Lazy loading is a method that waits for the user interaction before loading the graphics and images, thus enhancing the page load speed and user experience to a great extent. In the case of an e-commerce Shopify store, lazy loading of images and graphics speeds up the loading process, saves a lot of bandwidth and allows customers to easily navigate through the pages. In this tutorial, we will show you how to add lazy load images to your Shopify theme, the advantages of doing so, and some FAQs to clear any queries that you may have.
Why Use Lazy Loading on Shopify?
Lazy loading can make your Shopify store more efficient by:
Improving Page Speed: By loading images only when they are about to appear on the user’s screen, you reduce the initial page load time.
Enhancing User Experience: Faster load times make browsing smoother, especially for users with slower internet connections, leading to higher engagement and lower bounce rates.
SEO Benefits: Google considers page speed as a ranking factor, so implementing lazy loading can potentially boost your SEO rankings.
Step-by-Step Guide: Adding Lazy Load to Shopify Theme
There are multiple ways to add lazy loading to your Shopify theme. Below, we discuss the most common methods:
1. Using JavaScript and jQuery
The simplest way to implement lazy loading is by adding a JavaScript file to your theme:
Step 1: Go to your Shopify Admin panel.
Step 2: Go to the Online Store and then Themes.
Step 3: After that, click on Actions and select Edit Code.
Step 4: In the Layout folder, open theme.liquid.
Step 5: Add the following script before the </head> tag:
This script loads the necessary jQuery library to enable lazy loading on your store.
2. Adding Lazy Load to Specific Images
If you prefer to apply lazy loading selectively, you can do so by adding the lazyload class to the images you want to defer:
Step 1: Locate the image tag in your theme files.
Step 2: Replace the src attribute with data-src, and add a placeholder image in the src attribute:
This code snippet ensures that images are only loaded when they are about to appear in the viewport.
3. Implementing Lazy Loading via JavaScript in Assets
For a more comprehensive solution, you can add a JavaScript snippet to your theme’s assets:
Step 1: First, go to Assets and then access the theme.js file (or a similar JavaScript file).
Step 2: Add the following code:
4. Using Shopify Apps
If coding isn’t your forte, you can use Shopify apps to implement lazy loading:
Loadify: With this application, you can improve your Shopify store by incorporating lazy loading, adding loading customisable screens, and instilling seamless page transitions.
TinyIMG: Besides lazy loading, TinyIMG offers image optimisation, SEO enhancements, and more.
Suggested Read:
Best Practices for Lazy Loading
Avoid Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Content: The use of lazy loading for images that are situated above the fold (the area that is visible on the screen before scrolling down) is mostly discouraged in order to avoid causing any shifts in the layout and to optimise the displayed loading speed.
Test Your Implementation: Do a series of tests on the store for different device and browser settings after you have made changes and added lazy loading. Perform a check with Google PageSpeed Insights to see if the images are appropriately lazy-loaded.
Combine with Image Optimization: Lazy loading works better when other optimisation strategies, such as image quality reduction and the use of responsive images, are employed.
It is best to add lazy loading to a Shopify theme to make the store work more efficiently and provide a good visual experience to visitors. Be it coding it to the site or simply using a Shopify app, the advantages of knowing how to lazy load an image in Shopify are quite visible: faster load times, low usage of bandwidth and more fun for the customers doing their shopping. Loading images only when needed can be advantageous to the performance of your Shopify store, assist in enhancing the SEO rankings of the website, and ultimately increase sales.
