Content
SPEED UP YOUR SITE
WITH UXIFY
On average:
✅ 68% Faster loading
✅ 30% Fewer layout shifts
✅ 16% Quicker interactions
Convert 20% more with
faster loads
Speed is everything in ecommerce. A slow store means fewer sales, higher bounce rates, and frustrated customers. Google knows this too — faster sites rank better in search results. That’s why Shopify store owners are always on the lookout for ways to make their stores faster.
One of the latest web technologies promising a big leap in speed is the Speculation Rules API. It helps pre-load pages before a visitor clicks, making navigation feel instant. In theory, it sounds amazing. In practice? Well, it’s not quite plug-and-play.
Let’s break it down.
What is the Speculation Rules API?
The Speculation Rules API is a browser feature that tells Chrome which pages should be prefetched or prerendered. By predicting where a user will go next, it can cut loading times to nearly zero when they actually click.
For a detailed explanation, check out our article: How to Use Speculation Rules API to Load Web Pages Instantly
How to implement the Speculation Rules API in Shopify
If you want to implement the Speculation Rules API manually in your Shopify store, follow these steps:
Step 1: Add the Speculation Rules Script to Your Theme
Shopify allows you to insert custom scripts into your theme's <head>. Navigate to your Shopify admin panel and go to:
1. Online Store → Themes
2. Click Edit Code on your active theme
3. Open the theme.liquid file
Step 2: Customize the Rules for Your Store
Modify the href_matches value to match the pages you want to preload. For example:
/collections/.* to preload collection pages
/products/.* to preload product pages
Step 3: Test and Monitor Performance
Once the script is added, test it using Chrome DevTools:
1. Open your store in Chrome
2. Press F12 (or right-click → Inspect)
3. Go to Application → Speculative loads to see if your pages are being preloaded correctly
The challenge of keeping Speculation Rules working
Implementing the Speculation Rules API isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. Here’s why:
1. Preloading the wrong pages can hurt performance
If you preload too many pages that users never visit, it wastes bandwidth and slows things down instead of speeding them up.
2. Keeping rules up-to-date requires substantial time and effort
Your Shopify store changes constantly—new products, collections, and promotions. Your speculation rules need to adapt in real time, or they’ll become outdated fast.
3. Shopify apps and third-party scripts interfere
Many Shopify apps modify page URLs, redirects, or add dynamic content. This can break your speculation rules or make them ineffective.
The better way: Navigation AI
Instead of manually wrestling with speculation rules, Uxify’s Navigation AI does the heavy lifting for you:
✅ Automatically adapts to your Shopify store – No need to manually update rules every time your store changes.
✅ Smart preloading that improves engagement – Navigation AI learns which pages customers are most likely to visit next and preloads only those, preventing unnecessary bandwidth waste.
✅ Works with Shopify’s dynamic nature – Whether you have 10 products or 10,000, Navigation AI optimizes preloading for the best performance.
✅ No coding required – Just insert a small JavaScript snippet into the <head> of your site, and Uxify's AI takes it from there. Installation takes under 2 minutes, making it effortless to get started.
✅ Proven performance boost – Uxify effortlessly delivers on average:
68% better LCP (Largest Contentful Paint - speed of loading)
30% better CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift - visual stability)
16% better INP (Interaction to Next Paint - speed of interaction)
The Bottom Line
Yes, the Speculation Rules API can make Shopify stores blazing fast. But keeping it working properly is a full-time job. Instead of micromanaging preloading rules, let Uxify’s Navigation AI do it for you.
🔹 Faster load times, happier customers, and higher conversions—without the hassle.
Want to see it in action? Try Navigation AI today!
Vasil combines his background as a software developer with a talent for solving complex performance challenges. At Uxify, he’s dedicated to breaking down intricate web performance issues into simple, actionable solutions, ensuring every client gets the best results. With Vasil on your side, achieving a faster, smoother website experience is always within reach.