How to speed up CS-Cart
by Irina KedyarovaOctober 20th, 2023
Summary
What influences on CS-Cart speed?
The ways to speed up CS-Cart
What is Lightning Commerce? How can we speed up CS-Cart using Lightning Commerce?
Alt-team’s offer to upgrade Cs-Cart website
FAQs
Scroll to read all the article.
CS-Cart is a robust e-commerce platform that allows businesses to create and manage their online stores effectively. However, to ensure a seamless shopping experience for your customers, it's essential to speed up your CS-Cart store, as website performance has always been a weak point of this CMS.
This problem existed many years ago. Alt-team developers wrote an article on this topic in 2019.
Official CS-Cart developers have added some improvements in new CS-Cart versions since 2022, and CS-Cart starts working faster, but it’s still not ideal, and we can find such posts on official CS-Cart forums in August 2023.
In this article, we will explore various strategies to optimize your CS-Cart website for improved performance, from cleaning up unnecessary data to mobile optimization, server and hosting optimization, content optimization, and more.
What influences CS-Cart speed?
Development standards are constantly changing. The main problem with CS-Cart is its architecture. It was a modern solution 15 years ago, but now developers use a more flexible architecture in their development.
If you use CS-Cart editions: CS-Cart or MultiVendor, you should know some tips on how to make your CS-Cart store faster.
Let's explore the key elements that influence CS-Cart speed:
1. Web Hosting Environment
Your choice of web hosting has a significant impact on your CS-Cart store's speed. Here's how:
Server Type
Server Location
Server Performance
2. CS-Cart versions and third-party add-ons and extensions
The code you use for your CS-Cart store also contributes to its speed:
CS-Cart Version
Third-party Add-Ons and Extensions
3. Website Design and Development
The way your CS-Cart store is designed and developed has a profound effect on its speed:
Responsive Design
Image Optimization
CSS and JavaScript Optimization
4. Database Efficiency
The efficiency of your store's database operations is vital for speed:
Database Optimization
Caching
5. Content Delivery
How your website's content is delivered to users influences its speed:
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Browser Caching:
6. Security Measures
While security is essential, overly complex or resource-intensive security measures can impact your store's speed:
SSL Certificates
Security Plugins
7. Mobile Optimization
Given the increasing use of mobile devices for online shopping, optimizing your CS-Cart store for mobile users is crucial:
Responsive Design
Image Optimization
Mobile-Friendly Navigation
By addressing these factors and regularly monitoring your CS-Cart store's performance, you can improve its speed and provide a better user experience for your customers. Speed optimization is an ongoing process, and staying up-to-date with the latest best practices is essential for long-term success in e-commerce.
How is website performance connected to the SEO of the website?
The ways to speed up CS-Cart
Website speed is a critical factor that can significantly impact the user experience, search engine rankings, and ultimately, your bottom line. If you're running a CS-Cart store, ensuring that your website loads quickly is paramount. Here are several effective ways to speed up your CS-Cart store:
1. Web Hosting
Your choice of web hosting is fundamental to your store's speed. Consider the following hosting aspects:
Hosting Plan
Server Location
Server Performance
Alt-team can’t recommend any hosting provider in this article as we don’t know your budget or your website's specifics, and we don’t want to advertise any hosting company in public. But we have a list of trusted hosting providers for our team members and hosting plans that we met on our clients’ projects, and we can share our findings and experiences in private chat. Just contact us.
2. Optimize Images
Images are often the heaviest elements on a webpage and can significantly slow down your CS-Cart store. Here's how to optimize them:
Image Compression
Responsive Images
Image optimization seeks to produce high-quality images with the smallest possible file size. Three major factors are at work here:
Image file size (JPEG vs. PNG vs. WEBP images)
Image compression level
Image height and width
By balancing the three, you may reduce picture size and boost page performance.
We recommend using image compression services or special CS-Cart add-ons. There are several image compression add-ons on the official CS-Cart marketplace that you can buy and use for your website.
Pay attention, CS-Cart recommends using only JPG, PNG, and GIF formats on your web store. The less image weight, the better for any website.
But sometimes it’s impossible to reduce the image quality or refuse to use video content on the website because images are the most important part of the business.
We have the case in the portfolio - development of the website for Interior Design Studio. Previously, they had a website based on CS-Cart but it was impossible to use high-resolution images and videos on CS-Cart and not lose website performance on mobile devices. Read more about this project and why CS-Cart was not a good solution for their online business.
3. CSS and JavaScript Optimization
Optimizing CSS and JavaScript files can reduce the number of HTTP requests and speed up page loading:
Minify Files
Combine Files
Here, you need a CS-Cart developer to help you with CSS and JavaScript optimization. Contact us for a free consultation on this task.
4. Browser Caching
A web browser must first load several files, including the logo, banner ads, CSS files, and others, before it can display your shop. The browser will open your online store more quickly if it keeps track of the resources it has previously used.
CS-Cart developers usually work with .htacess file to solve this problem.
5. Database Optimization
Optimising the database is another technique to boost performance. The procedure defragments the data file and frees up space. How much empty space can be retrieved will determine how effective this approach is.
In the CS-Cart administration panel, go to Administration → Backup/Restore.
Click the gear button → Optimize database.
Alt-team has already written about Database Optimization in the article https://alt-team.com/blogs/how-to-speed-up-cs-cart-server-details/
6. Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) can improve your website in a few key ways. It speeds up how fast your site loads, helps it grow as needed, and keeps it secure. By putting your content closer to your users, a CDN reduces delays, which makes users happier, more engaged, and more likely to stick around. It can also boost your site's search engine rankings and how many visitors become customers.
We usually use CDN from Amazon for many reasons, but there are many free and cheaper CDN solutions that we can also recommend to our clients when discussing their projects.
7. Upgrade to the Latest CS-Cart Version and third-party add-ons
Always use the latest version of CS-Cart as it often includes performance improvements and security updates. Upgrading can lead to a noticeable increase in speed and protection against vulnerabilities.
We give the same advice connected with third-party add-ons that you download or buy on the CS-Cart marketplace. If you have some website speed problems, first inspect the add-ons you have, switch off or on the extra add-ons, and check the website page speed without them. Using this method, you can detect add-ons that make your website slower.
8. Mobile Optimization
Given the increasing use of mobile devices for online shopping, optimizing for mobile users is crucial:
Responsive Design
Mobile Image Optimization
It’s the main pain in CS-Cart. Working with CS-Cart for 12 years, we have met only several CS-Cart stores that are in the green zone on mobiles for the Google Page Speed Insight service. The first problem with such an issue is the very expensive task of improving CS-Cart website performance on mobiles, and there is no guarantee that it will always fast on mobiles as when the website traffic increases or there are millions of products on the store, the website page loading speed becomes slower and slower.
9. Regular Testing and Monitoring
Continuously monitor and test your CS-Cart store's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and uptime monitoring services. This helps you identify performance bottlenecks and take the necessary action.
Alt-team has worked with CS-Cart page loading since 2019, and our team has made many third-party add-ons for CS-Cart.
This year, we have come to the perfect solution on how to increase CS-Cart using our revolutionary solution - Lightning Commerce.
What is Lightning Commerce? How can we speed up CS-Cart using Lightning Commerce?
Lightning Commerce is an ideal solution for CS-Cart page speed increasing that meets all Google recommendations and makes your website fast and SEO-friendly.
Lightning Commerce has a lot of advantages for those who want to speed up their CS-Cart stores. That is essential for long-term success in the competitive world of e-commerce.
You can find detailed information about Lightning Commerce in our article.
Alt-team’s offer to upgrade Cs-Cart website
Alt-team can propose an all-encompassing CS-Cart website upgrade, tailor-made to meet your specific needs and aspirations.
If you are interested in upgrading your website, please Contact us to get our detailed offer for you.
Best Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Website speed is crucial in e-commerce as it directly affects user experience. Faster-loading pages lead to lower bounce rates, higher conversion rates, and increased customer satisfaction. Additionally, search engines consider speed as a ranking factor, influencing your site's visibility in search results.
You can use various online tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom to assess your website's speed and performance. These tools provide detailed reports and recommendations for optimization.
Image optimization is essential for faster load times. Techniques include compressing images, using modern formats like WebP, employing responsive images, and lazy loading (loading images only when they are in the user's viewport).
Using a CDN is highly beneficial. CDNs distribute your website's content across multiple servers globally, reducing server load and minimizing latency for users in different locations. This leads to faster page loading times and a better user experience.
Regularly updating your CS-Cart software is essential for improved performance and security. It's recommended to stay up to date with the latest versions and apply updates promptly. Newer versions often include performance enhancements and fixes for vulnerabilities.
In summary, optimizing the speed and performance of your CS-Cart store is essential for enhancing user experience and search engine visibility. By focusing on web hosting, image and content optimization, efficient coding, and mobile responsiveness, you can create a faster, more competitive e-commerce site. Regular monitoring and staying updated with best practices are crucial for long-term success in the ever-evolving online marketplace.
Want to increase CS-Cart speed?Contact Alt-team developers
Leave your comment
Your feedback is very important to us. Share your thoughts on what you read, or tell your own story.
Rating
Readers also enjoyed
In today's digital age, e-commerce has revolutionized the way businesses operate and consumers shop. One significant development in the e-commerce landscape is the emergence of multivendor marketplaces. These platforms have gained immense popularity due to their ability to connect sellers with a vast pool of customers and provide a seamless shopping experience. This article delves into the concept of multivendor marketplaces, exploring their benefits, challenges, and their impact on the e-commerce ecosystem.
July 17th, 2023
In the ever-evolving world of web development and technology, the Jamstack has emerged as a powerful approach for building fast, secure, and scalable websites. As businesses strive to provide seamless user experiences and leverage the latest advancements in web development, the need for Jamstack agencies has become increasingly important. In this article, we will explore the concept of a Jamstack agency, its benefits, and why it can be a game-changer for your web development projects.
July 14th, 2023
In the fast-paced world of web development, staying ahead of the curve is essential. One approach that has gained significant attention is Jamstack CMS. This article aims to unravel the concept of Jamstack CMS, its advantages, implementation best practices, and more. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a content creator looking to enhance your website's performance, join us as we dive into the fascinating realm of Jamstack CMS. By the end of this article, you'll have a solid understanding of how Jamstack CMS can revolutionize your web development workflow. So, let's embark on this journey and unlock the potential of Jamstack CMS together!
July 13th, 2023
Contact Us
Our email is manager@alt-team.com
Please, do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail or use the form below if you need a quote for your E-commerce project or have any questions about our products or services. We will be glad to answer you in a short time.