Shopify Performance, Engineered Not Bolted On
A fast storefront converts better, ranks better, and costs less to run. SDG treats Core Web Vitals, speed, and reliability as a baseline of the build, not an afterthought, on Liquid and headless alike. A current Shopify Platinum Partner, building on Shopify since 2006.
Experience behind the work
Core Web Vitals as a baseline, not a project
Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift are not a one-time cleanup, they are a property of how a storefront is built.
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We engineer for them from the start: disciplined asset loading, image and font strategy, deferred and minimal JavaScript, and layouts that do not shift, so the store is fast on real devices, not just in a lab.
Fast on Liquid and headless alike
Speed is not a reason to go headless, and headless is not automatically fast.
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We make Liquid storefronts genuinely quick, and when a build runs on Hydrogen and Oxygen we engineer it to hit performance budgets most teams miss. We have delivered storefronts that hold under national-scale traffic, where slow is the same as broken. Explore our development and conversion practices, or use the Shopify CRO audit checklist to review speed in the wider buying journey.
Measured against real users
We optimize against field data, not just synthetic scores: Core Web Vitals as Google measures them, on the devices and networks your customers actually use. We set performance budgets, monitor them, and keep them from regressing as the store grows, because a fast launch that decays is not a win.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shopify performance engineering?
It is building and tuning a Shopify storefront so it loads fast and stays fast: optimizing Core Web Vitals, asset and JavaScript delivery, images, fonts, and layout stability, engineered into the build rather than patched on later.
What are Core Web Vitals?
Google’s user-experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint (loading), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). They affect both user experience and search ranking.
Can you speed up our existing Shopify store?
Yes. We audit the storefront with field and lab data, identify what is actually slowing it down, and remediate in code, from render-blocking assets and oversized images to heavy apps and layout shift.
Does performance affect SEO and conversion?
Yes. Core Web Vitals are a Google ranking signal, and faster stores consistently convert better. Performance is one of the highest-leverage investments in both traffic and revenue.
Is headless required for a fast Shopify store?
No. We make Liquid storefronts genuinely fast, and we also build performant headless storefronts on Hydrogen and Oxygen. The right architecture depends on your needs, not on speed alone.
How do you keep performance from regressing?
We set performance budgets and monitor them, so new features, apps, and content do not quietly erode speed over time. A fast launch only matters if it stays fast.
Everything your store needs, from one senior team
SDG is a full-service Shopify partner. The same senior engineers and designers behind enterprise replatforms also take on focused projects, ongoing support, and everything in between — for brands large and small. One accountable team, end to end.
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Strategy & architecture
Platform evaluation, TCO, roadmaps, and technical architecture grounded in two decades on Shopify.
Explore serviceUX/UI design
Brand-led storefront design and interface work, engineered to convert as well as it looks.
Explore serviceStorefront development
Theme and fully custom front-end builds, from a single template to a complete storefront.
Explore serviceHeadless & composable
Hydrogen, Oxygen, and custom React storefronts engineered to hit performance budgets others miss.
Explore serviceReplatforming & migrations
Moves onto Shopify and Shopify Plus with reconciled data, cutover rehearsals, and recovery planning for complex retail catalogs.
Explore serviceSystems & data integration
ERP, OMS, PIM, CRM, and bespoke middleware — the back-office systems global retail runs on.
Explore servicePerformance engineering
Core Web Vitals, speed, and reliability treated as a baseline, not an afterthought.
Explore serviceShopify SEO
Technical SEO, site architecture, and structured data so the right buyers find your store.
Explore serviceCRO & experimentation
Conversion-rate optimization and A/B testing that turn existing traffic into more revenue.
Explore serviceSupport & retainers
Ongoing monthly support, maintenance, and enhancement — a senior team on call for your store.
Explore serviceAccessibility
WCAG-compliant builds and audits, so your storefront works for every customer.
Explore serviceApps & custom functionality
Custom Shopify apps, checkout extensions, and bespoke features the platform doesn’t ship out of the box.
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