Avada SEO Speed Image Optimize

Avada SEO Speed Image Optimize

Reviews (7,695)

Overall rating
4.9
Counts per rating level
  • 95% of ratings are 5 stars
  • 3% of ratings are 4 stars
  • 0% of ratings are 3 stars
  • 0% of ratings are 2 stars
  • 1% of ratings are 1 stars
What merchants think

Feedback submitted

Merchants highly recommend this app for its comprehensive SEO tools, including image optimization, meta tag automation, and speed enhancements. They praise the user-friendly interface and exceptional 24/7 customer support, noting significant improvements in site visibility, search engine rankings, and performance through features like image compression and lazy loading.

November 13, 2024

I used to use the app when it was free and it helped me with redirects and image optimization, but then at the end of last month it started charging and my rankings started to go down. I uninstalled it thinking it was for something else and my rankings started to go up a bit, but since I still needed an app for redirects and meta tags and titles, I went back to the program by paying for their app. Now I agreed to use their paid version, I optimized through their app to make the page faster and my rankings have dropped to 20th when I was always at the top. Don't fall for this app - The worst thing is that every time you write to them and they can't solve something, it's just a coincidence that their turn has ended and it's been like this for 3 days.

Mitgard Store
Peru
Over 2 years using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied November 15, 2024

Hello Elizabeth,

Thank you for your feedback and for taking the time to share your experience. We’re truly sorry to hear about the challenges you've encountered.

We understand your concern about the impact on rankings and want to reassure you that our app's goal is to support your SEO and site performance. We’d like to clarify a few points to address your concerns:

1. From our analysis, the ranking drop began before you subscribed to the paid version or used the Speed Up feature. However, we acknowledge how frustrating it must feel to experience such changes and are happy to assist with further investigation into potential causes.

2. About uninstalling and reinstalling the app: We understand that rankings seemed to improve slightly after uninstalling the app, but typically, changes in rankings are influenced by other factors and cannot be directly attributed to the uninstall action within such a short time frame.

3. Your experience with support: We also sincerely regret any delays in addressing your concerns during our support shift transitions. Our team is committed to ensuring you receive seamless assistance moving forward, and I personally will handle your case to avoid any gaps in communication.

We’d love to help analyze the ranking issue further, even if you decide not to continue using our app. We believe resolving this matter is important for your business, and we’d love the opportunity to continue supporting you.

Please don’t hesitate to reply to my message via WhatsApp or email so we can work together to find a solution.

Best regards,
Esther
Avada Customer Success Lead

Edited October 15, 2024

Do not use this app! We installed the SEO version to test its capabilities. The app added code to our site that tanked our Google ranking. We have worked hard to build our our sites ranking. After installing the Avada app our site dropped from 5K organic appearance's per day to 2K. Well over half of our previously indexed pages have are no longer indexed. We use Google search console to monitor our sites performance. The metrics dropped off a cliff after installing the app. According to the Avada app, we have upgrade to the Pro version to fix the problems it created. All of this mess just to test an app.

To add to this, a website that uses almost the same url (they just anded a "s") as popped up. I just read Avada has a history of "sharing" your data.

Update 10-15-24. "Ricky", who claims to be their SEO expert, refuses to help resolve issues their app has created. Their other support people have no idea what they're doing. Since we installed the app, we have lost over a sixteen months worth of site ranking progress and work. Our site traffic has dropped by 90% IN ONE WEEK. We have provided "Ricky" with GSC and Google analytics data to validate our claims and Shopify tech support has also verified that the Avada app is causing the issues. Ricky still insists that they are not culpable. He instead has the nerve to demand that we change our review on the Shopify App Store from a negative to a positive while at the same time providing ZERO help to reverse the damage. A vast majority of our business is from the web so our "evaluation" of Avada SEO has seriously damaged our business. If we could give AVAD SEO a rating of zero, we would. We now have Shopify and Google tech support involved to try and help us rectify the damage. We have also lodged formal complaints with Shopify and Google.

Not Very Vanilla
United States
About 1 month using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied October 9, 2024

Dear Not Very Vanilla store owner,

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We regret the issues you've experienced, and we want to clarify that they are not caused by the app. Allow us to address the concerns raised:

1. The app does not add or edit code unless features are manually activated:
Any code added to your site is solely for enabling specific features, and only after they have been manually turned on. Features are only applied when activated by users, and any changes made are under your control.

In your discussions with our customer support agents, it was mentioned that the ranking drop occurred due to changes in your URLs, but we can confirm that the app does not automatically modify URLs. After reviewing the logs, we see that only two pages were audited, which does not align with the claim that hundreds of URLs were modified.

Additionally, the other features you used, like image optimization and meta tag edits typically take several weeks to reflect in search engine results. Since your impressions and clicks dropped immediately after installing the app, this appears to be coincidental and unrelated to the app.

2. Fixing the indexing issue with the Pro plan:
It seems there was a misunderstanding here. Our app does not include any feature that fixes indexing issues. If you are referring to the Instant Indexing feature, it simply submits bulk indexing requests to Google Search Console but does not fix any indexing problems. The issue with your indexed pages was not caused by the app, and upgrading to the Pro version is not a requirement to resolve it.

3. Data sharing concern:
We strictly adhere to Shopify's privacy guidelines. We do not share, sell, or misuse customer data for any purpose beyond app functionality. Shopify monitors all apps closely, and any non-compliance would lead to removal from their platform. We assure you that your data is safe.

While we can confirm that the app is not responsible for the ranking drop, we are still here to support you. Please continue the conversation with us via email so we can further investigate and assist you in resolving any concerns.

---

Regarding the update:

I completely understand your concerns and frustration regarding the decline in your site’s ranking. We acknowledge that diagnosing such issues can be complex, and we’ve been working hard to support you throughout this process.

As part of the Shopify ecosystem, we are proud to contribute to a community where app providers, theme developers, and agencies collaborate to help merchants like you succeed. Our primary goal is to assist in resolving any concerns, but I hope you understand that we cannot take responsibility for issues that our app did not cause. From our end, we’ve reviewed the logs and provided clear explanations, including why the app cannot be the source of the problems you’re facing.

We also want to clarify that we have never asked you to change your review from negative to positive. We keep detailed records of all conversations to ensure transparency.

While we’ve offered our support, it has been challenging without the cooperation we need, such as further clarification from Shopify or forwarding their explanations to facilitate more discussion. We’ve done everything within our power to assist, and we remain committed to helping you within our scope, even after you’ve stopped using the app.

We fully respect your honest review and value your perspective, but we hope for mutual understanding and cooperation so we can work toward a solution that benefits both sides.

Best regards,
Esther
Customer Success Lead

October 17, 2024

Impressed by the 4.9 rating, I installed this app on the 5th and allowed theme customization to enhance speed. Suddenly, conversions dropped, but our developer fixed it on the 7th. The next day, all our listings vanished. Reporting to Avada revealed their theme customization was causing errors with our filter app, which Avada then rectified. The website's speed improved by 0.5 seconds, yet errors persisted, leading to significant revenue loss.

The support agents were responsive but consistently denied any issues caused by their app. Meta could not retrieve URL parameters, resulting in a dead ad performance.

After uninstalling Avada, the problems ceased. I advise caution or avoidance when considering installation.

Espanshe
India
12 days using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied October 21, 2024

Dear Espanshe Team,

I want to sincerely apologize for the disruptions you experienced while using Avada SEO Speed Image Optimize. It is never our intention to cause any inconvenience that might affect your store's performance, and we fully understand how important it is for your business to operate smoothly.

Upon review, it appears that the speed-up feature may not have been fully compatible with certain apps you are using, which contributed to the issues you faced. While the feature is designed to enhance performance, we understand that there can sometimes be trade-offs, and unforeseen interactions with other apps may occur.

Please rest assured that this is a rare case, and we are constantly working to ensure our app is compatible with as many third-party apps as possible. In instances where compatibility issues arise, these can typically be resolved by disabling specific features, allowing your site to return to normal functionality. Also, our technical support team is always available to assist, ensuring that the app integrates seamlessly with your store's setup.

Your feedback is valuable to us, and we are committed to refining the app to prevent similar issues in the future.

Thank you again for your feedback, and we look forward to assisting you in the future should you give us another chance.

Best regards,
Esther
Customer Success Lead

October 15, 2024

This is a terrible piece of software. Do not use any of its features. Without your knowledge, it can delete all your store's images and content, and the site you worked so hard to build will be gone.

Additionally, using its features requires the manual operation of their customer service staff. The ridiculous part is that their staff member, Penelope, kept asking me for my URL without explaining what she needed it for. After finally getting it, she went off duty… Then another person took over, wasting more time. In short, do not use this software under any circumstances.

Unicher
China
1 day using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied October 16, 2024

Hello Unicher store owner,

I sincerely apologize for the unsatisfactory experience you had with Penelope during support. We acknowledge that she could have handled the situation better by addressing your questions correctly without going back and forth and following up more effectively. She takes full responsibility for this, and she wants to personally apologize for the inconvenience caused. We’ve taken steps to ensure better communication and avoid unnecessary delays and confusion in the future.

Regarding the loss of images, after thoroughly reviewing the situation, we can confirm this issue was not caused by the app. According to the app's history, you used the Speed Up feature on a duplicate theme, which was not published, meaning no changes were made to your live site. Additionally, the Free plan only allows for the Basic Speed Up mode, which has minimal impact and cannot cause such issues. Furthermore, once the app was disabled, all its features were deactivated, yet the problem persisted, indicating that the issue was unrelated to the app and merely a coincidence.

As for the misunderstanding about using the app's features, please note that all of our features come with detailed user guides, allowing users to configure them on their own. Customer service is only there to assist when necessary, but manual operation from our team is not required for using the app's features.

We are glad to hear that your website has now returned to normal. Moving forward, we'd really like to turn your negative experience around – we wholeheartedly believe in this app and our customer-centric approach. SEO is undoubtedly a long-term strategy, and while it can be challenging for stores to see immediate results, it’s a process that requires time to yield outcomes. Since your store has launched recently, I believe there is room for improvement and plenty of opportunities for success. We are here to help ensure you get the most out of the app.

Best regards,
Esther
Customer Success Lead

July 25, 2024

We gave a test to this solution for over 3 months and we strongly suggest NOT to use it on your site.

Their support is super unreliable , they assign non qualified people whom only waste your time with useless questions and issues are forgotten by their dev team unless you bring it to their teams attention every day. Even in that case there are many times their team can't fix the issue.

The slution claims to do many things, but if you actually check things majority is not working;.

Meta replacements - broken and none functional.
Instant page - not correct at all and a marketing lie

Worst of all is , they implement functions and enable those functions default. When you try to disable those functions, you are presented with an option to upgrade to Enterprise package. Best of it , those functions are causing major issues on your site and you are stucked in a loop.

Forced to pay for a better package just to fix a bug on your site.

Do yourself a favour and stay away from this app

Dutch Natural Healing
Netherlands
4 months using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied July 26, 2024

Hello Dutch Natural Healing Team,

Thank you for your honest feedback, and we sincerely apologize for the frustrations you have experienced. We take your concerns seriously and would like to address each point to clarify and resolve the issues encountered.

1. Support and issue resolution: Our records show that all issues you raised were addressed within 24 hours. Unfortunately, it seems updates did not reach you due to email miscommunication. We use the store owner's default email from the live chat, and we were not aware that you did not have access to this email. We apologize for this oversight and have taken steps to ensure we communicate through the correct channels moving forward.

2. Default function activation and upgrades: We want to clarify that our intention is never to force upgrades by creating technical issues. Our operation aligns with Shopify's standards, and we never meant to trick our users. The issue you experienced with a specific feature being enabled was a system error, and we are currently reviewing our processes to prevent such incidents. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We have since disabled the problematic feature, and we are pleased to hear that your site's functionality has been restored.

3. Meta Replacements: We noticed that the meta tag rule you created did not include the necessary conditions for it to function. This is likely why you experienced issues. We have detailed documentation on setting up these rules properly here: https://docs.avada.io/seo-suite-help-center/search-appearance/meta-tags/meta-tags-rule. If you need any assistance regarding this, we are more than willing to assist.

4. Instant Page Feature: We take your feedback regarding the instant page feature seriously and would like to address your concerns directly. It's important to us that our features deliver real value, and we assure you that the development of each feature involves extensive research, development, and rigorous testing. Additionally, all our features undergo strict Shopify review processes before being made available to our customers. If there were any discrepancies with the functionality as you've mentioned, it would have been flagged by Shopify's quality assurance. We are committed to transparency and are more than willing to demonstrate the effectiveness of this feature to you. Please let us know how we can assist further in this matter.

We appreciate you bringing these matters to our attention, and we are committed to ensuring they are resolved to your satisfaction.

Best regards,
Esther - Customer Success Lead

August 18, 2024

Very bad. A lot of autonomous operations were performed after installation, but without the consent of the shop owner, and after uninstallation it was necessary to check all their possible effects and remove them. It's like a virus.

测试站点
China
3 days using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied August 20, 2024

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience with our app didn’t meet your expectations, and we’d like to address the concerns you’ve raised for the benefit of other potential users.

1. Regarding changes made without consent:
When installing our app, you were prompted to grant permission to edit specific sections of your store, and the installation proceeded only after you provided consent. Here's a screenshot for a better illustration: https://prnt.sc/KcQYp07e2swz

These changes are essential for the app’s functionality and follow Shopify's strict guidelines. The app’s processes were approved by Shopify before the app was published on their platform, ensuring that we fully comply with Shopify’s policies.

More importantly, at Avada, your store's security is of utmost importance to us. Please be assured that we take all necessary precautions to ensure that your store's data and information are safe and secure. Our team strictly adheres to the confidentiality of our customers' information and will not make any changes to your store without your approval.

2. Residual components after uninstallation:
This situation is common with any app that integrates with a Shopify store by adding components. Once the app is uninstalled, it loses access to your store, making it impossible to remove the code automatically. However, we always recommend reaching out to us before uninstalling, and we can trigger an automatic cleanup to ensure no residual code remains.

We believe that experienced Shopify users, particularly those who frequently install third-party apps, understand these standard procedures. Should you have any further concerns or require assistance, our support team is always here to help.

Best regards,
Esther
Customer Success Lead

September 2, 2024

This app slows down my store so I had to remove it. After removing it there are still a lot of things left. For example 4-5 sitemap pages!!!

#1 Rectangular Watch Brand | Söner Watches
Sweden
1 day using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied September 3, 2024

Hello SonerWatches Team,

Thank you for your feedback regarding our Avada SEO Speed Image Optimize app. We're really sorry for the inconvenience you’ve experienced.

Regarding the sitemaps you mentioned, in some cases, when the app is removed from your Shopify store, our code or traces might remain but will be disabled. This happens because we lose access to the theme files immediately when you uninstall our app. To help with this, we’ve prepared a detailed guide outlining the steps to take after uninstalling the app, which includes instructions on handling the sitemaps:
https://docs.avada.io/seo-suite-help-center/faqs#what-do-i-need-to-do-after-uninstalling-app.

As for the website speed, we understand your concern that the app seemed to slow down your store, which is contrary to its intended purpose. Since you installed the app just a day before, we’re not sure if you had the opportunity to utilize the speed optimization features fully. We would greatly appreciate it if you could reconsider reinstalling the app. Our team is ready to assist you in optimizing your website's speed and ensure you benefit from all the app's features.

Please let us know if you're willing to give it another try, or if there’s anything else we can do to help. We are here to support you and make sure you have a better experience with our app.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Best regards,
Avada Support Team

August 11, 2024

tried speeding up my website and it completely ruined it. Would not recommend

adora archive
United States
3 days using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied August 14, 2024

Thank you for your feedback, and we're truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.

We understand that our speed-up feature might have affected your website negatively. This feature can sometimes cause issues depending on the unique combination of your theme and other third-party apps you may be using. Each theme has its own unique structure, and when combined with other apps, the speed-up feature might not always be compatible with certain elements. However, our technical support team is always ready to assist in ensuring that the app works seamlessly with your website, considering the presence of other apps.

We also apologize for the delay in providing a solution at that time. The customer support agent who assisted you was new and did not handle the situation as well as we would have hoped. We sincerely regret this and appreciate your understanding.

At Avada, we always prioritize our customers, and we would love the opportunity to assist you further. If you ever consider using our app again or need SEO advice, even without using our app, please feel free to contact us. We will do our best to support you with anything within our capabilities.

Best regards,
Esther
Avada Customer Success Lead

Edited June 30, 2024

the WORST app I have ever used. They completely changed the code in my store without my permission and ruined everything I did, they also charged me for an entire year upfront and now are giving me a hard time getting my refund. I told them I will be initiating a chargeback.

UPDATE JUNE 30TH: LAST NIGHT AROUND MIDNIGHT SOMEONE FROM THIS APP KEPT USING MY CHAT ON MY STORE TO TRY AND GET ME TO EDIT MY REVIEW. THIS WAS GOING ON AT MIDNIGHT MY TIME. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THE COMPLETE UNPROFESSIONALISM FROM THE STAFF TO DO THIS TO SOMEONE. I HAD TO BLOCK THE CHAT. AT THIS POINT, I WILL BE CONTACTING MY BANK AND DOING A CHARGEBACK FOR THIS

Rebel P Customs
United States
20 days using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied July 1, 2024

Hello Jenny,

We're sorry to hear about your experience, but we'd like to address your concerns:

1. Code Changes Without Permission:
Prior to making any modifications to your theme code, we sought your explicit permission. You were fully informed of this process as you gave us the collaborator request code and approved our collaborator access request. We have the chat history to substantiate this. Therefore, the assertion that we made changes without your consent is not accurate.

2. Impact on your live store:
As previously discussed, the speed optimization was performed on a duplicate theme and did not affect your live website. Furthermore, the issues you reported were not found when we checked your website immediately after your report. It is highly unreasonable that changes made to a duplicate theme, which was never published, could affect your live site.

3. Annual Charge:
It is standard practice for Shopify apps with recurring subscriptions to charge for the full cycle, even if the app is used for a short duration. This policy is common across Shopify and familiar to long-term users. In your case, the charge was for a yearly plan, which you subscribed to.

4. Contact at inconvenient time:
We sincerely apologize for contacting you around midnight. However, we did not ask you to edit your review. Our intention was solely to follow up on the issues and ensure that all your concerns and refund requests were being addressed. We have the chat history to confirm this.

We will update you regarding your refund request via email.

Best regards,
Esther

July 1, 2024

Unfortunately, the plugin made our functioning very difficult. We lost over 2 months of progress and work on the theme. Support refused to support us. We now have to implement everything from scratch. Overall, I do not recommend it - there are other plugins worth considering.

ELORI Jewellery
Poland
About 2 months using the app
SEO On (Avada) replied July 2, 2024

Dear ELORI Jewellery store owner,

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We're sorry for the difficulties you experienced and understand how frustrating it must have been.

I'm pleased to inform you that we've recently introduced a new feature that allows you to duplicate your theme and select the theme to apply speed optimization directly from your end. This enhancement ensures that your theme stays up to date, addressing the issues you encountered.

We are committed to continuously improving our app and hope this new feature will meet your expectations. If there's anything else we can assist you with, please feel free to reach out.

Best regards,
Esther from Avada