There are countless e-commerce platforms on the market, and it feels like a new one comes out every few months! One that’s managed to stay relevant for a number of years is Magento, with many large companies using it to power their website.
But is it actually any good? This article looks into the good, the bad and the even worse… so let’s jump right in and look at the most important factors that determine whether Magento is any good.
Easy of use
Having an e-commerce website setup for your business is all well and good, but it’s almost pointless if you can’t use it. And that’s a reality for a lot of people who use outdated platforms.
Magento, however, isn’t one of those platforms. Previous versions of Magento have been slightly difficult to use, but Magento 2 is one of the easiest e-commerce systems available on the market when it comes to adding, editing or deleting products and pages.
If you have an employee who is relatively good on computers, there’s a high chance you’ll be able to train them to manage your Magento website.
Sales Conversions
There’s no point in having a website to sell products if nobody tries to buy them. And some e-commerce platforms make it hard on the user. Magento doesn’t though, and there are various plugins that can help increase sales on your website too.
It also easily integrates into Google Analytics, meaning you can track the reasons why customers aren’t buying and rectify the issues without too much of an issue integrating the code.
For many businesses who have an established brand, this is more important than getting a lower price on a cheaper e-commerce platform.
SEO Optimisation
When it comes to search engine optimisation, Magento does leave a lot lacking. Free platforms like woocommerce seem to have their SEO nailed down as standard. Whereas Magento needs some work before it’s set up correctly.
The standard Magento installation doesn’t handle duplicate content very well and also has poorly written URL structures.
It’s not the worst platform when it comes to SEO, but it could be made considerably better.
Social Media Integration
One of the best things about Magento is its ability to integrate in with third-party applications.
Unlike many WordPress plugins, which look like they’re plugins when installed on the website (if you know what I mean), Magento plugins are usually built incredibly well.
This makes integrating the website in with social media platforms such as Facebook Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest etc look and work great.
Blogging
Magento doesn’t come with a world-class level blog like WordPress does, and instead requires you to install a third-party plug-in to handle the blogging feature. This is a shame as content marketing is a great way to get buyers on your website.
With that being said, Magento’s best blogging plugin is relatively affordable and does do a great job when installed.
So What’s The Takeaway?
Magento is definitely one of the most popular e-commerce platforms for a reason, and it does do a really good job if you’re looking to sell products online.
There are cheaper alternatives to Magento, but if you’re looking for a platform that’ll do a reliably good job for many years to come, it’s definitely a good option for you.