Magento for Small Businesses: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Website from Scratch
Magento is one of the most powerful open-source eCommerce platforms available. Using Magento for Small Business, you can build from an online clothing store to an online flower shop to an online jewelry store. In simple words, Magento is flexible enough to work on any type of website.
However, building your own Magento website from scratch can seem daunting, especially to non-technical business owners unfamiliar with the process.
So, Why is Magento for Small Businesses Popular?
Source: Medium
Magento is among the most widely used eCommerce CMS available online, which means that it provides many eCommerce services at an affordable price. It’s cloud-based and can be easily accessed anytime and anywhere. With so many entrepreneurs going digital these days, it’s never been easier for small businesses to go online.
Magento for small businesses mainly refers to the Magento Open-Source platform. It has many advanced features such as SEO-friendly URLs, XML sitemap and Google analytics integration, support customizable themes, and more. Magento is considered one of the most powerful eCommerce platforms because it offers top-notch security and reliability due to its open-source nature.
Magento has been around since 2008 but only recently gained popularity among small businesses and large corporations due to its ease of use and affordable pricing. Nowadays, many hosting providers offer free or cheap hosting solutions that beginners can use without any hassle.
This guide on building a Magento website from scratch will help you with everything from choosing your hosting provider to installing Magento itself. So, you can get started selling your products in no time!
Also, Read Here — Magento vs. WordPress- Which one is Best for Your Online Store?
Step 1: Choose a Compatible Magento Theme
The first step is to choose a compatible Magento theme. There are thousands of different themes available, and picking one that matches your brand can save you hours and lots of headaches. Even better, most themes come with detailed instructions on installing and configuring them.
You’ll still need basic HTML knowledge, but many themes come with demo content, allowing you to see how it works out of the box before spending valuable time customizing it.
While choosing a Magento theme, look for the following:
- How quickly you can configure it
- 100% screen-responsiveness
- Great support and documentation
- The ability to install demo content with just one click
- The ability to customize easily without touching any code
Analyzing these aspects is critical as you can’t go back and fix mistakes if you run into problems down the road. In addition, many designers will use your website theme as a guide for their work, so picking one that isn’t compatible with other services could be problematic.
Many themes are available, allowing you to sell products online in no time. This is great because it means there’s no need for an additional eCommerce plugin and enables you to take advantage of some of Magento for small business features right out of the box.
Step 2: Set Up Web Hosting
Choosing web hosting is like choosing where you’re going to live, so you want it to be somewhere nice and friendly. Just like picking out your house, it’s best to do some research and try things out before you commit.
With web hosting, check out a few places and test their customer service because choosing where you want to stay online is an important part. Don’t forget about customer support because these days, when issues arise with your website or business. You also need someone who can answer your questions and help build up your site once it goes live.
Magento for the small business comes with reliable hosting services, but you can also choose another provider. If you decide to go with someone else, ensure they’re compatible with Magento. Hosting providers often list their compatibility with specific software programs on their websites.
Note: Magento requires that your host supports PHP version 5.3 or higher and MySQL version 5.0 or higher. You’ll also need to have Apache installed on your server and have access to upload files using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Most web hosts offer these features as standard, so it shouldn’t be an issue for most people.
Step 3: Installing the Magento Platform
The next step is to install Magento via the official sources. It requires you to have an account with them, which you can create for free, and then log into your account and get started with the installation. Once you have logged into the account, click on Downloads at the top left of the screen, select the Community Edition (CE) 1.9 version, and click the Download Now button.
On the next page, you can fill out some details about yourself and proceed further by clicking on the Continue button. The website will present you with various options, including download links for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other platforms, including Solaris, AIX, etc. Choose your platform accordingly and download it.
The installation steps involve the following:
- Server Check: It will check if your server meets all requirements for running Magento.
- Downloading Sources: It will download all required files for installation.
- Integrating Database: This step will create a database for your store. You can also choose which type of database you want.
- Web Configuration: It creates necessary files for your store and configures your web server. It will also create cron jobs, and you can set up cron jobs according to your convenience. You can create a default administrator account, which is recommended so you can log in to your store’s admin panel.
- Setting up Admin Account: You will be asked if you want to create an admin account. It is recommended that you do it so that you can log in to the admin panel of your store.
- Final One-Click Magento Installation: It will ask if you want to start your store. Click on the Start button, and it will take you to your store’s admin panel. You can log in to the admin panel using the default username and password you created during installation. You can change it later once you log into the admin panel for the first time.
Once it’s complete, you will be logged in to the store’s admin panel. You can add products, categories, and other necessary information for your store. You can also hire a web developer with experience building eCommerce websites using the Magento platform.
Step 4: Store Configuration & Managing Inventory
Before listing any products for sale, you need to create your store’s settings and configure its inventory. To do so, click on System > Configuration on your Admin panel.
Over here, you must handle the following activities:
- Under General, you can manage your store name and logo and enable or disable its Google Analytics integration.
- You can also specify whether or not customers are required to register before making purchases.
- Select Force SSL if you have enabled HTTPS; that way, all traffic remains encrypted between their browsers and your website.
Managing Inventory involves setting up your store’s tax rates, shipping options, and payment methods. You can also specify how many products you want to be visible on each page.
Step 5: Store Customization
The last step is customizing your store according to the target audience’s preferences. This includes choosing colors for different sections of your store, or it may mean setting up payment processing or shipping rules.
Magento also has many sample templates you can use as a starting point, including themes and layouts that look more like traditional eCommerce sites than catalogs. You could start with one of these and tailor it to suit your needs. For example, you might want an image gallery next to each product instead of basic product information.
Or you might want text links on each category page instead of images. To change these things yourself, simply go back into the CMS (Content Management System) area and edit/replace existing content with new HTML.
eCommerce development companies can customize the store according to your needs. They have expertise and experience with the Magento platform, so they can make changes very quickly. You don’t need any programming or website design knowledge because they know how to do it.
Wrapping Up
Using Magento for small business to build your online store is easier than you think. But before starting, make sure you have enough time and resources. Creating an ecommerce website will take some work and dedication, but it can be rewarding when done right.
Hiring Magento developers can help you with a professional website in no time. They have prior experience, so they can get your site up and running quickly and efficiently. You will be able to create an online store that is easy to use for customers and increases your sales and revenue.
