1/23/2025

Improving Cumulative Layout Shift on Your Shopify Site: Tips and Tricks

Are you running a Shopify store that’s struggling with layout shifts? Does your website feel a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that’s still being put together when customers arrive? If so, you're not alone! Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a common issue that can lead to FRUSTRATION for your users, increased bounce rates, and ultimately lower sales. Let’s dive into some practical tips & tricks to IMPROVE your CLS and ensure your Shopify site is a smooth and visually STABLE experience.

Understanding Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS measures how much a page's content shifts during loading. If elements like buttons, images, or text suddenly move while a user is trying to interact, it can lead to accidental clicks and a poor experience. Google indicates that scoring under 0.1 for CLS is the goal for a great user experience!

Cumulative Layout Shift is part of Google's Core Web Vitals and is crucial for indicating the quality of your pages. Below are some common factors that might be contributing to a HIGH CLS in your Shopify store:

Images Without Dimensions: Often images load without predefined dimensions, leading to unexpected layout changes when they finally render.
Injected Content: Adding dynamic content via third-party widgets that haven't reserved space can kick existing content around.
Layout Changes from Ads: If you’re using ads or promotions on your site, these can show or hide without leaving reserved space, causing shifts.
Fonts Swapping: When a web font is loading, it may lead to text appearing in multiple sizes during load.
JavaScript Execution: If scripts change size or position without accounting for their eventual size, you’ll see shifts in layout during page interactions.

To effectively tackle the CLS issue, here are some GREAT TIPS & TRICKS you can implement right away!

1. Specify Image Dimensions

One of the simplest ways to help reduce CLS is by always setting width & height attributes on your

<img>

tags. This tells the browser how much space to reserve for the images before they load, minimizing unexpected shifts. If you're using the Shopify Dawn Theme, you can use the Liquid

image_tag

method to automatically include necessary dimensions. This will help avoid layout shifts caused by images loading in later.

2. Use Proper CSS Techniques

Using CSS to set a minimum height on dynamically injected elements can help mitigate movement of existing content. If you’re using third-party apps or ads to inject content, make sure you use flexible CSS that reserves space for those elements. Creating a container that has a specific minimum height will ensure that elements do not shift once they render.

Example:

css
.dynamic-container {
    min-height: 200px;
}

This way, there’s always SPACE for the content that’s being added!

3. Reduce Lazy Loading of Above-the-Fold Content

While lazy loading is a GREAT technique to speed up page loading times by deferring lower-priority images & resources, it can have unintended consequences on the CLS score. Keep your critical images above the fold non-lazy to ensure they load as quickly as possible, giving a consistent experience.

4. Avoid Injecting Content Above Existing Content

Try to avoid inserting dynamic content above stable content. If your ads, scripts, or apps load new content without warning, users will notice the shift when trying to interact with static elements. Ideally, place any newly injected content below static content areas to keep the user experience smooth.

5. Optimize Font Loading

Fonts can also be a significant player in the CLS game. Use CSS to provide a fallback font while your custom font loads, and ensure the fonts you're using are delivered efficiently. This practice prevents layout shifts caused by font swapping. To do this efficiently, consider strategies such as font-display: swap, which minimizes visibility shifts between font rendering.

6. Monitor Third-Party Scripts

Excessive third-party scripts can be a heavy burden on load times and lead to layout shifts. Review your installed apps and scripts. Disable or remove any that are unnecessary or causing too many shifts. Moreover, ensure that any essential scripts are loaded efficiently, preferably in the body of your HTML rather than the , if possible.

7. Utilize the Shopify Web Performance Dashboard

Make use of the Shopify Web Performance Dashboard to gain insights into what’s causing CSS shifts on your site. This tool can highlight specific elements and help guide you on what to optimize to improve your CLS score. Using tools like Google Pagespeed Insights will also help in analyzing your site’s layout stability.

8. Prioritize Visible Content

Making sure that the most important information is loaded first will not only enhance your website’s loading speed but also improve the user experience. Consider using optimized images, limiting content above-the-fold to essentials, or leveraging techniques to preload above-the-fold content effectively. This approach results in faster engagement and lowers CLS.

9. Use Web Fonts Carefully

If you are using web fonts, ensure the appropriate fallback fonts are in place to avoid layout shifts when the custom fonts load. Set up styles in CSS to reserve space for various font sizes to account for different font loading conditions to maintain stability across your site.

10. Regular Maintenance & Updates

Lastly, ensure to regularly check on your Shopify store for updates and optimizations. Keeping your theme, apps, and scripts optimized ensures that you are providing the best experience while preventing performance degradation due to outdated elements.

Introducing Arsturn: Your Solution for Engagement

While optimizing your website's performance is crucial, why not also ENHANCE customer interaction? Consider integrating a custom AI chatbot from Arsturn. Not only does it engage your audience with instant responses, but it can also help manage frequently asked questions, assist with conversions, and ultimately improve YOUR overall engagement metrics. Imagine capturing leads while visitors scroll through your site!

With Arsturn, you can create a chatbot that reflects your brand identity, seamlessly integrates with your Shopify store, and provides 24/7 assistance. So, while you enhance your CLS, why not add an ef-fect-ive way to engage users before they leave? Check out Arsturn today to see how you can revolutionize your user experience without any coding!

Conclusion

Improving Cumulative Layout Shift on your Shopify site isn’t just about reducing bounce rates—it’s about creating a truly seamless experience for your users. Following these tips & tricks will help create a more stable environment for your customers, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates. Remember to leverage the right tools, monitor your site regularly, and consider implementing intelligent chat solutions like Arsturn to take your Shopify store to the next level.

Let's make those layout shifts a thing of the past!