Choosing an ecommerce platform for your business is hard as well as challenging. Several options are out there like WordPress, Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento and all of them offer different features, which is why it becomes more necessary to consider the platform after careful deliberation. Magento is one of the most popular open source ecommerce platforms. Several big companies choose it without a second thought. 

Demand for this platform is higher than other ecommerce platforms because it offers rich features like mobile commerce, checkout payment and shipping, catalogue management, site management, product browsing, search engine optimization, and analytics and reporting. You can take advantage of diversified features of Magento to run your business more efficiently. In addition to various features, high scalability, performance, and security are the reasons that make it highly popular among entrepreneurs. 

If you are looking to start an ecommerce website on Magento platform, you should know that this platform comes in three different variations. Magento Open Source, as the name suggests, is free to use, but remember that you will have to pay for the hosting plan for your ecommerce site. It does not offer the same number of features as other versions, yet it is a good choice if you are novice to Magento. 

Magento Commerce is a paid version and hence it offers more features than Magento Open Source. Exclusive features that it offers but Magento Open Source does not provide are ElasticSearch, Bluefoot CMS, Magento Order Management, Magento Shipping, and Content Staging. The latest and best version is Magento Commerce Cloud. It offers the same features as Magento Commerce, but it also uses AWS cloud infrastructure that can boost your site performance. 

Magento Open Source will be a good option if you are novice to this platform and you do not have a budget. However, when you get your feet wet and think you should upgrade it to avail yourself of other features, you should switch to better versions. In case, you are still running out of money, you can take out loans for unemployed from direct lenders. Whatever the version you opt for, make sure that it is suitable for your business. Pricing for all three models are different. Make sure that you have considered it carefully before opting for a model. 

Even though Magento is considered a quite expensive platform, it offers exclusive additional products like Business Intelligence Platform that enables data analysis and tracking. It also comes with order management tool and various third-party extensions. Here is how you can build a Magento website.

Look for server requirements

Before you look for a hosting provider, you need to ensure that the server fulfils all requirements so your website runs smoothly and effectively. If you want to use Magento, your system must have an operating system, web server, memory, database, PHP, and SSL certificate.

• You can use any operating systems like Linux, Mac or Windows OS.
• You can choose either Apache or nginx web server.
• To run Magento, you need at least 2GB of Random Access Memory. The higher the RAM, the better it is.
• It is compatible with both MySQL version 5.6 and 5.7.
• You will need PHP 7.3 to ensure all necessary extensions are included.

Choose a domain name and a web hosting Service

Make sure that the domain name you choose for your business is relevant to your business. However, there is no point of running a website if the host is not good at all. Consider performance, security, support and prices at the time of choosing a web host. Make sure that your host plan includes a SSL certificate. 

This is a must, especially if your website is integrated with payment gateway. However, if your hosting package includes domain registration, opt for it because you will not have to look anywhere else. 

Download and install Magento

After you have purchased a plan, you can install Magento Open Source by clicking on the “Get Started” tab on a product page. As you click the button, you will be able to see a comparison chart between Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce and then click “download open source”. 

If you are installing it manually, make sure that you have met all prerequisites. However, some host packages include one-click installation process. If your host provides this feature, opt for it. it will be better instead of manually downloading it. 

Install a theme for your ecommerce website

Selecting a theme is essential to give a professional look to your website. Magento platform allows you to choose the theme for your store that fits your brand personality. 

To download and install themes, you will have to go to your user account to retrieve your access keys. Once you go to the access page, you will have to generate new keys and give them a different name. After completing this step, you will have to copy your private and public keys. 

Now go to the extension manager where you will enter keys that you have recently created. Once you have connected these keys with your website admin panel, you can change the theme of your website anytime you want. 

Set up your product pages

Go to the catalogue where you will find “Add product” option. Click on a dropdown menu to select the type of product you want to choose, for instance, simple products, virtual products, grouped products, configurable products, and downloadable products. 

Then, create a page where you will add product name, price and description. You can also a video to give more details about your products. Once you have provided all necessary information, press save tab in the top right corner. 

Choose shipping options and launch your website

Magento offers a wide range for selecting shipping options. However, you can set up multiple platforms. Once you have chosen the payment option, the next step is to launch your website. Before you publish it, make sure that you have previewed it to check there is no flaw.