Running an eCommerce store? Want to know what’s holding you back from making bundles of cash?
Well, it can be the slow loading speed of your online store. In this article, we’ll look at how website loading speed can affect your eCommerce business—and the ways to improve it.
There are multiple reasons behind this. Slow loading speeds hurt user experience, and Google now prioritizes fast-loading pages for rankings. Google has even included site loading speed as one of its core web vitals.
This article will cover why site loading speed matters for eCommerce businesses in today’s mobile-first world.
Why Does Page Speed Matter for Your eCommerce Site?
Time is money—and eCommerce loading time proves it. Google suggests that over 50% of visitors will quit if a site takes more than 3 seconds to load.
According to DataReportal, the average mobile internet speed in the US is 74.83 Mbps in 2023. In such a fast-paced world, people expect new content to load almost instantly.
A slow site can cost you sales even before users land on your page. One second of delay makes visitors far more likely to hit the back button, raising bounce rates—and damaging search rankings.
In 2018, Google revealed that for mobile users, bounce probability skyrockets when load time exceeds 3 seconds.
The following graph from Edit.co.uk highlights the relationship between increased load time, conversions, and bounce rates:
What happens if your page load speed is too slow?
- Increased bounce rates
Slow-loading pages push users to leave immediately. - Reduced organic reach
Google considers load speed a ranking factor—slow sites struggle to rank. - Reduced conversions
A report shows conversion rates drop with each additional second of delay. - Brand perception issues
A sluggish site feels unprofessional and harms your reputation. - Lower customer retention
Users don’t return to slow stores, hurting long-term customer loyalty.
No eCommerce store owner can afford these consequences—optimizing your online store is essential.
If you run your store on Magento, consider using the Magento Optimization Service to improve speed and conversions, or choose Magento hosting that offers a fully optimized managed platform and speed.
If you need platform assistance, experts can also help with Magento maintenance services.
Site Loading Speed — Desktop vs Mobile
Site loading speed differs across devices. A site may load quickly on desktops but lag on mobile due to lower processing power.
Mobile internet users—and mobile shoppers—have surged worldwide. Shoppers want instant, seamless browsing from their phones, and businesses must deliver.
Google also considers mobile site speed a ranking factor. In 2023, optimizing for multiple devices is essential for sales and visibility.
Site Speed Tactics for eCommerce Websites
Ready to boost your eCommerce store speed? Here are key tactics to implement in 2023.
Optimizing the Web Server
There are many potential causes of slow load speed, including delayed server responses.
A normal server response time is up to 200ms—anything slower needs investigation.
Improve server response times by:
- Using a reliable and fast web hosting
- Choosing a fast DNS
- Optimizing data
- Opting for dedicated hosting
- Reducing server bloat
Working on Codes
Once server issues are resolved, focus on your HTML, JS, and CSS files. Bulky or redundant code adds size and slows load times.
Minify files, remove unused scripts, and reduce unnecessary formatting. Reducing the number of HTTP requests is critical.
Improve performance by:
- Minifying JS / CSS / HTML
- Removing redundant files
- Combining files
- Deferring parsing of JavaScript
- Enabling asynchronous CSS loading
Making Your Site Lightweight
The bigger your site, the longer it takes to load.
Compress images and media, use lightweight themes, and avoid loading unnecessary assets.
For professional optimization guidance, working with a Kansas City web design agency can help improve efficiency and performance.
You can also use lazy loading to prevent all images from loading simultaneously.
To lighten your site:
- Use Gzip compression
- Compress images
- Implement lazy load
- Prioritize resource loading
Focusing on Mobile Devices
Your site should be fast on Google’s simulated mobile tests and real devices.
Most shoppers browse through mobile devices, so your site must be responsive and adaptable to different orientations and resolutions.
Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) were created to improve mobile page load speeds, especially for users on slow networks.
To boost mobile speed:
- Use responsive web design
- Implement AMPs
- Remove redundant scripts
- Compress images for mobile
Conclusion
Slow-loading pages hurt eCommerce growth by increasing bounce rates and reducing conversions.
Improving mobile loading speed in 2023 can be a major success factor.
It’s simple—people love fast sites, and so does Google. If you're an eCommerce store owner in 2023, site speed should be your top priority on the road to success.
