6 Magento Performance Mistakes E-commerce Stores Make

Growing an online store is exciting, but it comes with a hidden trap. A site that felt “lightning fast” when you first launched can start to feel sluggish as you add more products and get more customers.

If you’re using Magento (Adobe Commerce), you have a powerful engine under the hood. But just like a high-performance car, it needs the right tuning to stay fast. Most speed issues aren’t because of “too much traffic” they’re usually caused by “technical clutter.”

Here are the most common mistakes we see and how to fix them.

 

6 Magento Performance Mistakes Growing E-commerce Stores Keep Making

 

1. Using Too Many Extensions

In Magento, it’s tempting to buy a new extension for every little feature you want. Need a popup? Buy an extension. Want a countdown timer? Get another one.

The Problem: Every extension adds a little bit of weight. Some are poorly written and “fight” with each other behind the scenes. Having 50 extensions is like trying to run a marathon while carrying 50 pounds of luggage. In practical audits, this is often the first issue uncovered during Magento performance reviews, including those conducted by engineers at Ouranos Technologies.

The Fix:

• Do a “Spring Cleaning”: Once every few months, look at your list of extensions. If you aren’t using one, delete it (don’t just disable it).
• Ask a Pro: Before buying a “cheap” extension, ask a developer if they can build a simple version instead. Often, a custom “lightweight” fix is better than a “heavy” pre-made one.

 

2. Incorrect Cache Settings

Imagine if every time a customer asked for a product page, your server had to build that page from scratch. That’s what happens without proper caching.

The Problem: Without a “cheat sheet” (cache), your server works too hard. This leads to a long delay before the page even starts to load.

The Fix:

• Use Varnish: This is a tool that saves a “snapshot” of your pages so they can be handed to customers instantly.
• Use Redis: This is like a “fast-access memory” for your server. It’s much faster than saving data to a hard drive.

 

3. Database Clutter

Magento is very flexible with how it stores product info (colors, sizes, prices). But this flexibility makes the database very complex.

The Problem: As you add more products, the database gets “cluttered.” Also, if your site is set to update prices the very second you hit “Save” in the admin panel, it can cause the whole site to lag.

The Fix:

• Change the Schedule: Set your site to “Update by Schedule” instead of “Update on Save.” This lets the server handle updates in the background when it’s not busy.
• Clean the Logs: Magento keeps a record of almost everything. If you don’t clear out old “visitor logs,” your database will eventually move like molasses.

 

4. Large Product Images

We all want beautiful, high-resolution product photos. But a photo that looks great on a 30-inch monitor can be a nightmare for a customer on a 5G phone.

The Problem: Uploading a massive, 3MB photo from a professional camera will kill your page speed. If a page takes more than 3 seconds to load, most shoppers will just leave.

The Fix:

• Use WebP: This is a modern photo format. It looks just as good as a regular photo but is about half the size.
• Lazy Loading: This tells the site: “Don’t load the bottom photos until the customer actually scrolls down to see them.”

 

5. Using Developer Mode on Live Sites

Magento has a “Developer Mode” for building the site and a “Production Mode” for actual customers.

The Problem: You’d be surprised how many live stores are accidentally left in “Developer Mode.” In this mode, the site is constantly “checking its own work,” which makes it incredibly slow for shoppers.

The Fix: * Ask your tech team to double-check that the site is in Production Mode. It’s like flipping a “Go Fast” switch.

 

6. Heavy Website Themes

The “look” of your store is controlled by its “Theme.” Many popular themes you buy online are “Kitchen Sink” themes they include every feature imaginable, most of which you’ll never use.

The Problem: These themes load hundreds of files that your customers don’t need, making the site feel heavy and “janky” on mobile phones.

The Fix:

• Think Light: If you’re rebuilding your site, look into Hyvä Themes. It’s a modern way of building Magento stores that strips away all the old, heavy “junk” code. It’s the difference between wearing a heavy winter coat and a light t-shirt.

 

Conclusion

Most Magento performance problems don’t show up overnight. They creep in quietly as the store grows. One more extension here, a heavier theme there, bigger images, more data in the database. Individually, none of these feel dangerous. Together, they slowly drag the site down.

The important shift is this: stop treating speed as something you “fix later.” Performance needs to be maintained, the same way you maintain inventory, ads, or conversions. Regular cleanup, sane defaults, and a bias toward lightweight solutions go much further than throwing more server power at the problem.

If your store feels slower than it did six or twelve months ago, it’s rarely because Magento can’t handle your growth. It’s usually because the site has outgrown the technical decisions made early on. Clean those up, and the speed you remember is often much closer than you think.