Performance

Maison is built to be lightweight: it doesn't include any external JavaScript library, each component loads only its own code, and the page displays before scripts run. Key pages are audited with Lighthouse, following the Theme Store method, with every new version.

What the theme does

• The first image on the page (hero, image with text, product gallery) is loaded with priority. Images further down load as you scroll.
• Images are served at the right size for each screen, by Shopify's CDN.
• Recommendations and YouTube / Vimeo players only load when they're needed.
• The layout doesn't shift while the page loads.

What slows a store down

Most of the time, it isn't the theme but:

• Apps: each app adds its scripts to every page. Uninstall the ones you no longer use, and check that they removed their code.
• Pixels and tracking tools (advertising, analytics) added in SettingsCustomer events.
• Oversized images: Shopify optimizes them, but a 20 MB image still takes a long time to process.
• Autoplaying videos at the top of the page.

Best practices

• Upload images about 2,400px wide for full-width bands and 1,600 to 2,000px for products. There's no need to go larger.
• Prefer a single-image hero to a five-image slideshow.
• Use the focal point settings rather than images cropped for each screen.
• Limit the sections on your home page to what really matters.

Your store's speed report is in Online StoreThemes and in your analytics reports. It reflects your visitors' real experience, including apps.