Site Speed Development

Over the last few years, Google has been nudging webmasters to improve site speed - and so far they’ve done that with the carrot of a minor boost to rankings (though they won’t say much - thanks Google - it is likely to be a ‘deciding factor if all other things are equal’), but while a ranking bump is all well and good - the positive impact it has on conversion rates is far more important.

What is site speed development?

Site speed development is about finding and exploiting the little time savers hidden in your code and the way it’s read by browsers. It’s not the size of your DOM, after all, it’s what you do with it (okay, it’s a bit about the size of your DOM as well). Developers work to make sure the code on your site is all required, that there are no render blocking scripts, that the external calls are not excessive and a host of other checks and tweaks to bring your site up to speed.

Our site speed development services

Our site speed development service requires thorough auditing and incremental improvements. While some sites with major issues can see big improvements quickly, most sites are facing a challenging rummage through the code to amass a series of 100ths of a second improvements that will, eventually, make for considerable improvements.

From render blocking scripts to junk code, improperly sized images to excessive external calls and everything in between, our developers comb through your site to ensure that you’re saving every fraction of a second it’s possible to save. We’ll also make suggestions for ways to inhouse the functionality of apps that may be costing more in performance than they deliver in function.

What can site speed development do for your brand?

Our site speed development experts, through our commitment to the Shopify platform, have developed an unparalleled expertise when it comes to shaving off those vital fractions of a second from load times. These passionate, forensic code-smiths have the need (yes, we’re going to do it), the need for speed (see, we did it, sorry not sorry).

Speed Vs performance

Our focus with site speed development is purely on enhancing website speed. That does not necessarily equal a better traffic light score for performance in the Lighthouse Report or Page Speed Checker tool. Why?

Well, because it’s an automated test, there can be a disconnect between the real speed of a page, its perceived speed by the customer, and the performance score generated by an algorithm.

As an example, running the same website through multiple tools - like Pingdom Tools, GTMetrix, WebPageTest, and YSlow will, more often than not, yield different performance scores. In fact, we recently conducted a test on a product page that had scored 77 on the performance scale, and which loaded in 2.2 seconds. However, once apps and third-party services were introduced, the speed dropped to 3.0 seconds and the performance score dropped to just 30 - a score which also wasn’t able to quantify the improved functionality of the page.

It's necessary to understand that the purpose of these automated tools (like domain scores and trust scores in SEO) are not conducting tests according to an exact science, they’re illustrative and there to offer guidance which helps to prevent any major issues and with the incremental improvement of website speed more broadly across the web.

It's also worth noting that some areas flagged by these tools may be beyond the control of even the best devs (ahem). Shopify apps and third-party services that inject code into a website often fall outside of our control, for example, and Google Analytics can be one of the worst offenders where site speed is concerned!

Our site speed development sages

Our site speed development experts, through our commitment to the Shopify platform, have developed an unparalleled expertise when it comes to shaving off those vital fractions of a second from load times. These passionate, forensic code-smiths have the need (yes, we’re going to do it), the need for speed (see, we did it, sorry not sorry).

Vince Hollywood Head of Development

Liam McKenna Senior Front End Developer

Matt Bevan Senior Front End Developer

Josh Oakes Front End Developer

Steven Henderson Front End Developer

Matty Johnson Front End Developer

Michael Gainford Front End Developer

Richard Parnaby-King Back End Developer

Nathan Hogan Project Executive

Front End Development Services

With FED touching almost every nook and cranny of your website (we’ve asked them to stop, but they don’t listen), the number and reach of services is extensive - but all of them contribute directly to the functionality and usefulness of your site, and by extension it’s visibility in search.

→ Theme Development

Whether you’re looking for a custom Shopify Plus build from the ground up which properly reflects your brand and the lifestyle of your customers, or to take your next steps in commerce by customising a premade theme to better suit your needs, our Shopify accredited team can make sure the platform delivers what you need to succeed.

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→ Shopify 2.0 Upgrades

Shopify 2.0 (or Online Store 2.0) offers more opportunity for customisation, better app integrations and more besides. While the process of upgrading can be performed by most Shopify store owners, if you have a custom theme or unique integrations, our experts can help you make the transition seamlessly.

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→ Development Retainer

Whether it’s the result of a CRO experiment, a UX or UI review, your site has just hit the limits of its functionality and you need more, or any of a host of other reasons, it often pays to have development talent that you can access quickly to make the changes necessary to continue the growth of your brand.

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→ Shopify Checkout Customisation

While Shopify sites have always been customisable to an extent, there was a time in the pretty recent past when a Shopify site was more recognisably Shopify than any particular brand. The last area where that was the case was the checkout - but, for Shopify Plus customers, it doesn’t have to be anymore! Brands can now customise their checkout to better represent their brand and better suit their needs.

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→ Shopify App Development

Need to create Shopify functionality which can be implemented on your own, or multiple branded sites? Our experts can make sure there’s an app for that. Shopify's APIs allow the freedom and flexibility to create truly bespoke functionality outside the "standard" Shopify offering - that’s where Shopify App development comes in.

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→ Migration & Replatforming

Migration and replatforming is a lot like upgrading the location of your flagship store - you could be looking for more footfall, a location with a little more prestige, or a better return on your business rates - our team makes sure that everything moved to your new store, ready, gleaming and welcoming for the grand opening.

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→ Bespoke Tracking

Our commitment to the Shopify platform has many benefits for our clients - not least of which is our ability to wrestle the platform, and your analytics platform of choice, into submission to provide you with the data you need to make smart choices and grow your business.

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→ Inhousing Functionality

During the lifespan of a Shopify site, there’ll be times when growing and scaling a brand leads to you outgrowing some of the apps that were essential during your formative years. Whether that’s because it isn’t capable of scaling with you, or the need for other, more important features are beginning to cause performance issues, inhousing functionality can be the answer.

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→ UX & UI Development

From site navigation to all the fun things you can do with buttons, user experience and user interface development plays a vital role in how every single customer experiences your website (and interacts with it, to be fair). Providing the best customer experience isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’, it can be the difference between a sale and an abandoned basket.

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