A store I worked on · Consumer Electronics Retailer · Shopify Plus
Three apps and their leftover code removed
Three apps came out and I rebuilt what they did in the theme. Code left behind by apps the store had already uninstalled came out too.
The result
Fully loaded time
1.5s
was 37.3s · 96% less
Files loaded
33
was 227 · 194 removed
Page size
847 KB
was 4.98 MB · 83% smaller
GTmetrix grade
A (95%)
was D (64%)
Measured with GTmetrix, a page-speed testing tool: one report before and one after.
Situation
Years of app installs had piled code on top of code. Some of those apps were gone. Their code wasn't.
What I did
I went through every file the page loaded and sorted it into two groups: apps still in use whose job the theme could do itself, and leftover code from apps the store had already uninstalled.
- A page builder: the header call to action, the add-to-cart buttons and the product page tabs, rebuilt as theme sections
- A checkout button app: replaced with theme code
- An SEO app: replaced with theme code
I also found code from apps that were no longer installed, still asking for files that weren't there on every page. I deleted it.
Results
| Measure | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully loaded time | 37.3s | 1.5s | 96% less |
| Files loaded | 227 | 33 | 194 removed |
| Page size | 4.98 MB | 847 KB | 83% smaller |
| GTmetrix grade | D (64%) | A (95%) | D to A |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The takeaway
The 194 files didn't need to be compressed. They needed to be deleted.
Three apps came out: a page builder, a checkout button and an SEO app. Their jobs now run in the theme, and the store's team changes them in the theme editor, with no app and no developer. Leftover code from apps the store had already uninstalled was cleaned up during the theme rebuild.
I don't have their app bills on file, so I don't put a number on the savings.
How I work on a live store: the work arrives on an unpublished copy of your theme, and nothing changes for shoppers until you decide it goes live.
Is your store carrying code like this?
The Diagnostic Audit measures every app your store loads. It starts with a free 30-minute call, where I confirm the price: $500, $1,000 or $1,500 depending on your store. The written report arrives within 7 business days.