Quick Summary
You’ve spent hours designing your Magento store and curating the products on it. But the page takes more than 3 seconds to load, potentially increasing the bounce rate by multiple folds. Even Google prioritizes user experience, and Core Web Vitals are now a formal ranking factor.
A slow site undermines marketing investments and erodes a company’s competitive advantage. But don’t worry; there are a few sure-fire ways to improve the speed of a Magento 2 store. This blog focuses on that.
In this blog, we’ll check out the best Magento 2 speed optimization tips and tactics. By the end, your store will be responsive and user-friendly for the best conversion possible.
A slow Magento store is rarely affected by a single issue. Instead, performance lag is typically the result of several interconnected bottlenecks. Diagnosing the root cause is the first critical step toward a faster, more profitable store. So here are the potential reasons behind the Magento store slowing down.
Underpowered Server
Shared hosting or entry-level VPS plans often lack the CPU, RAM, and I/O capacity required by Magento’s robust architecture.
Misconfigured Software
Incorrect settings for PHP (e.g., incorrect version, low memory limit), MySQL, and web servers like Apache or Nginx can significantly impact the server’s response time.
Lacking Caching Systems
The absence of a full-page cache (such as Varnish) or an Opcode cache (such as OPCache) forces the server to rebuild every page from scratch for each visitor, an incredibly inefficient process.
Poorly Coded Extensions
Third-party extensions can introduce redundant database queries, inefficient code, and conflicts that slow down entire pages.
Unoptimized Themes
Heavy, bloated themes with excessive JavaScript and unoptimized images are a major drag on front-end load times.
Outdated Magento Version
Running an outdated version of Magento means missing out on critical performance enhancements and security patches released by Adobe.
Unoptimized Images
Large, high-resolution images that haven’t been compressed or properly scaled are the most common cause of slow page rendering.
Render-Blocking Resources
CSS and JavaScript files that are not optimized or deferred can prevent the page from displaying until they are fully loaded.
Excessive HTTP Requests
A theme that requires dozens of individual CSS, JavaScript, and image files will be slow, as the browser must request each one separately.
After you have determined the cause behind the slow store, you can then work on the Magento 2 performance optimization.
Use this actionable checklist to systematically improve your store’s performance. Tackle these items in sequence for the most significant impact. (You can alter the sequence according to the cause of slow performance.
Magneto is an enterprise-level eCommerce platform and requires dedicated resources. Shared hosting, while cheaper, could mean other sites on the same server consuming your CPU and RAM.
Action
So what you can do is migrate to a Magento-optimized VPS (Virtual Private Server), dedicated server, or a cloud solution (like AWS, Google Cloud). Make sure the plan includes SSDs (Solid State Drives) for fast database and file access.
Newer PHP versions (like 8.2 or 8.3) execute code significantly faster than older versions (like 7.4). This single change can reduce server load and response time by 20-30%.
Action
What you need to do is check the current PHP version in the Magento Admin or via your hosting panel. Try to work with your system admin or hosting service to upgrade the store to the latest stable version of Magento. That ensures all your extensions are also compatible.
By default, Magento stores cache and session data in the built-in database. That might be slow for frequent read/write operations. Redis is an in-memory data store, making data retrieval nearly instantaneous.
Action
You have to install Redis on your server and configure the Magento platform. Use it for both session storage and the default cache. This can be considered as the standard practice for any production Magento store.
Varnish is a powerful caching application that sits in front of your website server. It caches fully-rendered HTML pages. It will serve store pages to returning visitors in milliseconds without requiring Magento to be involved at all.
Action
Full-page caching requires server-level configuration. For that, Varnish cache is a sure-fire way to improve the performance. Navigate to Store > Settings > Configuration > Advanced > System > Full Page Cache. Then click ‘Varnish Caching’ in the “Caching Application” list. After that, enter a value in the “TTL for the public content” field and expand “Varnish Configuration”.
However, there’s a chance that Varnish may not be feasible. Then, at a minimum, you need to ensure Magento’s built-in caching (under System > Cache Management) is enabled.
Before executing PHP code, the server must compile it. OPcache stores this precompiled script bytecode in memory. That eliminates the need for a compilation step for subsequent requests.
Action
OPcache is typically enabled by default in modern PHP installations. Verify it’s active and configured with sufficient memory in your php.ini file.
A CDN stores static files (images, CSS, JavaScript) on a global network of servers. When a user visits your site, these files are delivered from the server closest to them, drastically reducing load times.
Action
One of the best ways to improve eCommerce store performance is by implementing a CDN. So make sure to sign up for a CDN service (e.g., Cloudflare, Fastly). Then configure your Magento store to point static media URLs to the CDN.
Merge and Minify CSS/JS
By default, Magento loads dozens of individual CSS and JS files. Merging combines them into fewer files, thereby reducing the number of HTTP requests. Minifying removes unnecessary characters (spaces, comments) to reduce file size.
Action
Enable these features in Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Developer. There, for JS minification, you can set “Minify JavaScript Files” to “Yes”. And for CSS minification, set “Minify CSS Files” to “Yes”.
Understand this: Test thoroughly after enabling, as it can sometimes cause conflicts with poorly coded extensions.
Magento’s default MySQL search is slow and inefficient on large catalogs. Elasticsearch is a dedicated search engine that provides instant, relevant results and is a core requirement for Magento 2.4 and above.
Action
The simple way to set up instant results is to configure Elasticsearch as your search engine. Go to Stores > Settings > Configuration. Then navigate to Catalog > Catalog > Catalog Search. After that, click ‘Elasticsearch’ from the Search Engine and then click ‘Save Config’.
This feature is designed to simplify complex product data into a single database table. That makes it faster for Magento to query and display category pages. This is most beneficial for stores with large catalogs.
Action
Magneto generates, maintains, and updates flat tables during every indexation. In that case, you can enable the flat catalog by logging in as an admin. To do this, go to Stores > Configuration> Catalog > Storefront.
Select “Yes” to ‘Use Flat Catalog Category’ and ‘Use Flat Catalog Product’. Then click ‘Save Config’.
Developer and Default modes generate extensive log files and do not optimize code for speed. Production mode minimizes these overheads and enables all caching mechanisms.
Action
Inherently, Magento 2 has 3 modes: Default, Default, and Production. Let’s stick with the latter. The “Production Mode” is optimized for excellent user experience and performance.
You can check the current mode with the CLI command:
php bin/magento deploy:mode:show
The following command can help enable the Production mode:
bin/magento deploy:mode:set production
Then you can switch to the developer mode with this CLI command:
php bin/magento deploy:mode:set developer
And if you, as the developer, want additional control over the process, break it down into multiple steps.
php bin/magento setup:di:compile
php bin/magento setup:static-content:deploy -f
Poorly coded extensions can add massive overhead through redundant database queries. They also add heavy JavaScript libraries and inefficient code. That can slow down the Magento store speed quite significantly.
Action
What you need to do is regularly review your extensions. Disable any extension that isn’t in accordance with the regular features, functionalities, performance, and security. For necessary ones, check with the vendor for updates or more optimized versions.
If you don’t want to directly delete the extension, consult with the extension provider or developer. There’s a chance they can help with optimization.
Unoptimized images are the primary cause of slow page rendering. They consume excessive bandwidth, forcing visitors to wait for unnecessary data to download before the page becomes usable.
Action
Before uploading, you need to optimize the images in a few different ways:
Well-optimized images can improve the site load times significantly. Plus, they directly boost the user experience and improve the Core Web Vitals scores like LCP (Largest Contentful Paint).
Lazy loading images and other media is another premier strategy to improve the site speed and performance. This tactic defers the loading of images and videos that aren’t in the user’s immediate viewport.
Action
You can use the HTML loading=“lazy” attribute for img and iframe tags. Modern browsers support this simple yet efficient method. And for broader browser compatibility or complex implementations (like background images), you can use a dedicated Magento extension. A dedicated JavaScript library might also work.
This technique helps reduce the initial number of HTTP requests and page weight, which accelerates initial page load speed significantly. It leads to a faster perceived performance and a better LCP score.
Over time, themes can gather unused code and redundant layout files from poorly integrated extensions or abandoned features. It bloats up the code and forces the browser to process unnecessary resources. That slows down the page rendering.
Action
Do the following to clean up the theme and layout:
A leaner theme tends to reduce server processing time and minimize the amount of code transferred to the browser. It also streamlines rendering for a faster, more efficient store.
Magento uses indexers to transform complex data (like product attributes and categories) into optimized database tables for fast retrieval. If indexing isn’t automated, this data becomes outdated. That leads to incorrect prices, slow search results, and inventory errors.
Action
Make sure Magento’s cron jobs are running on your server; they trigger indexers automatically at scheduled intervals. This is essential for maintaining data accuracy.
You can set Magento indexers to two modes: “Update on Save” or “Update on Schedule”. The latter one would be more suitable as that lets you execute the cron job at a particular time set by you. You should, ideally, choose a time when your site has the lowest traffic.
Here’s the command for Magento 2 to be executed on the root directory using the SSH terminal.
php bin/magento indexer:reindex
Run this command to change the indexers’ mode to “Update on Schedule”.
php bin/magento indexer:set-mode schedule
Log in to Magento Admin and navigate to ‘System’ > ‘Index Management’. Select all indexers and then ‘Update on Schedule’ from the “Actions” dropdown menu. Then, to set the schedule, click ‘Submit’.
Properly configured cron jobs ensure your store’s data is consistently pre-processed and ready for instant access. That helps maintain site speed and data integrity without manual intervention.
There’s a chance you have installed third-party scripts for analytics, chat widgets, advertising, tracking, and more. They can significantly impact performance. These external resources often load synchronously. It blocks page rendering while waiting for responses from external servers.
Action
Here’s what you need to do as part of a 3rd-party scripts review.
Minimizing and optimizing these scripts reduces render-blocking resources, a key aspect of Magento performance optimization. It leads to faster page displays and better CWVs, especially LCP and INP.
Core Web Vitals are Google’s user-centric metrics aimed to showcase the performance and user experience on a particular website. They measure real-world performance, interactivity, and visual stability.
Action
Regularly check Google Search Console for field data (actual user experiences) and PageSpeed Insights. That offers you a lab-based analysis with specific recommendations to speed up Magento 2.
The key metrics to focus on are:
Set performance budgets and monitor trends over time to catch regressions from updates or new content.
Now, to maintain the results to optimize your Magento 2 store, you need to schedule regular database maintenance. It accumulates overhead from log files, order history, and product revisions. This data fragmentation increases query times and storage usage. That gradually degrades the Magento performance.
Action
Here’s what you do within the database maintenance:
Routine maintenance ensures your database operates efficiently. It prevents gradual performance decay and maintains fast server response times for critical operations like checkout and search.
So, want to improve the Magento site performance and user experience? Then consult with our Magento 2 development company.
Regular maintenance and timely upgrades aren’t merely technical tasks; they are an investment in stability, security, and performance. Every new version of Magento includes security patches, performance upgrades, and compatibility patches. They protect your store and improve its efficiency.
The key Magento 2 upgrade and maintenance services include:
A structured maintenance plan ensures your store remains secure, fast, and compatible with evolving technologies. It protects your revenue and provides a consistent customer experience.
You can, of course, get our eCommerce website maintenance services to maintain the security and performance of your Magento 2 store.
Optimizing your Magento 2 store is not something you can do and then sit back and relax. It’s going to be an ongoing commitment to your customers and your bottom line. You make technical improvements that translate into tangible business advantages. Like, higher conversion rates, improved customer loyalty, and stronger search engine visibility.
From server configuration to front-end code, you need to methodically analyze and address the bottlenecks. Begin with an audit, prioritize the most impactful changes, and establish a routine for monitoring and maintenance.
Connect with our experts for professional assistance. Start your optimization journey today!
Your hosting infrastructure is the foundation. Without adequate server resources (CPU, RAM, SSD), even the best code-level optimizations will have limited impact.
Varnish is a full-page caching solution that serves pages instantly without processing PHP requests. It’s essential for high-traffic stores and provides the most dramatic speed improvement.
Yes. Poorly coded extensions add overhead through redundant database queries and heavy JavaScript. Regularly audit and remove any non-essential extensions.
Schedule regular monthly maintenance to clean log files and optimize database tables. For high-volume stores, consider weekly cleanups to prevent performance degradation.
Ankur Shah is a tech-savvy expert specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a deep understanding of WooCommerce and Shopify, he helps businesses optimize their online stores for success. Whether it's implementing new features or troubleshooting issues, Ankur is your go-to guy for all things eCommerce.
