Speed Up Magento 2 [9 Easy Steps]

Patience is a virtue of eons ago. Everything has to happen NOW!

Google is obsessed with speed and hence decided to include site speed as one of their signals for the ranking algorithms.

Visually appealing designs, seamless checkout, and attractive offers aren’t enough anymore for Magento 2 websites! So, you need to speed up Magento 2 store.

Check what Jeremy Wagner has to say about performance and speed:

• COOK increased conversions by 7%, decreased bounce rates by 7%, and increased pages per session by 10% when they reduced average page load time by 850 milliseconds.
• The BBC found they lost an additional 10% of users for every additional second their site took to load.
• DoubleClick by Google found 53% of mobile site visits were abandoned if a page took longer than 3 seconds to load.

When it comes to Magento 2, the admin needs to take care of a few things while setting up the store in order to speed up Magento 2. The tutorial includes every point you need to implement for Magento 2 performance optimization. You can also do ultimate website audit checklist to make your website perform well in all aspects.

For Magento 2 speed optimization, keep a check on excess customization, make the most out of default features forMagento 2 speed optimization.

But, before starting the process, check the current speed of the store using WebPageTest, GTMetrix, or Google PageSpeed Insights in order to compare the results. You can refer to the guide to optimize the Magento store for Google Page Speed Insights.

How to Speed Up Magento 2:

1. Update Magento 2 version
2. Switch to PHP 7
3. Enable Varnish Cache
4. Set Flat Categories and Products
5. Advance Javascript and CSS
6. Set up Content Delivery Network
7. Turn Production Mode on
8. Use a lightweight theme and optimized images
9. Check the 3rd party extensions for bugs before installing them in the store.

Let’s get going to boost your Magento 2 store performance optimization! 😃

1. Check for Magento 2 Upgrade

• Log in to Admin Panel
• Check the current version of your Magento 2 from the dashboard as shown here. If there are any updates, you can see its notifications at the bell icon in the upper right corner. Check them for any necessary updates and download the latest Magento 2 version.

2. Switch to PHP 7

• Magento 2.3.3 supports PHP 7.3.x
• Improve the performance with the 7th version of PHP as compared to PHP 5.6 that is supported by Magento 2.

3. Magento 2 Varnish Configuration

• Magento 2 supports Full Page Cache via Varnish natively.
• Enable the option to transfer much more traffic without load speed losses. In production mode, the option will take over caching of most of the website content.

4. Set Flat Categories and Products

• A limitation of Magento 2 is the read speed of the database. However, overcome it by enabling the Flat Catalog option from Stores > Configuration > Catalog tab > Catalog > Storefront. Save the below configuration and clear the cache.

5. JavaScript Minification and Merge/Minify CSS

• Navigate to Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Developer > JavaScript Settings
• Make the changes in the below configuration as shown in the image:
  • Expand the CSS Settings and enable the Merge CSS Files and Minify CSS Files as shown here:
• The above configuration makes the code read-through and execution faster.

Also you can eliminate render blocking resources in Magento 2 as they significantly affect the loading speed of your store.

6. Set up Content Delivery Network

• Add HTTPS URLs from Stores > Configuration > General > Web > Base URLs (Secure) as shown below:

7. Turn Production Mode on

• Magento 2 can be operated from any of the three modes: default, developer, and production. The default and developer modes are used for debugging and never for the live site. However, the production mode is the fastest.
• Get the SSH details from your hosting provider to find what mode your store is running in now. Run the below command:
  php bin/magento deploy:mode:show
• Run it once inside the root Magento folder.
• To set the production mode, issue the below command:
  php bin/magento deploy:mode:set production

8. Use a lightweight theme and optimized images

• Use a lightweight theme as per your requirements and taste.
• Use compressed images.
• Use PNG or SVG format for the logo.
• Use JPEG format for the product images.

9. Check the 3rd party extensions for bugs before installing them in the store.

• Try to find a 3rd party extensions that fulfill your requirements and are bug-free. If you find any issues, try resolving them as soon as possible. If that’s not possible, uninstall the extension.

Keep the above points in mind while setting up a store to speed up Magento 2. Also focus on other Magento website maintenance tips and offer an optimized store for a rich customer shopping experience! 🚀

In case you’re not tech savvy and finding it difficult to speed up Magento 2, you can also avail Meetanshi’s Magento Speed Optimization Service to get your online store boosted like a pro!

If you find any difficulties in the implementation of any of the above points, don’t hesitate to mention them in the Comments section below and I’d be happy to help.