Magento 2 is one of the best eCommerce platforms with a multitude of advanced features. While it's a great advantage, the complex nature of this platform is quite difficult to grasp at once. So, you'd need to consult a Magento tutorial to find your way around the system.
This is exactly what we prepared for you today. In this Magento 2 tutorial, you'll learn everything you need to know to start a Magento store. From Magento installation to store configuration and optimisation, we'll cover all crucial areas and details.
Buckle up because we're getting started!
Magento: Brief Overview
Before we get to the configuration and management part, we should learn the key details about Magento. This will help us make our journey more structured and consistent.
So, let's start with the basics.
What is Magento 2?
Magento is an open-source eCommerce platform designed for creating and managing online stores. It covers catalogue, sales management, order processing, marketing, SEO, and other aspects.
This platform is known for its scalability and flexibility, giving merchants enough space to tailor the functionality to their specific needs. Besides, Magento can handle large catalogues, so it's a long-term solution that will grow together with your business.
Magento Open Source vs Adobe Commerce
There are two editions of Magento — Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce. The former is free, while the latter is a paid, premium version. Adobe Commerce has another Cloud branch that also provides hosting.
Adobe Commerce offers more advanced and B2B features; however, Magento Open Source doesn't fall behind. It has just enough default features to create a successful store.
Besides, it is extremely flexible with integrations, so you can extend the available features as much as you want.
If you are just getting started, Magento Open Source will certainly suffice. It will give you a sample of what Magento really is about and how it functions. Besides, you can always migrate to Adobe Commerce when the time comes.
Magento 2 Pricing
We've mentioned above that there is a paid version of Magento. However, a license isn't the only thing you have to pay for. There are more aspects to the Magento pricing.
Generally, you have to take care of the domain name, hosting, maintenance, and custom development. Then, you may need to install the additional extensions as you go, as well as invest in marketing and SEO.
As a result, it may seem like a big-budget project, especially for beginners. Even though this is a long-term investment, you should consider carefully how to allocate the funds.
Why Choose Magento?
Magento is not the only eCommerce platform out there, as there are alternative solutions and easier store builders. So why would your choice fall on Magento? There are a couple of main reasons.
First of all, Magento is a scalable platform that will grow together with your business. Secondly, it comes with a vast set of features and allows you to customise the code as much as needed.
We can't help but mention that Magento has one of the most active communities on the web. So, you will most definitely find answers to all of your questions and get a piece of advice from the experienced developers.
Getting Started with Magento
Once you make up your mind and decide to give Magento a shot, you have to set up your environment and install the software.
In this chapter of our tutorial for Magento, you'll find out the core aspects you need to take care of to have your store up and running.
System Preparation
Since Magento is a self-hosted platform, you have to prepare a server to handle your store. Magento supports Nginx, Apache, and AWS servers. For the operating system, consider using Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, or a similar system.
Next up is the memory. You need to have at least 2GB of RAM. This value may need to be increased as you grow, but it's enough to get started.
When it comes to the database, Magento supports MySQL, MariaDB, and Percona. Additionally, it's written in PHP and requires you to use some PHP extensions for proper management.
Additionally, don't forget about the SSL certificate for your website to create a secure environment and protect data exchanges.
All of these should also be coordinated with the Magento 2 version you want to install. Thus, consult the official Magento 2 requirements to find out more about the exact versions.
Magento Installation
Once your environment is ready, you can finally install Magento. The process consists of multiple steps you need to take to properly install the system.
It's important to mention here that you also need to install Composer, a dependency and package manager. The latest Magento versions work with Composer v2.0 and higher.
Magento is installed along with the sample data to give you a better understanding of how the system works.
Themes and Design
Luma is the default theme that Magento comes with out of the box. It's known for its simplicity and ease of navigation. At the same time, there are lots of Magento 2 themes on the market if you want to improve the look of your store.
Yet, your options don't end there. If your requirements are highly specific, you can build a custom theme and tailor it to your business needs.
Magento also offers an extensive content management system (CMS), making it possible to create CMS pages, blocks, and widgets to enhance customer experience.
Magento Dashboard Overview
At this point, Magento is installed and ready to be configured. So, where do you start from? From the Magento admin panel.
It's an extensive system responsible for all store settings we're to review today. In other words, it's a key instrument you'll have to interact with daily.
So, let's explore the Magento admin panel tabs and sections to navigate it effectively.
- Dashboard: Review the report snapshots and get quick details about your sales, new customers, bestsellers, and more.
- Sales: Keep track of all orders placed in your store, together with shipments, invoices, credit memos, and other sales-related details.
- Catalog: Create products, divide them into categories, and manage your inventory.
- Customers: Manage all customer accounts created in your store, create customer groups and assign customers to them.
- Marketing: Create discounts using the cart and catalog price rules, manage email templates, configure SEO settings, and moderate reviews.
- Content: Create and manage CMS blocks, pages, widgets, and templates. Work with the media gallery and configure your store design.
- Reports: Check in-depth reports on sales, customers, reviews, products, and other important metrics.
- Stores: Manage the general store configurations, set up languages and currencies, define the key website features, manage taxes, and work with product attributes.
- System: Work with the cache, indexing, data transfers, and other system-related settings.
Each tab stores a set of specific features and tools that allow you to manage the tasks at hand. We'll review the mentioned features in closer detail in the following chapters.
Magento Website Setup
Now that you know what Magento is about, you can finally create your own store. Let's continue our Magento tutorial with the basic store settings and gradually move forward to content and optimisations.
Here, you are going to work with the Stores tab and the various sections it includes.
Websites, Stores, and Store Views
Magento multi-store functionality is the first thing you need to get acquainted with. There is a hierarchy of websites, stores, and store views where each level has its specifics but is still interrelated with other scopes.
So, think of the structure you want your store to have and create the corresponding entities.
Magento websites, stores, and store views
To finish this up, jump to Configuration > General > General and configure the Country/State Options and Store Information sections.
Setting up store country options
Store URLs Settings
Having created the websites, stores, and store views, you need to configure their URL structure. It's an important step since your settings will serve as a basis for further URL configurations.
To set up your store URLs, navigate to Configuration > General > Web and fill out the Base URLs, Base URLs (Secure), and URL Options sections.
Base URL settings
Languages, Currencies, and Taxes
The next step is to define languages for the store view you created. Navigate to the General > Locale Options section, select the Store View using the switcher in the top left corner, and set the locale.
Store locale configuration
For the multi-language store, you also need to set up currencies in General > Currency Setup and define the currency rates and symbols in Stores > Currency.
Setting up currency symbols
Still, this is not it. If you plan on selling globally, it's important to configure Magento 2 taxes that encompass tax rules, classes, and rates. You can find all the necessary sources in the Stores > Taxes section.
Payment and Shipping Methods
The next thing you have to take care of is the payment and shipping options. Surely, there has to be a way for people to pay and receive the ordered goods. So, this is an integral step of your store creation journey.
There are lots of Magento payment methods and default shipping options you can configure for your store. Out-of-the-box features may already cover the needs of your business.
Default Magento payment methods
In case you need to integrate more services, you are free to do so. Thanks to the open-source nature of Magento, you can adjust and customise the functionality as much as needed.
User Roles and Permissions
As you grow your store, there may be more people working in the admin panel. However, it's not the best practice to share full access to the Magento backend for every user.
What you can do in Magento is create user roles and assign them to specific resources. This way, different admins have access only to the sections they are responsible for.
Assigning store resources to a user role
This contributes to the store security and coordinates the store management efforts more effectively.
Catalog Management
The store structure is all set, so you're good to fill your store with products and categories. These are the key elements, so this Magento tutorial will cover all the necessary aspects for effective Magento inventory management.
Product Attributes and Attribute Sets
To make your catalogue setup consistent, start by creating product attributes. Magento uses attributes to define specific product characteristics and enhance their management. Some attribute examples are status, weight, visibility, colour, etc.
Navigate to Stores > Attributes > Products to review and edit the default Magento attributes or create new ones. Everything depends on the type of products you sell.
List of default Magento product attributes
These attributes can be further grouped into attribute sets. For example, the attribute set Bottom may consist of the material, size, colour, and activity attributes. You can create the necessary attribute sets in Stores > Attribute > Attribute Set.
Product Types and Categories
Having created attributes and attribute sets, you can finally get to creating products and categories. Both are managed in the Catalog tab of the Magento admin.
Magento categories help you create an easy-to-navigate catalogue and neatly group your products. Use the corresponding buttons to create root and subcategories of your store's category tree.
Example of the category tree in Magento
When it comes to products, there are six Magento product types to choose from: simple, configurable, bundle, group, virtual, and downloadable. Choose the type that represents your inventory best and fill out the straightforward form to create the products.
Stock Management
Once products and categories are created, there is one more aspect you need to cover: product stock. In Magento, you can configure it globally or for specific items.
Thus, navigate to Stores > Configuration > Catalog > Inventory > Stock Options to configure the general behaviour of the stock items.
Setting up stock options in Magento
In the next section, Product Stock Options, you have more options, but for the individual items now. Here you can enable backorders, define the minimum quantity of items to place an order, and specify how to manage the returned items.
Multi-Source Inventory
If you have more than one inventory source, you will also need to configure the Magento multi-source inventory. This mechanism allows you to manage a complex inventory setup and assign your products to specific sources.
For starters, you'd need to create sources and stocks in Stores > Inventory. The forms you have to fill out are pretty straightforward, so it shouldn't be difficult to complete.
Magento inventory sources grid
Then, once sources and stocks are created, you may proceed with assigning them to your catalogue items.
Order Processing
Once the catalogue settings and inventory are covered, move on to the Magento order fulfilment process. It has its own specifics, so let's continue this Magento tutorial by reviewing them together.
Order Statuses
Every order goes through multiple stages from the moment it's placed to the point it's finally delivered. All these steps are marked with different order statuses.
In Magento, there are premade statuses you can use out of the box. Alternatively, you can create new ones in Stores > Settings > Order Status to match the specific workflow of your store.
Pre-set Magento order statuses
When creating new statuses, you may also choose to make them visible on the storefront. This way, customers will have a chance to monitor the order journey as well.
Invoices and Shipments
In Magento, invoices are created automatically once an order has been placed. In some cases, however, you may need to invoice an order manually.
To do that, select a specific order in Sales > Orders and hit the Invoice button in the top bar. Then, look through the generated invoice and submit it if everything is in order.
Invoicing a Magento order manually
The same goes for shipments, as they are created manually. Just use the Ship button next to the Invoice one.
Refunds and Credit Memos
No matter how much you'd like to reduce refunds in your store, you still should know how to process them. In Magento, you need to create a credit memo to refund an order.
There are two types of credit memos depending on the payment method used to place an order. To create an offline credit memo, you need to open the corresponding order in Sales > Orders and hit the Credit Memo button in the top navigation.
Creating an offline credit memo
For online credit memos, you should open the order's invoice and process the refund from there.
Editing Order Details
To make the order processing as efficient as possible, you should also have a way to edit orders that have already been placed.
By default, Magento allows you to edit billing and shipping addresses. If you'd like to adjust the ordered items or customer items, you'd need to cancel the existing order and create a new, correct one.
Example of order details you can edit in Magento by default
To edit orders without cancellation, you'd need to implement the 3rd party tools.
Customer Management
Making the customer journey smooth and intuitive is a huge part of a successful store strategy. You'll have to put in significant work to decrease bounce rates and improve the usability of your store.
Magento facilitates your efforts with extensive settings out of the box.
Manage Customer Accounts
Even though there may be multiple aspects to cover, it would make sense to start with the customer account settings. You can find all of them in Stores > Configuration > Customers > Customer Configuration.
Customer configuration and account settings
By navigating between the presented tabs, you can configure new account, password, name, and address options for customers.
The settings you select have a direct impact on the convenience of your store and will improve the overall shopping experience.
Log in as a Customer
In many cases, excellent customer support is what makes you stand out among the competitors. Thus, you need to have effective tools at hand to assist your customers.
Magento 2.4.x comes with the log in as a customer functionality. It allows admins to log into customers' accounts from the admin panel and provide the necessary assistance.
The Login As Customer link in the Customers grid
One click is all it takes to address customer queries promptly.
Marketing Tools
It takes a bit more than just an engaging catalogue to make your store competitive. You also need an effective Magento marketing strategy to increase visibility and attract more customers.
Thus, let's review another chapter of our Magento tutorial — the platform's marketing tools.
Email Templates
Magento encompasses a wide variety of emails you can send out. There's a set of prebuilt transactional or other store-related email templates in Marketing > Communications. You can edit and translate them to match the specifics of your store.
Example of a new email template
On top of that, you can send newsletters to keep the communication with your customers going and inform them about special offers in your store.
Special Prices and Discounts
Discounts and limited offers are a great option to engage customers and increase sales. In Magento, you have numerous tools to run your campaigns effectively.
Using catalog price rules, you can apply discounts to a wide range of items at once. If there's a specific product you'd like to offer a special price for, use the advanced pricing feature. It allows you to set discounts based on quantity and customer groups.
Product advanced pricing options
Another option is to apply discounts at checkout using the cart price rules. You may also create coupons and use them in your email campaigns to pique customers' interest.
Related, Upsell, and Cross-sell Products
Magento offers a built-in functionality for related, cross-sell, and up-sell products. This is a great opportunity to give customers more options to choose from and potentially increase the average order value.
Adding related products to a product listing
Every product editing page has a specific section where you can define product recommendations. Just make sure the items you choose are relevant and complement the main item without overshadowing it.
SEO Optimization
With the ever-growing number of online stores, you will definitely experience tough competition. This is why you need a reliable SEO strategy to stand out from the competitors and attract relevant traffic.
The default Magento SEO offers enough tools to improve your online visibility and appear higher in the SERP. So, let's dive into the exact tools in the next chapter of this tutorial for Magento.
XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap is one of the key SEO instruments. It includes all website links you want search agents to crawl and defines how often they should do it.
In Magento admin, the XML sitemap settings are located in Stores > Configuration > Catalog > XML Sitemap. Here, you can set the sitemap generation schedule, as well as the frequency and priority for categories, products, and CMS pages.
XML sitemap frequency and priority settings
To finally generate the sitemap, navigate to Marketing > SEO & Search > Site Map and add your sitemap. After the initial generation, it will be updated automatically by cron. Still, you do have an option to generate it manually on demand.
Robots.txt File
The robots.txt file is another milestone of a successful SEO strategy. It defines what pages search crawlers should or should not crawl, as well as restricts specific bots from accessing your site altogether.
To set these permissions for your website, navigate to Content > Design > Configuration, open your website, and scroll down to the Search Engine Robots section. Then, set the default robots for your site and edit the custom instructions of the robots.txt file.
Setting up the robots.txt file
Canonical Tags
Content duplication is one of the most common SEO issues. It poses threats to your online visibility as search engines may simply not know what pages to crawl.
Thus, make sure you add canonical tags to mark the main version of your pages and indicate that it's the variant that should be indexed. In Magento, you can add canonical tags automatically for product and category pages.
Enabling canonical tags for product and category pages
However, to cover other pages, you'll either need to add canonical tags manually or use a 3rd party tool to automate the process.
URL Rewrites
Magento URL rewrite is another tool you should be aware of. It allows you to redirect your visitors from one URL to another automatically, which is specifically useful if the old page is removed or disabled.
To add a new redirect, navigate to Marketing > SEO & Search > URL Rewrites. Here, you will see the list of the existing rewrites and will be able to add a new one.
Example of the URL rewrite settings
While URL rewrites improve the user experience and prevent people from stumbling upon 404 pages, you should be careful so as not to complicate your website structure and create crawling errors.
Security Improvements
The open-source nature of Magento is both an advantage and a flaw. On one hand, it allows you to tweak the code and customise the platform as much as you need. On the other hand, it makes the platform an easy target for hackers who are looking for Magento security vulnerabilities.
That said, you shouldn't wait until your data gets leaked or the malware is injected. You need to do your best to protect your store before any harm is caused.
Admin Security Settings
To begin with, make sure that your admin panel is protected. Navigate to Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Admin > Security and tweak the available settings to create a secure setup.
Admin panel security settings
Specifically, pay attention to the admin panel URL and choose a less obvious option than "admin" or "backend". Besides, look through your users and user roles to split the areas of responsibility properly, and keep vulnerable areas safe.
ReCAPTCHA for the Admin Panel and Storefront
To further strengthen the security of your store, Magento allows you to configure CAPTCHA for the admin panel and the frontend. You've got two options here: enable the native Magento reCAPTCHA or integrate Google reCAPTCHA.
To set up the former, navigate to Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Admin > CAPTCHA and/or Stores > Configuration > Customers > Customer Configuration >CAPTCHA.
And for the latter, check the Stores > Configuration > Security > Google reCAPTCHA Admin Panel/Storefront sections.
Google reCAPTCHA settings for the admin panel
No matter the option you go for, reCAPTCHA provides another protection layer for your store and helps to avert malicious attacks.
Third-Party Extensions
Though Magento offers lots of advanced features out of the box, they may not always be enough to meet your specific requirements. This is where you'd need to use the to tailor the functionality to your needs.
The options are limitless here, giving you a chance to improve any aspect of your Magento website. From design and themes to checkout, SEO, and marketing, the available 3rd party extensions have you completely covered.
Surely, you are free to customize the code manually and develop the required features. But if you are looking for more time-efficient options, the ready-made extensions are exactly what you need.
Magento Dos and Don'ts
We've covered a lot up until now in this Magento 2 tutorial. At this point, you know what features Magento offers and how to approach them when setting up your store.
Still, we have a few recommendations for you to ensure a soft launch of your Magento 2 website. So, let's review the things you should or should not do when it comes to Magento.
Update your Magento and extensions
Adobe regularly releases improved Magento versions. Except for the new features and functionality, each Magento release includes security enhancements and patches.
Correspondigly, it's crucial to update your Magento to protect it from data leakage or sudden breakage. What is more, make sure the 3rd party modules you implement are updated accordingly and work as expected with the new Magento versions.
Back up your website regularly
Another point you shouldn't miss is backing up your website regularly. No matter how protected and stable your store is, it's better to be safe than sorry, and back up your store to prevent unexpected data loss.
Magento itself allows you to enable backups, so you can manage this within the platform's codebase.
Configure caches to improve performance
A fascinating design and an extensive catalog are not the only things that matter to customers. Your website should be fast and responsive to handle customer requests promptly.
Thus, make sure you enable Magento full page cache and configure it accordingly. You may start with the built-in options and move on to the more advanced cache warming tools as you go.
Don't overdo with the extensions
As useful as various extensions are, you should consider your options carefully before adding them to your website. What matters here is quality and not quantity.
Detect the areas you would like to improve with the extensions and try to find the best matching solutions. Keep your choices consistent and stick to the trusted vendors only.
Don't choose unreliable hosting providers
You have to be specifically attentive when choosing the hosting provider, as this is the core aspect the future of your website relies on.
Again, do your research and don't settle for the suspicious providers. It's the security of your data and the performance of your store we're talking about. So make sure you choose wisely.
Don't use unoptimized images
If you are struggling to make your website load faster, check the images you are using. In many cases, the unoptimized images are what drag your speed and performance down.
Thus, don't use the large, unoptimized images in your store, especially on the product listings. Optimize the image files for faster loading and a better customer experience.
If you've made it to the end of this Magento tutorial, congrats! You're now one step closer to creating your very own store.
We know that all this sounds quite overwhelming, but you just need some time to let the info set in. Once you are ready, don't wait for too long: create your Magento 2 website and join the lively world of eCommerce!
