15 Ways To Optimize Your Magento Store for Speed And Performance

07 Dec 2018

Mike Patel

Research has it that 4 out of 10 shoppers will abandon an eCommerce website loading for more than 3 seconds. So if your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, there are high chances that many of the users visiting your website will bail out on you. As a result, you will experience a reduced customer and sales conversion. This is why any eCommerce business existing today needs to fully understand Magento speed optimization to ensure fast and efficient performance. In this piece, we analyze 15 proven ways to Magento speed and Performance optimization for eCommerce websites.

1. Image Optimization

Images make up more than half of a website’s total weight. An eCommerce website without appealing images would be destined for losses. However, these images may be too large making them load slowly and hence, the website becomes slow. Compression of these images would reduce the time it takes to download and hence increase the speed of the website. Sprite image technique is another way of optimizing images. It merges all the images used in the website into one source image with a single HTTP request. Therefore, for every HTTP request, instead of loading the images differently, the website will load the merged source image with all the images.

2. Lazy Loading Technique

Magento speed optimization can also be attained by having content in the website load only when the user scrolls down. In most cases, a website tends to load the whole page which takes long. Lazy loading allows the user to take control of the website at the same time ensuring that the website is not overworked by loading content that the user is probably not interested in.

3. MySQL Settings

Ensuring that the MySQL of your website is configured to cache queries not only speeds up the Magento speed but also boosts the performance of the website. This means that, once the HTTP request is received for the first time, the query will be cached, and therefore, the next time the same user visits the webpage, the cached database will be activated saving a lot of load time.

4. Using Reliable and Fast Web Hosting

Most eCommerce websites tend to internally work on optimization but still choose a web host not reliable and fast. A host with a large server allows you more space and resources to work with. Download and upload of data from such a server become much faster and assured. With a host with a small server, there are high chances that it is overcrowded and you wouldn’t want to imagine how slow it would be especially when there is heavy traffic.

5. Reduce Magento Extensions

It is advisable to maintain only the necessary Magento extensions and modules for optimum Magento speed. The more the extension running in your Magento system, the higher the number of HTTP requests being made and this results to slow response by the website. Therefore, disable the extensions that you do not use to have your website operate efficiently.

6. CSS and JavaScript Merging

Magento speed optimization can also be achieved by merging your CSS and JavaScript files into one file. Therefore, on receiving an HTTP request, the webpage loads the files as one single file rather than all the different files separately. This speeds up the loading of the pages being requested.

7. Use of Latest Magento Version

With every update of the Magento software, there are improved and advanced features which are meant to improve the speed and performance by default. Therefore, always ensure that your website is running on the latest version there is of Magento. It is very easy to update to the latest version, therefore do not let an outdated version affect your business.

8. Using Content Delivery Network (CDN)

This network integrates all the static content of the website using connection nodes. Without the network, all static content exist separately and hence when the website is loaded, the content seems to delay before responding to the command. With the network, the content is interconnected such that once the command is given, the whole content moves together. This highly improves the speed and performance of Magento.

9. Maximum Website Cache Use

Magento speed optimization can also be attained by ensuring that you utilize the full cache page feature for your website. Once a user logs in, the website creates a cache with all the action from beginning to the end. When the user next visits the website, it will reactivate the cache rather than load afresh from the server. This reduces the time a user waits to be restored to the sections of the site most visited previously.

10. Use of Varnish, Nginx, and Memcache

When it comes to eCommerce websites, shoppers will have specific products that they check out. Therefore, they love it when the system remembers them and directs them to the pages they were in last. This is the magic that these different forms of caches bring to Magento. The Varnish, for instance, creates a cached version of the website for every HTTP request and hence the next time the same user logs into the website, the cached version is restored rather than loading up a new request. All these caching forms are compatible with Magento.

11. Use of Flat Catalog Feature

This is a Magento speed optimization feature, which is made especially for eCommerce websites with a large volume of products. It basically merges different products and categories into a single tabulation. As a result, the system responds faster to a request and query made and the user will not have to search differently for the two.

12. Regular Magento Clean Up

The Magento system stores all the database and logs written on the website for up to 2years. With a busy website, this is too much data which only adds to the weight of the website making it slow. Magento speed optimization can easily be achieved by setting up the system in that it cleans up the database and logs after between 14 and 30 days, depending on the activity on the website.

13. PHP Accelerator

PHP scripts are loaded every time a user logs into the webpage. The PHP accelerator basically caches the PHP scripts such that they do not have to load again once the user revisits the page. This reduced wait time increases the performance of the website and as a result user satisfaction which increases the chances of sales conversion.

14. Manual Index Updates

By default, Magento updates the object indexes of an online store but for the purposes of optimum speed and performance, it is advisable that you manually update the indexes. As a result, it takes a shorter time for the system to process the MySQL queries.

15. Magento Compilation

Normally, there is an order in which Magento files are processed when an HTTP request is made. This process chain takes a few seconds to load and it is what aggregates to the total load time of a website. Magento compiler basically brings together all these files into one file. Therefore, many files are loaded as a single file, increasing the speed of the website.

A combination of some if not all of these ways will ensure that customers do not have to wait for long before getting what they want from your eCommerce store. The ripple effect of Magento speed optimization is having more users spending time in your store, which translates into sales. Speed and performance of an eCommerce website are fundamental to the life of the business which translates into sales from which profit is earned. Therefore, if you are concerned about your eCommerce store, you will definitely be concerned with Magento speed optimization.

Mike Patel

Mike Patel is the Founder and CEO of ioVista, a leading digital commerce agency specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a strong background in business and technology, Mike Patel has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for businesses. He has successfully navigated the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce, helping companies leverage the power of online platforms to grow their brand, increase revenues, and optimize their digital presence. Under his leadership, ioVista has become a trusted partner with major technology companies: Adobe/Magento, Google, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Yahoo. He is dedicated to staying ahead of industry trends, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and continuously improving strategies to provide clients with a competitive edge. Mike’s commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is evident in every project ioVista undertakes.