. This is a the most common occurrence in ecommerce sites hosted on Shopify. Every app installed, theme change, and third party script (i.e. Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, etc.) injects code into the site. Even if the app/theme is removed, the code stays behind, accumulating over time.
I recommend a codebase audit to remove the excess/unused code. This will have positive impacts on the page load time, which will have positive impacts on conversion rates, search ranking, paid marketing performance, and overall customer experience.
For more information about optimizing the site, visit the section titled Next Steps.
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Mobile Site Speed Audit

Overview

The National Roper’s Supply Shopify site is failing 2 of the 3 core website performance metrics on mobile devices: First Contentful Paint and Largest Contentful Paint.
The most important metric to note is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). LCP time is how long it takes for the largest images/text blocks to load for users. It is the most common way of measuring a website’s load time.
The NPS site registered an LCP time of 3.6 seconds on mobile. It’s recommended that ecommerce sites have an LCP time of 1-3 seconds on mobile.
Research shows website’s with an LCP >3 seconds will have lower conversion rates and higher bounce rates.
The primary technical issue effecting the site on mobile is excess/unused Javascript, HTML, and CSS code that is slowing down the website’s load time.

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image.png
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Results

First Contentful Paint: 2.1 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: 3.6 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.
Cumulative Layout Shift: 0
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.

Technical Issues

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image.png
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Reduce Javascript execution time / Remove 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.
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Desktop Page Speed Audit

Overview

The National Roper’s Supply Shopify site is failing 1 of the 3 core site speed metrics on desktop devices: Largest Contentful Paint.
The site registered an LCP of 3.6 seconds. It’s recommended that ecommerce site’s have an LCP time of 1-3 seconds on desktop.
The same technical issues that are affecting the site’s mobile performance are affecting it’s desktop performance.
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image.png
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Results

First Contentful Paint: 1.7 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: 3.6 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.
Cumulative Layout Shift: 0.02
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.

Optimization

Accord to the PageSpeed results, there are 4 technical issues slowing down the website:
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image.png
⁠
Reduce Javascript execution time
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
⁠
, 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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