As per web Development stats, Magento holds 4.81% of the market share of eCommerce platforms worldwide. Available in both a free edition and paid version, Magento has become a preferred choice for startups, SMEs, large enterprises, etc.
However, when trying to set up an eCommerce platform, Magento appears tricky to novice and those lacking expertise in the technical field. Read this blog to find out quick and simple steps for setting up a successful online store using Magento. Before you proceed towards reading those simple steps, let’s explore a bit more about Magento.
Magento Versions
Magento Open-Source: This is the most widely used version of Magento among startups and small business enterprises. As the name suggests, it comes without any charges and can be customized to suit business core products and values. However, a user mainly needs to buy a hosting plan to run his/her store when using Magento open-source edition.
Magento Commerce: Earlier referred to as Magento Enterprise, it comes with multiple advanced features like simple UI, drag, and drop, page builder, etc. It also offers technical help from a dedicated team of customer service.
Magento Commerce Cloud: Although similar to Magento Commerce, it comes with an underlying Amazon Web Services cloud infrastructure that can be used for enhancing your digital store.
Each version comes with its fair share of pros and cons. For example, when on a tight budget, a startup may prefer the Magento Open-Source edition. In contrast, those looking for advanced features find Magento Commerce and Magento Commerce Cloud more preferable.
Based on your business needs and compatibility, you can go for either of the three versions. Discussing it is a whole new topic you can go for. For now, let’s focus on simple steps for building your digital store.
Here’s a step-by-step guide for building an eCommerce store using Magento:
Step-1: Choose a great domain name
When building an eCommerce platform, choosing a simple, catchy, and easy to remember name plays a vital role in pushing the business and gives you a competitive edge in the market. It is mainly because your web address has to be used by the target audience regularly.
It is ideal to choose a name that reflects your core products, services, etc. It might seem simple at the start, but you are sure to get a surprise when building a unique and catchy name as most of them are already taken by competitors. Along with the domain name, build a professional email address with the domain.
Step-2: Choose a compatible web host
Hosting is necessary for running your eCommerce store when using Magento. Some of the popular hosts include Bluehost, DreamHost, Hostinger, etc. While comparing plans and prices are simple steps for choosing the best fit, it is also essential to look for compatibility factors.
Here are a few things to consider:
1. Preferable web servers include Apache, Nginx, etc.
2. Magento setup usually requires around 2GB of Random Access Memory
3. The database management system when using MySQL should be version 5.6 or above
4. When using PHP, its versions as recommended by Magento should be 7.3
Step-3: Install the Magento version you want to use
For this step, we are considering the installation of the Magento Open-Source edition. Have a look at the following steps to perform this activity:
1. Purchase a plan from a hosting provider
2. Set up your account as per the guidelines of the hosting provider
3. Click on the ‘Get Started’ icon on Magento’s official sites
4. This will land you on a feature comparison chart of different versions
5. Select desirable edition (considering you have chosen an open-source version)
6. You will reach the Magento Tech Resources page
7. Choose a desirable format
8. Follow the step-by-step action as suggested by the chosen hosting
Step-4: Select and Install a compatible theme
Magento offers multiple templates and themes that can be used to suit your brand, core products, services, etc. The Magento eCommerce platform provides both open-source and paid templates. Unlike other platforms, the paid templates are much affordable at Magento and start at just $1.
Step-5: Customize Your Web Design to enhance UI
A simple and intuitive user interface proves helpful in enhancing the return on investment. Moreover, users tend to lose interest in an eCommerce platform when it lacks innovative features or has a complex UI.
The chosen template can be easily customized by Magento developers to resonate with your brand values. Even simple modifications based on the target audience play a pivotal role in keeping you ahead of the game. For example, a website selling drugs opts for soothing colors and large fonts mainly because a major section of the target audience includes senior citizens who tend to have vision issues.
While customizing the template, focus on making modifications that save the shopping time of the valuable customers. Ensure to add detailed information about products, policies pertaining to orders/delivery/cancellation, etc.
Step-6: Set up the product pages
Adding product details along with prices, discount values (if any), multiple images detailing different views of the items is a crucial step. To perform this action, simply go to the Catalog section and choose the Products option. It will land you on the page to view your existing merchandise and add new products. Click on the icon of Add Product to proceed forward.
Once you select the option of Add Product, you will be able to set up your product pages based on their type. The ones you can sell on Magento includes the following:
1. Physical products
2. Customized items
3. Grouped items to be sold together or individually
4. Virtual/Intangible products and services
5. Bundled items
6. Software products, e-books, etc.
Step-7: Launch the website
Once you are ready with the product pages, all you need to do is to push/install all the modifications to the webserver. Investing in a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) operation or opting for a local development application will ensure the implementation of the amendment.
Over to You
Those were seven simple steps you can rely on for setting up your eCommerce platform using Magento services. Connecting with a top Magento web development company allows you to get hold of a smooth functioning eCommerce platform at an affordable budget.
