I run a small WooCommerce store selling pet supplies. 5 things it taught me that I now check on every client site

1) Photos are usually why a store is slow. One 3 MB banner can cost you 20 seconds on a phone.

2) Two caching plugins don't make a site twice as fast. They fight each other.

3) Never cache the cart or checkout. It breaks in ways customers notice before you do.

4) Clear shipping times on the product page do more than a fancy theme.

5) Most visitors are on a phone. Test there first, not on your laptop.

What's the one thing on your site you keep meaning to fix?

Ali this is exactly what running your own store teaches you that client work never does. I had the same experience running Meta Ads for my own Shopify store before offering it as a service. Pet supplies is such a strong category for paid social, too. Curious — are you running ads for HousePet yet, or is it all organic so far?

A self-initiated homepage hero redesign concept for Live Free Tallow, created to demonstrate how stronger visual hierarchy and clearer messaging can improve the mobile shopping experience.

The original hero had a compelling product, but the copy competed with the imagery, the product lacked visual prominence, and the next action wasn’t immediately clear.

For the redesign, I focused on:

• A sharper product-in-use lifestyle visual • A clear, benefit-led headline • Scannable product differentiators • Improved spacing and visual hierarchy • Social proof positioned near the CTA • A prominent, action-focused shopping button • Keeping the product and CTA visible above the fold

The result is a cleaner and more premium hero section that helps visitors quickly understand what the product is, why it is different, and where to go next.

I design and build conversion-focused Shopify landing pages, product pages and homepage sections for DTC brands.

Need help improving your store’s customer journey? Let’s work together.

Putting the proof next to the CTA is the right call on mobile. Did you check how much of the hero fits above the fold on a 390px-wide screen once the browser bar is counted? That's usually where the review stars get pushed out.