6 Common Magento User Mistakes
Online stores have changed the shopping experience—they’ve made things easier for both consumers and small business owners. And things keep getting easier thanks to platforms like Magento. When it comes to putting together ecommerce websites, this content management system has been one of the most popular. Magento has been embraced because of its flexibility, user-friendliness, and depth. However, content management systems aren’t the simplest programs out there. Newcomers will inevitably make mistakes. Here are the most likely ones:
1. Forgetting to change default settings
When establishing a new Magento store, one of the first things to do is change the default name on the home page. Make sure you also change the default logo name. It’s never too early to start working on your SEO and brand awareness.
2. Ignoring important features
You should learn about Magento’s advanced products and features before establishing your ecommerce website. Otherwise you’ll miss out on a lot. Multi-store support is one of Magento’s many perks. It’s somewhat complicated to set up, but it’s rewarding—it allows you to manage several stores by yourself, and from a single administrative panel. Cross-selling and upselling has never been easier!
3. Using layered navigation wrong
Magento offers advanced layered navigation. Most users prefer it, but it doesn’t always work for an online store. If not properly used, layered navigation can cause duplicate content, which doesn’t help your Google ranking. One thing you can do is to close the layered navigation from search engines, showing it only to customers. There are other solutions, but these can wait till you’ve settled in.
4. Disabling customer reviews
Customer reviews is a feature that allows people to rate store products and leave feedback. It makes websites more trustworthy and makes bestsellers sell even better, both of which help with sales. In addition, customer reviews are a source of free content, which is good for your ranking. So why disable customer reviews? Always enable it on your store through Go to Catalogue > Reviews & Ratings > Customer Reviews.
5. Installing via FTP
Installing Magento via file transfer protocol (FTP) is a common beginner’s mistake. Instead of getting the full release that way, get the downloader and run it on your server. There’s no need to spend so much time obtaining the full version of Magento—the downloader will reduce the size of the files and make sure you have the latest stable version. It’s simpler and faster, plus it makes it easier to upgrade in the future.
6. Changing themes too soon
Once Magento is installed, the most likely mistake is rushing into theme modification. It’s true that the default theme might not be the best for your business. A better one isn’t always obvious, however. Take the time to go over the design with a professional. Then, when you’re ready, copy the custom files from the /design/frontend/default/default/ directory to the /design/frontend/default/your_theme directory. Then do the same with your default skins (/skin/frontend/default/default/). Once you have a theme that suits your needs, go to System > Configuration > Design and apply the theme to your store.