Many business owners find Magento very complicated and time-consuming platform to develop and implement. However, as technical experts, we beg to differ. In reality, this is not the case if you are careful enough to avoid some errors which may lead you to increased time and effort in your project.
Magento is being used by hundreds of e-commerce companies and some swear by it and don’t want to migrate to any other platform. It has been on the market for long and has evolved with the changing trends in the e-commerce industry.
Today, we bring to you some common mistakes that you should avoid while building your online store. By taking care of these points, you will surely enjoy working on Magento and launch your store in no time.
- Magento Installation via FTP:
This one is especially for the beginners who have just come across the platform. While there is a lot to learn, this is considered as one of the most common mistakes. A lot of merchants download the full release of Magento and install it via FTP which is not required. Magento offers an easier option with downloader functionality for installation and has upgrading capability as well. Downloader functionality facilitates the reduction in the size of files and maintains their current stable version. Thus, using the downloader is far better than FTP as is it surely helpful in making your e-commerce website up and running.
- Selecting the Web Hosting Provider:
Choosing the right hosting makes or breaks the deal for online businesses as they are required to be running all the time. Cheap hosting available on shared servers may look attractive initially with low investment but may prove harmful for the business in the long run. They cannot undertake heavy traffic and are not safe with data. For an e-commerce website to work smoothly without breaking down, it is essential to be hosted with a safe and secure provider. The wrong choice of hosting also impacts the site’s SEO rankings and leaves it vulnerable to malware attacks.
- Modifying the Default Theme:
Once you have installed Magento correctly, you need to move to other elements to customize it. Of course, the first one to come to your mind is the theme. Do not rush to modify it immediately. If you want to make your storefront unique and creative to outshine others, it is better to go a different way.
Copy the files you need from /design/frontend/default/default/ directory to/design/frontend/default/your theme directory. The same should be done with default skins (/skin/frontend/default/default/). This way you get your own them which you can modify according to your needs. When you are ready, go to System->Configuration->Design and apply the new theme to your Magento store.
- Disabling Customer Reviews:
For an online business, customers are the lifeline who run the show. Customer reviews feature allows customers to provide their feedback about service and products and rate their overall experience. Customer reviews have been instrumental in increasing sales, as they increase the trust of potential buyers. Thus, it is considered as good sales converter.
Unfortunately, not all business owners understand its importance and use it. To enjoy the benefits of customer reviews, enable it on your Magento store, follow Go to Catalogue -> Reviews & Ratings -> Customer Reviews.
- Forgetting to Change Default Setting:
After installing Magento correctly, change the default homepage to the name of your business store. This will give your store a new identity. Also, change the current logo which is Magento Commerce and make it your own personalized one. It helps in increasing your SEO ranking and be found in the search engines by your potential customers.
- Improper Use of Layered Navigation:
Magento offers layered navigation facility to its users. Whether it is beneficial for your business or not is another question. However, with layered navigation the chances of duplicate content increases. One of the ways to avoid making this error is, to close the layered navigation from search engines and show it only to the customers. You can also choose to close the pages from indexing via cookie or AJAX request. You can check the results using Google Webmaster tool.
- Ignoring Top Magento Features:
It is advisable to learn advanced Magento featured prior to starting to work on the platform. Magento offers many high-end features which can change the look of your store and enhance the user-experience greatly. If you remain ignorant of the usability of the platform, your views about it might get affected. Magento has a lot to offer, it supports cross-sell and up-sells for various types of products.
It also supports multi-store feature and helps in optimization of your store allowing you to manage several stores from one administrative panel. Its features are easy, convenient and time saving for the owners.
Now that you are aware of the error you need to avoid, working on Magento should be a cakewalk. Invest a little time in understanding the platform and using its features to your maximum benefit and enjoy the best it must offer for your online business. If you face any issues, you can get in touch with our experts at WebBee global which offers extensive Magento Development and Customization Services to clients worldwide in a cost-effective manner.
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