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Hi, Magefan customers. And welcome to the newbies of our blog.

The digest of February 2025 news and updates is here!

We added lots of great new features to our Magento 2 extensions and Shopify Apps this February, the last winter month.

Let's start!

Magento 2 Language and Store Switcher Extension

New features of Magento 2 Language and Store Switcher Extension!

Features:

• Added the "Switcher Trigger" option. It allows you to set when a store has to be switched to the auto-redirect mode (on the first visit, on every page load, or on the first visit or any homepage visit.
• Security improvements. Now Magento SecureRenderer is used to whitelist an inline script.
• Added compatibility with Mirasvit Cache Warmer.

The latest available version is v 2.0.19

Request a FREE trial

Magento 2 Google Page Speed Optimizer

New features of Magento 2 Google Page Speed Optimizer!

Features:

• Now sessions for robots can be disabled (Plus).
• Performed Gallery optimization (Fotorama).

The latest available version

Three years ago, on February 24th, 2022, at 3:40 (Kyiv time) all of our lives were divided into BEFORE and AFTER, when russian tanks started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine blatantly violating all international laws, rights, and agreements. 

Starting from that time, there was not a single day without explosions. Our families, our work and our hope in the Ukrainian Armed Forces were the only things that kept our morale state "in place", considering the constant flow of terrible news and russian PSYOP (psychological operations). 

In many countries, there is no more news feature on the Ukrainian battlefields. Or about the daily destruction that the russians inflict on civilian infrastructure. It leads a lot of people to believe that the russian war in Ukraine is "slowing down". 

But that's not like it at all. It's even more horrific than in spring 2022.

It's not just russian guided bomb units that are used against us any more. It's hundreds of Iranian suicide drones and North Korean

Magento 2 appeared on the market in 2015 and has been standing firm ever since. Thanks to the extensive Magento features and flexibility, it is one of the best eCommerce platforms to consider for businesses.

But what exactly makes it so special? That's what you'll discover today.

We'll review the most important Magento 2 features you must be aware of if you want your store to be successful. They cover everything from categories and products to marketing, customer management, and SEO.

So, we've got a lot to explore!

But before that, we should make one more thing clear.

What is Magento 2?

Magento is an open-source eCommerce platform with a vast number of features and a highly customizable nature. Many store owners choose Magento since it is scalable and easily integrates third-party applications to create the best version of your website.

When speaking of Magento, we should distinguish Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce. The latter is the paid version of Magento with additional features

No matter what type of business you run, data reports are always essential to track your website performance. There are lots of analytical tools for that, like Google Analytics 4. Yet, Magento store owners are lucky enough to have the extensive built-in Magento 2 reports.

They cover key areas such as marketing, sales, products, reviews, and others. All neatly sorted into multiple grids. However, surprisingly, not everyone is taking advantage of this feature.

That's why in this guide, we'll cover all types of Magento reports, their management, and other advanced tools for tracking website activity.

But let's start with the basics.

What are Magento 2 Reports?

Magento 2 reports are sets of organized and subject-specific data about your store's performance and activities. They are available out of the box in each Magento edition and provide crucial insights into the effectiveness of your store operations.

Magento analytics allows you to monitor your marketing campaigns, review the sales statistics,

WordPress is a well-known platform for creating and managing blogs. Many Magento store owners actually benefit from the WordPress blog as it brings lots of perks. While it's a convenient strategy for many, the Magento WordPress integration is a must.

It allows you to take the best from both platforms and create an eCommerce store alongside an efficient blog. No need to jump between the platforms. Wondering how to pull off the whole thing? That's what you'll learn today.

In this guide, you'll find steps to integrate WordPress with Magento and learn the benefits of doing so.

Shall we start?

How to Integrate WordPress with Magento?

The WordPress Magento integration requires quite a few steps. Firstly, you need to install the WordPress package itself, then get the integration module, and set up your WordPress for smooth integration. 

But let's go through all the steps in order and see what exactly you have to do.

1. Install WordPress 

To begin with, navigate to the wordpress.org website

Whether your goal is to boost brand awareness, increase sales, improve online visibility, you need an effective Magento marketing strategy. While you can rely on various built-in marketing tools, these won't be enough in an expanding Magento landscape. 

That's why we've put together this ultimate guide to Magento marketing. To help you leverage limitless marketing opportunities of the platform and automate your efforts.

You'll find an overview of the best marketing strategies and practices that work and already drive sales for your competitors. Besides, you'll discover different Magento marketing tools to support your journey. 

Ready to start?

Understanding Magento Marketing Potential

Before we get to the marketing strategies for Magento, you need to answer a serious question. Are you using built-in Magento marketing tools already? Because there are a lot. And you might realise you didn't use even half of them.

Let's get into more details.

Promotions and discounts

When the sales season

eCommerce is rapidly growing and welcoming newcomers looking to start their businesses. Online sales are expected to grow even more in the upcoming years. So, the opportunity to sell online is as attractive as ever.

Merchants prefer online sales for ease of use, flexibility, and global reach. With the best eCommerce platforms available out there, your own online store is just a few clicks away.

The platform has a crucial impact on your further development and success. So, whether you want to start a store in Magento, Shopify or Wix, you have to be really thorough with your decision.

In this guide, we'll try to make it easier by reviewing the best eCommerce platforms for your business. You'll learn key features of the platforms, pricing, rating, pros, cons, and more.

So, let's get right to it!

Best eCommerce Platforms

Logo	Platform Name	Starting Cost	Hosting	G2 Rating
	Magento	$0	Self-hosted	4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Shopify	$24	Hosted	4.4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	BigCommerce	$29	Hosted	4.2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Shift4Shop	$0	Hosted	3.9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Logging in to customer accounts allows you to tackle issues faster and to help customers with their requests more effectively. Our Login as Customer App facilitates the process and allows you to log in as customer without a password.

But what if customers' accounts don't have a password, like Shopify B2B accounts?

That's what you'll find out in this guide. We'll walk you through detailed steps on how to log in to B2B customer accounts in Shopify in a few clicks. 

However, let's start with the basics.

How Does B2B Login Work in Shopify? 

Unlike a traditional Shopify login with email and password, logging in to B2B Shopify accounts requires a unique 6-digit code. So a customer goes to the login page, enters their email, receives a 6-digit code to that email and enters in on Shopify login. 

The process is a little bit complicated, making it even more difficult to assist those customers (if they have any issues with their accounts or order placement).

But there's a solution.

How to Log in

The default Shopify SEO features are rarely enough to create a consistent and effective strategy. Sure, the XML sitemap, meta tags, redirects, and others are vital. Yet, you'll need some additional tools for ultimate results.

Plenty of Shopify apps cover the blind spots, as well as enhance the default functionality. At the same time, there are so many options it's difficult to select the right tool.

So, today we'll explore the best Shopify SEO apps and see what they have to offer. Hopefully, this list will help you find the right solution for your store. 

Top SEO Apps for Shopify

Icon	App name	Developer	Price	Free plan	Free trial
	Google Indexer — Magefan	Magefan	Basic - $4.99/month Standard - $9.99/month Pro - $14.99/month
	SearchPie SEO & Speed optimize	PieLab	Premium - $39/month Enterprise - $99/month Plus - $399/month
	StoreSEO: AI for SEO & Image	Storeware	Visionary - $2.99/month Basic - $9.99/month Enterprise - $149.99/month
	Sherpas: Smart SEO	Sherpas Design	Pro plan - $9.99/month Business

2025 is almost here and it thrills us with new opportunities and hopes. Yet, we would also like to acknowledge this year's achievements we have been working on.

So, before the clock strikes midnight, let us take you through the key moments of Magefan's 2024 journey. 

Team

Starting with the most important part of Magefan - the team. This year we welcomed 2 new members to our Magefan family.

Also, one of our colleagues went to serve in Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend our country’s freedom and peace from russian invasion. The entire team and his workplace await his return back to the Magefan office.

Meet Magento Events

Magefan was happy to be among the sponsors of many great Meet Magento events in 2024. Here they are: Meet Magento India, Meet Magento Romania, Meet Magento UK and last but not least - Meet Magento Netherlands.

 Supporting the events within the Magento ecosystem is an honour to our company and a way to support the development of the platform itself.

New Extension Releases

When you decide to jump on the eCommerce bandwagon, one of the most important decisions to make is to choose what platform to manage your store on. Why? Since the platform you choose directly defines the management costs, the number of integrations you'll need, and the complexity of scaling up. The choice won't come easy with the number of options available. But Magento vs Shopify will pop up the most often. 

Shopify is a more beginner-friendly, hosted platform with a set pricing and easy drag-and-drop interface. At the same time, Magento provides more flexibility and customization options along with plenty of free integrations.

So, if you've been struggling to choose between Shopify or Magento, you're in the right place. We'll dive deeper into all vital eCommerce store features of both platforms to make the Magento vs Shopify choice easier for you.

Ready to start?

Shopify vs Magento: Comparison Chart

Before we dive deeper into the details, let's quickly overview all the features both

Every time you need to do some testing, roll out an update or fix a bug, you need to enable the Magento 2 maintenance mode. It initiates the display of the "Service Temporarily Unavailable" messages across all your website pages.

So, regardless of other Magento modes, the maintenance mode causes the most inconvenience for both merchants and users. Especially if they don't know what that mode is about.

That's why today you'll get all the answers about what is Magento maintenance mode, why it matters and how to use it properly. We'll also share some secrets about enabling maintenance mode in Magento without downtime.

Intrigued? Let's get started!

What is Magento 2 Maintenance Mode?

Magento 2 maintenance mode is a process of temporarily disabling users from accessing your website while you perform updates, customizations, or other improvements. If you enable maintenance mode, website visitors will see a maintenance page with a custom message.

Some exceptions exist when users from certain

Running a Shopify store doesn't come down to featuring products on your own website only. You also have to cover other markets to drive more attention to your brand and attract potential buyers.

There are plenty of ways of sharing your products on other channels. Yet, the go-to option of many remains the same — product feeds.

Creating product feeds manually is a thing of the past since the  Shopify apps fully take care of the process. You'll find a multitude of options out there, and choosing the right app can be quite a struggle.

So, we've saved you the trouble and prepared a list of the best product feed apps for Shopify. May you find the one that meets your needs best!

Top Shopify Product Feed Apps

Icon	App name	Developer	Price	Free plan	Free trial
	Shopping Feeds ‑ Magefan	Magefan	Standard - $19/month Pro - $39/month
	Simprosys Google Shopping Feed	Simprosys InfoMedia	Up to 500 Products - $4.99/month 501-1000 Products - $8.99/month 1001-5000 Products - $13.99/month 5001-10000 Products

The opportunities e-commerce offers these days often go underrated. You can sell literally everywhere — Google, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest — you name it. But getting there is obviously not as easy as it sounds. 

One of the first things that opens the door to other channels is the Shopify product feed. So that's what we'll focus on today. You'll discover what it is and what benefits it brings to the table.

You'll also learn how to create product feeds in Shopify manually or using the Shopify apps. So you drive targeted customers and expose your products to a wider audience with no complex configurations.

Ready to start?

What is Shopify Product Feed?

Shopify product feed is a structured data file with detailed information about your inventory. It contains data about product names, descriptions, pricing, availability, URLs, images and other details.

Example of the product feed in Shopify

Seems overwhelming, right? 

It kind of is. But trust me, this file is going to bring lots of traffic

eCommerce is booming right now making it the best time to start an eCommerce store. Once the "when" and "how" are established, it's time to choose what platform to create your store on. That's exactly when things start to get complicated. There simply are too many of them.

Today we'll focus on, one of the best eCommerce platforms with unlimited opportunities — Magento. The Magento statistics we've collected in this post will help you get to know the platform better. 

You'll learn about the market share, usage, popularity, brands that use Magento and other fascinating facts.

Now let the numbers speak.

Magento Statistics and Facts: General

• Magento (Adobe Commerce) is one of the top ten most popular eСommerce platforms.
• In October 2024, 120,947 live websites on the Internet used the Magento platform, and an additional 366,747 domains that redirected to sites in this list.
• Businesses grow three times faster on Magento than on any other platform.
• In 2018, Adobe acquired the Magento platform

While merchants are desperately looking for ways to drive more traffic to their stores, they tend to ignore blogging. Why? Probably because blogging on eCommerce is more of a long-term investment.  

You won’t see results immediately as you start. It’s true. But if you want to introduce yourself to new customers and grow your community, there’s no better tool. 

Nonetheless, it’s just the tip of the iceberg of eCommerce blog benefits. We’ll cover more of them today. You’ll see that starting a blog is quick, easy, and profitable for your store, regardless of the products you sell.

Those of you who manage Magento vs Shopify stores will also find ready-made blogging solutions.

What Is a Business Blog?

A business blog is a blog on a company website where you can publish articles about your products, news, and other information to drive more traffic and sales correspondingly.

You can see that as a way to communicate with your customers. But from a business standpoint, it’s a part of your content

Videos have a special place in the content strategy of many Magento stores. Promoting and exploring a product via an animated clip is easier than through a lengthy text.

That said, you certainly want your videos to appear in the targeted search results and reach the right audience. That's why, you have to get your hands on one of the most important rich snippets in Magento — video rich snippets. 

Don't know how to add them? No worries, today you'll learn all the key details about Magento video rich snippets, their types and ways of adding them.

So, let's get right to it!

What is Video Structured Data?

Video structured data is a snippet of code which defines the structure and key elements of the video. Its main properties are name, content URL, upload date and thumbnail image URL. However, there are other supported properties you may use.

Video rich snippets allow you to define what info should be displayed in the search results. Thumbnail images, video descriptions, duration and other

In the world of eCommerce, many new initiatives come on stage and then rapidly disappear. The fashion industry though seems to be more or less untouched. However, it comes with both pros and cons.

On one hand, it secures all the materials and assets for the newcomers' soft launch. At the same time, the constantly growing number of new stores keeps you on your toes.

You need to find effective ways to stand out and be demanded. That's what Shopify offers. There are versatile Shopify apps to help you on the way. Yet, how do you choose not only the best but the most relevant one?

We'll make this a little easier for you with our list of 15+ best Shopify apps for clothing stores. Hopefully you'll find just the right option for you.

Top Shopify Apps for Clothing Stores

Icon	App name	Developer	Price	Free plan	Free trial
	Size Chart - Magefan	Magefan	Standard - $4.99/month Pro - $9.99/month
	EM Lookbook ‑ Shop by Gallery	Expert Village Media Technologies	Basic - $4.99/month Pro - $12.99/month Business

You don't have to imagine how frustrating 503 maintenance pages and other error messages are. Everyone hates them — merchants lose potential customers while the latter get interrupted when shopping. It's a lose-lose situation. 

Every developer knows that errors on the page are a part of the Magento deployment, including the Magento static content deployment process. But very few actually know how to avoid it with the zero downtime deployment. 

So today we'll break down every detail of how the zero downtime deployment works and why you need it. You'll also learn whether can you actually achieve zero downtime without buying Magento Commerce. 

But let's start with the basics first.

How Does Magento Deployment Work?

Deployment is a method of building modules, patches and other code and delivering it to end users through different environments. In other words, it's pushing new code from one environment to the other.

These environment usually include:

• Local — where developers build the code.

Collecting customer data in your store is a must if you want to deliver a personalised user experience. While you can track some data with default Magento cookies these are hardly enough to reach the goal.

That's when you resort to some services that help you collect more data and install extensions to deliver the message to visitors. But there is no need for so many resources if you can get all of these in one place — your admin panel — using the Magento 2 Cookie Consent Extension. 

So, today you'll learn how to configure, create and track cookie consents in Magento. On top of that, you'll enable compatibility with Google Consent Mode with only one button. 

Ready to start?

Create Magento Cookie Groups

Before you create any cookies in Magento, you should define the cookie groups you'll add them to. For that navigate to Marketing > Cookie Consent > Groups and hit the Add New Group button.

1. Specify the group Name and Description that will be displayed on the frontend.
2. Make the cookie group

The faster your website loads, the better — users love it and Google loves it. If you've been improving your website speed with Google PageSpeed Insights for a while and have seen no miracles so far, there's only one reason. You might have misinterpreted the report.

Google PageSpeed Insights checker provides reports based on real and "artificial" data. So, it's important to know what metrics to focus on to improve not only the technical side but user experience. 

In this guide, you'll find everything you need to excel in GooglePageSpeed Insights and finally take your website to the "green zone". 

What is Google PageSpeed Insights?

Google PageSpeed Insights (PSI) is a free tool that analyses your website performance in terms of loading time, responsiveness and user experience on mobile and desktop devices. It uses a 0-100 store scale to give feedback on how your web application is doing: