Magento Web Development Best Practices

More often than not, website owners face issues with web developers who are in charge of their website maintenance. Almost as often, website owners are faced with tens of issues regarding Magento installs. These issues are usually the result of neglect or lack of knowledge on the developer's part. Agreed, Magento web development isn't easy as pie, but regular research goes a long way. Here are some best practices that can improve the way Magento is installed and maintained.

Install It Properly: First of all, never forget that the installation of Magento is different from that of WordPress. You shouldn't just dump the Magento codebase in a directory, then create a database and run the installer. There is more to it than that. Depending on where the Magento site would be hosted, you need to take care of things like configuration tweaks before deploying the site live.

Update Regularly: No Magento web development can be successful if it sticks to the version 1.4 or less.

De-Clutter: It is not easy to troubleshoot or upgrade Magento installs that have un-related files inside public HTML folders. You have to keep in mind that Magento has a pretty robust CMS editor and remove as much clutter as possible.

Disable Or Rotate The Log Files: There is no need for Authorize.net logs to eat up 5GB of space on your web servers and log each and every transaction. It just consumes bandwidth and poses the risk of exposing your customer's details to anyone with basic knowledge of /var/log directory. Disable it.

That's all. These simple best practices can save you from a lot of complications. If you are still facing problems, get in touch with our Magento web development team and we'll take care of it.

How Much You Need To Spend On An Ecommerce Website?

Have you decided to build an e-commerce website? While you are preparing the business plan, it's important to consider the overall expense of the e-commerce project. Keep reading this post to get an idea about the cost of an e-commerce project.

The cost of e-commerce website always varies depending on the kind of features you want to add, and the kind of technology or platform you choose for the site. So, the cost of designing or development will depend on the specific requirements of the project along with the budget you have.

Here are some of the most essential aspects to consider when you are considering the overall cost of the e-commerce site:-

Consider The Financial Transactions

When it comes to an e-commerce website development, it always happens through different payment gateways that connects the bank account with the customer's credit card accounts. Along with a merchant bank account, a shopping cart solution is also essential  which can accept all the processed payments.

If we talk about the shopping cart and payment, then they are pretty cost-effective in comparison with the upfront investment. When it comes to ongoing transactional fees, then it will vary from 1 percent to 5 percent depending on the volume.

Consider The Host & Security Cost

An e-commerce website should protect the privacy and personal details of the customers, and it should stay online 24/7 when the traffic of the site fluctuates. Hosting providers won't be same. Do remember to compare the services along with the prices while choosing the hosting company.

Consider The Cost Of User Interface And Architecture

Your website should be user-friendly-not only for the consumers but also for the administrative experts, customer service professionals, designers and developers. If you choose simple template based e-commerce websites, then it will cost you around $250 every month. For enterprise level solutions or entrepreneurs who choose customized programming, they have to pay around $500,000 every year.

Consider The Cost Of Marketing

Getting prospective customers to your site definitely involves a deep marketing analysis. You have to do a little bit of research to find an average cost per visitor (CPV) because it will vary from one e-commerce site to other.

One of the best ways to find the CPV of your competitor site is by checking out the advertisements on Google or other major search engines. You won't get traffic unless you spend money on marketing. So don't expect high quality traffic if you have not invested money on promotions.

Consider The Cost Of CRM i.e. Customer Relationship Management

Along with marketing and advertising, it's also very important to consider the cost of CRM i.e.  Customer servicing using phone, email or if they attend the customers on chat. Make a list of the cost of supplier servicing, inventory, taxes etc.

Keep all these discussed aspects in mind while calculating the overall cost of an e-commerce website.

Good luck!

Why Your E-Commerce Website Is Losing Money?

A customer visited your website, liked the products and even added it in the cart. However, they found the payment procedure a little complicated and so checked out. Keep reading this post to learn about the blunders of an e-commerce website.

These days, most of the e-commerce entrepreneurs implement strategies to get new traffic for the website-which is definitely one of the most important objectives, but this is only a valid step when you have optimized your website properly for sales.

With so high competition in the market, there are many important factors to consider that can maximize your sales, and help you avoid the “icebergs” that can destroy your online business. Hire magento developers who can build a great e-commerce website for your online business.

Have a look at the top blunders which you should avoid if you want to earn maximum revenue from your online website:-

A Difficult & Complicated Website

Options are many. In fact, it’s one of the most important factors which determine the success of your website. But, it may get complicated if you fail to implement the resources in the right way. Simplicity is something which you should keep in mind for your website. An overall complicated website can lead to frustration, which may make your customer run into another site.

Navigation is yet another important factor. When it comes to the navigation of a web store, it’s a pretty simple and easy process. The process of navigation is as easy as flipping pages in a book. All your product pages should be displayed in a very simplistic manner, and visitors should be able to access the pages easily.

Payment Process Is Time-Consuming

One of the major reasons why e-commerce website loses business is because they don’t offer user-friendly payment options to consumers. Be very clear about the available options so that customers don’t get frustrated while making payments.

All the payment options should be available in the home page/product page from where consumers will be buying the products. It’s your responsibility to assure a safe payment mode to the customers.

Look for magento E-commerce development services if you don’t want to lose customers. Keep all these excellent tips in mind to build a great e-commerce website.

Good Luck!

Why You Need A Stellar Content Plan For Your Business?

Gone are the days when most of the companies or organizations used to depend on traditional advertising strategies. These days, most of the companies, whether it’s an established firm or a start up business, they make sure to invest in informative, engaging and interesting content.

If you have chosen an effective content marketing plan for your business, you will definitely enjoy a lot of benefits. Here’s how an effective content marketing plan can help you get business from your prospective clients:-

Good Content Drives Lead

One of the very first objectives of an effective content marketing plan is to get leads, and then convert it into customers.  These days, companies or business firms with a blog generate more leads than the ones who don’t have it. This is one of the major reasons why you should get relevant content.

In other words, content marketing is a two-way strategy where it’s not only the company but also readers who get benefit. You not only get the opportunity to promote your products/services, but also educate them by sharing information on your blog.

From the growing popularity of dedicated magento developer to the latest web designs used by both the start-ups and established businesses, you can post different content for your online business.

Post Valuable Content For Your Customer

It’s your responsibility to provide content that adds value in the life of your customers, and when you provide good content, they will either be interested to know more about your business or become your customer.

For instance: It was Adobe’s idea to come up with a specific content website CMO.com to reach all the senior professionals who want to learn everything about digital marketing.

Obviously, you can also build a completely different website for quality content to fuel your online business. However, a blog also serve the same purpose and so you can also use it. Make sure to come up with content which meet the interests of your existing and prospective customers.

What are the major components of a content marketing plan? Share your feedback/valuable comments with us.

Good Luck!

How To Deal With Angry & Furious Clients?

We all have faced it. One minute you are so happy and then suddenly come the email of an angry client who destroys everything. The long emails, the accusations and sometimes it’s the negative tone which can be very annoying.

Getting defensive is something normal, but you need to be a little patient while dealing with furious and angry clients. Have a look at the top 3 tips to regain your clients and make them understand that you are always for them:-

Tip 1

Attitude Matters

Dealing with an unpleasant situation is difficult, but when you adjust your attitude then it proves what you and your company stands for. Whatever complaints your client has, you should take time to fix the problem.


No need to shout on the client. Rather, you should challenge yourself and ask “How can I satisfy my client? Believe that you have the ability to make things better.

Tip 2

Don’t Prejudge

You share a professional relationship with the client. Therefore, you have to stay calm. Remember that your client is not your enemy and they don’t have any personal grudge against you. Never ever prejudge, especially when dealing with clients. Take time to listen.

Tip 3

Listening Is An Art

Listening is one of the most powerful and effective strategies to deal with the client. What it exactly means is that you actually care for them. First and foremost, you should listen to them and then take the next step to quickly evaluate the situation.

Understanding the point of view of your client is important, even when you know that they are wrong. Avoid arguments because it may end in bitter results. Keep all these excellent tips in mind when dealing with clients.

Good Luck!

Why You Should Not Use “Flash” In Your Website?

Flash! Flash! How “Cool” It’s For Your Website?

There are many websites and advertisements you see online that makes use of flash and some of the professionals even claim that it’s the future of web designing. However, there are many other reasons why you should avoid flash while developing the website.

Reason 1

It Slows Down The Website

Of course, flash is “cool” and also grabs the attention of your visitors. However, one of the major problems why most of the web designers and developers avoid using flash is because it slows down your website. When your visitor browses the site, when they check the other pages, they have to wait for a pretty long time for the website to open.

Reason 2

You May Lose Visitors

The fact is, no one really cares whether you have used flash in your website or not. However, they don’t have time to wait for your website to open so that they can access the information.

Surprisingly, most of the people accessing information don’t have fast broadband and so you may lose traffic. When you have asked your web designer to use flash in your website, it may help you get an appealing website but you may lose business in the long run.

Another reason why you should avoid choosing flash design is because it’s very distracting. Flash moves continuously, and so it can be a little annoying for the visitors who want to read about the product details.

The Final Tip

What you need to understand is that people look for information online. Even when you have used simple graphics in your website, it’s the information which matters more than the design.

Of course, you may easily grab the attention of your visitors when you use flash but it cannot keep your visitors in the site if they don’t get any valuable information. Make sure that your site looks goods and users can access the information easily.

The more traffic you have, the more money you can make.

Good luck!

Benefits Of Hiring Dedicated Resources For Your Web Development Project

Developing A New Website? Hire Dedicated Developer For Your Project

The fact is, designing and developing a website is a very complicated process. So if you have decided to develop a website you should first look for expert professionals. Usually, most of the people look for an in-house team who can help them to develop a great website. But, this option has a lot of disadvantages.

Top Benefits Of Hiring Dedicated Resources For Your Project

Presently, it’s the concept of outsourcing which has become popular among the online business owners. Therefore, you can hire dedicated resources from a reputed and established firm who can save both your time and cost. Isn’t it great? 

By hiring a team of designers and developers for your project, you can avail a lot of benefits in the long run. Have a look at the top benefits of hiring dedicated resources for your project:-

·         It’s the “Hire On Demand” policy which offers a lot of benefits to the online business owners. According to this policy, you can hire a resource when you need it.

·       You can keep track of the work with the help of the direct communication channels. Most of the times, a dedicated resource will communicate with you via email, Skype or online chat.

·      You simply don’t need to worry when you have hired dedicated developer because they can assure you with quality work at a pocket-friendly price. You will get the time to concentrate on the other important tasks.

Conclusion

When it comes to outsourcing, you should make sure to hire the best resources for your project. The key factor to consider is that you have to hire someone who can understand the specific requirements of your project and get the work done in a hassle-free way. Keep all these excellent tips in mind to hire dedicated developer for the project.

Good luck!

What’s Your New Year Resolution? Learn The Top Resolutions to Explore Something New

Do you know what’s special about the New Year? It’s the resolutions! Keep reading this post to learn about the top resolutions of a web developer.

Yuppie! It’s January. Naturally, we all are at the time of a year when normal folks like you and I set resolutions for the New Year. While you must have set some specific goals for your “personal” life, here we are going to discuss the top New Year resolutions of a professional web developer. Isn’t it exciting?

Resolution 1

It’s Time To Learn A New Framework/Methodology

The fact is, web development process is changing at a rapid pace. Few years ago, NodeJS didn’t even exist. Furthermore, there was no as such JavaScript done on the web development project. Presently, JavaScript is “in”.

Every professional web developer wants to be the best in the industry. Therefore, they have to keep update of the latest technologies. So, keep learning new things. This is an important factor considered by the online business owners when they hire developer for their project.

Resolution 2

Get Better At Everything You Know

Learning new things is essential. But, you should also take time to get better at things you know. What this exactly means is that you have to improve your skills and work on it to get the desired results for your project.

Do you have an excellent understanding of JavaScript design patterns? Are you an expert in PHP? They are not something new, but if you don’t have any idea about them, it’s time to get idea.

Resolution 3

Explore Something New

This resolution is a little difficult to understand. Learning a new framework or PHP in your sector is great. But, if you are in love with web, explore all the different areas of web. Explore new things in the web. Learn about front-end development. If you love writing, you may join an online writing course. There are so many things on web. It’s time to explore!

So far, all the three resolutions can definitely help you improve the skills as a web developer. However, you always have the option to put a completely different hat. Probably, you may also get into a recruitment business to hire developers for the clients. Sounds interesting?

Do you have any other resolutions that aren’t on the list? Do comment!

Happy Reading!