Time to First Byte (TTFB): how fast your server should answer
TTFB is how long your server takes to start answering a request. Under 800ms is good. Find out what slows it and how to speed it up on a store.
2 min read
Area
Speed
Severity
Medium
Fix effort
Medium
Stores failing
3%
Of 180 stores we scanned where this check applies, 3% fail it and 85% pass. See all benchmarks.
Time to First Byte (TTFB) is the time between a browser asking for a page and receiving the first byte of the response. Google treats 800 milliseconds or less as good. Everything else on the page waits for it, so a slow TTFB delays every later metric.
Why it matters
A slow server response puts a floor under how fast the page can be. If the first byte arrives after a second, even a perfectly optimised page cannot paint before then. On hosted platforms this is mostly out of your hands. On self-hosted stores it is often the single biggest fix, because uncached pages are built from scratch for every visitor.
What the audit looks at
The audit measures how long your server takes to start responding to the home page.
What usually causes it
- No page caching on a self-hosted store, so every request runs the full application
- An underpowered or overloaded hosting plan
- Slow database queries, often from plugins or a large catalogue
- No content delivery network, so distant visitors wait on long network trips
How to fix it
Cut the time the server takes to send the first byte. The effort is medium, a theme or template edit that takes an afternoon.
- Confirm a CDN is in front of the site so visitors are not all hitting one origin.
- Enable full-page caching for pages that are the same for everyone.
- Check for slow database queries or an overloaded plan -- shared hosting is the usual cause of a slow TTFB on a small store.
On Shopify
- Shopify hosts and caches the storefront, so a slow TTFB here usually means heavy Liquid loops or a metafield-heavy section rendering on every request.
- Look for sections looping over large collections and paginate or limit them.
On WooCommerce
- Enable a page cache plugin and object caching (Redis) -- WooCommerce is query-heavy and uncached pages are slow by construction.
- Put Cloudflare or a similar CDN in front of the origin.
- Check your host plan: shared hosting under load is the most common cause here.
How to check it yourself
- In Chrome DevTools, open the Network tab, reload, click the first document request and read "Waiting for server response".
- Test from a second location, since a CDN makes the result depend on where you test.
- Run the same check logged out, because logged-in sessions often skip the cache.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fix TTFB on Shopify?
Mostly not directly, because Shopify controls the servers. You can reduce what the theme asks the server to build, such as heavy sections and many app blocks.
Is TTFB the same as page load time?
No. TTFB covers only the wait for the first byte. Page load time includes downloading and running everything after it.
Related checks
Check your own store
See whether your store passes this check
Paste your store URL. The audit loads your pages in a real browser and shows the result for this check with the evidence behind it.