In this blog, we shall explore in detail all about why you need a dedicated Magento developer for Magento site development or migration and how you can hire one.
But, before moving with the “why” and “how” of hiring Magento developers, let’s learn why we are talking about this topic and what makes Magento 2 super cool that Magento 2 migration is the need of the hour.
Magento 1 is no longer releasing security patches leaving eCommerce stores running on it vulnerable to cyber-attacks and spam.
After the end of support for Magento 1, merchants are compelled to migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2.
But honestly, the latest Magento 2 versions offer numerous competitive features on security and upgrades that are needed by every eCommerce store to succeed. Thus, migration to Magento 2 is a worthy decision.
Magento 1.x vs Magento 2.x – How are they different?
Statistics state that “merchants using Magento on average grow 3 times faster than the rest.”
Magento is the most secure and user-friendly eCommerce platform with a massive module library. It facilitates an amazing user experience and crafts engaging shopping experiences.
However, when compared to Magento 1.x, Magento 2.x incorporates some exciting features.
User Experience: Unlike Magento 1, the inevitable responsive frontend design of Magento 2 makes your website compatible and easy to browse on all devices. The upgraded responsive design leverages the overall user experience to a greater extent.
Performance: The upgraded version of Magento – Magento 2.x – offers better performance and faster page loading times compared to the old version. The pages load in less than 1.5 seconds even without using front end cache.
Checkouts: The checkout process has been made much easier than ever. No registration guest checkout, single-page checkout, and one-click checkout options have made the checkout process 6X faster and easier than the earlier version. The Magento 2.x auto-recognizes registered users based on their registered email id and streamlines the checkout process for convenience.
Extension updation: Adding new extensions and module updation are simpler and cheaper in Magento 2.x compared to Magento 1.x. Simple modifications in the front-end functionalities are all that are needed to complete this process.
Ajax Add-To-Cart: The number of steps for a user to checkout and the time taken in the previous version of Magento is 5 times more than the current upgraded version. This time consumption was the major reason for high rates of cart abandonment. Fortunately, the Ajax Add-To-Cart feature of Magento 2.x has accelerated the checkout speed, enhancing user experience and reducing cart abandonment.
Navigation: In Magento 2.x , the admin navigation has been simplified and modernized. It accommodates all records and details making everything easy to manage and maintain. The new upgraded admin interface feature is more welcoming and simple to learn even for those who don’t have a dedicated Magento developer.
Technology stack in Magento 1.x vs Magento 2.x
| Magento 1.x |
Magento 2.x |
| API Added Retroactively |
API is Core to the technology |
| Open Source |
Open Source |
| Legacy PHP |
PHP5.6+ / 7.0 |
| RWD Theme Included |
RWD Theme Included |
| Sub-Par Search (SOLR) |
Elastic Search (Commerce Edition) |
| Secure Bridge |
PCI Compliance Hosted Fields |
| Full Page Cache (EE) |
FPC (Commerce Edition)/Varnish |
| Decent Automated Tests |
Better Automated Tests |
| Stale Admin Panel (Backoffice) |
Fresh New Design in Admin |
| Admin Non-Responsive |
Responsive Admin Panel |
| 5-12 Month Project Cycle |
Claimed 4-8 Month Project Cycle |
| Popular Payment & Shipping Methods |
Same Payment & Shipping Methods |
| Connect Store |
New “Marketplace” |
| No Front-end Library |
Ships with LESS |
| No Support for HTML5/CSS3 |
Native Support HTML5/CSS3 |
| Weak Content Staging |
Advanced Content Staging |
| External PayPal |
In-Site PayPal Experience |
| Minimal Video Features |
Integrated Video (PDP) |
| Severe DB Locking Issues |
Zero Table Locking (Checkout) |
| JS – Prototype |
JS – Jquery |
| No Data Grid |
Customizable Data Grid for Catalog |
| EE Pricing by License |
Commerce Edition Pricing by Order Volume |
| Legacy Checkout |
Streamlined Checkout Process |
| “Wild West” Extension Market |
Rigorous Extension Testing |
Source
Why should you migrate to Magento 2?
- Flexible architecture
- Mobile-friendly designs
- Easy-to-navigate layout themes
- Ajax add to cart feature
- Improved caching
- Streamlined checkout
- Easy-to-use admin panel
- Highly responsive & SEO friendly
- Upgraded tech stack
- Superior performance
- Better scalability
- User-friendly interface
- Improved user experience
- Better customization options
- Secure & safer
- Frequent release of security patches and updates
- Easy to add extensions
- Simplified data segmentation
- Built-in payment gateways
- Effective testing
- Customer support
Magento 2.4.0 has introduced support for Elasticsearch 7.6.x, PHP 7.4, and MySQL 8.0. The security enhancements include the enablement of two-factor authentication by default in the Admin.
With 100+ new fixes to core code and more than 30 security enhancements, this release has improved the core quality of the platform.
Altogether, it’s clear that Magento 2 development and migration is the best option to scale all types of eCommerce businesses. It has everything a successful eCommerce website needs in the current situation.
Now, this leads us to the next question.
Why should you hire Magento developers?
A professional Magento developer brings the following benefits to the table.
- Trained developers can present your users with advanced search results and better search experiences.
- They help you deliver promising shopping experiences across all devices with responsive designs.
- Professional Magento developers never compromise on the security level of your store. They build your eCommerce store highly safe and secure with proper security features and improvements. They ensure safety for both your customers and your online store.
- You get a chance to enjoy enhanced APIs and their benefits, as experienced Magento developers know the knack for a simplified integration process.
- Professional Magento developers are well aware of the need for an intuitive admin interface that performs well in the mobile version. They help you simplify the store management and maintenance process with an intuitive admin interface.
- They craft your website with capabilities to handle higher traffic loads without any hassle. They give it high-end scalability.
- Well-trained Magento developers can get you the advantage of incredible site performance by simply migrating your store to the latest version of Magento. They know what has to be done to accelerate the website’s performance to deliver significant results.
- Certified Magento developers take your online store to the next level with a minimal checkout process and simplified steps. This way you can leverage the users’ shopping experiences and reduce your cart abandonment rate.
Now, that you know how much a Magento developer can help you in your business, you have two options to bring them into your team.
- Either you can form your own in-house team
- Or you can hire professional Magento developers from Magento development agencies.
Which is best – An in-house team or hiring a professional company for Magento development and migration?
Professional Magento developers play a crucial role in your business. An in-house team or a hired agency, having a dedicated Magento team working on your online store is important as it sets a strong foundation for your eCommerce website.
However, when you hire a Magento developer from an agency, you eliminate the need to hire, train, and retain a team, but still, have professionals working on your project. This is the major reason why most eCommerce businesses partner with development agencies or hire an experienced developer from them.
6 Reasons why you should choose a Magento agency
Given a choice to choose between an in-house team and hiring an expert from a Magento agency, it’s always better to outsource the services to a professional Magento developer.
1. Streamlined Process
When you have experts or a professional team working on your project they will understand your requirements better and present you with a clear roadmap and timeline.
As they have experience working on a variety of projects and clients, they know how to connect, communicate and share outputs based on your expectations.
They also help you with suggestions, best practices in the industry and implement changes as and when required.
2. Dedicated Professionals
When you hire Magento developers or a team, you involve dedicated professionals in your project. You can enjoy the insights of expert professionals at your service for the committed service time frame.
As the hiring models also involve a strict Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), your project details are maintained completely confidential.
3. Direct Communication
Though you hire a Magento developer from an external agency, you get to establish a link and connect them directly with your team.
The hired professionals seamlessly integrate with your existing team, making work easier, saving time and money.
Your team can also reach out to the professionals for support post-completion of the project if needed.
4. Minimized Turnaround Time
Forming a new team, training them as per requirements, managing and maintaining the team – All consume a lot of effort, resources, and time.
You can possibly eliminate all these tedious tasks and move straight to creating your Magento 2 site and get it running by hiring a developer. Also, expert developers bring in extra agility to the project that helps in faster completion.
To simply put, A professional Magento development company that can work for you on a project basis is a lifesaver.
5. Better Service
As professionals from Magento development company have experience working in diverse niches of business they stay updated on recent trends and technology.
Thus, they are capable of setting the highest quality standards and offering top-notch services. You also get all your different requirements addressed under one roof making the process hassle-free.
6. Budget-friendly
Again, you cut a lot of expenses in the new website development process or migration. By hiring professionals from a Magento development company you eliminate the expenses of maintaining an in-house team without compromising on the skills and experience your project needs.
What is a Magento Development company or agency?
An experienced Magento development company or agency helps you with a range of services under multiple heads, making Magento development, migration, and maintenance easier than ever before.
The services include:
- Magento 2 Development
- Magento 2 Migration
- Magento 2 customization
- Performance optimization
- PSD to Magento 2 Conversion
- Third-Party integration
Magento Development
Magento development companies offer full-scale Magento development services. The Magento developers have the skill & expertise to help you build outstanding customer experience journeys. The services Include,
- Design & architecture of the Magento platform
- Magento customization
- Performance optimization
- Support, and maintenance
Magento Migration
Magento development companies offer affordable Magento migration services. They professionally upgrade older Magento stores to the latest versions without any loss of information or customer data.
Magento Integration
Magento agencies can help you improve business infrastructure by recommending suitable Magento APIs for various business operations like
- Accounting
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Product Information Management (PIM)
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Marketing automation systems and more.
Magento Enterprise
Magento agencies help in building multichannel experiences for eCommerce stores of all sizes and industries (B2B & B2C). Their skilled team can liberate your brand with better functions and features, enhancing the scalability of the store.
These professionals of a Magento development company help you attain exceptional results. They understand your need to the point and assist you with optimized processes to attain your objectives with minimum time and resources.
What are different hiring models available to hire a dedicated Magento developer?
There are many flexible hiring models to hire an experienced Magento developer based on your project requirements and budget.
Hourly basis
You can hire a Magento developer based on the number of hiring hours. By using modern tools the time of work will be tracked and a monthly bill will be generated based on the number of working hours of the developer.
Part-time
In part-time, the number of work hours expected from the Magento developer is fixed and is paid at the end of every month. You can contact the developer via various modes of communication like phone calls or emails during those fixed hours and get your work done.
Full-time
This is a well-known scenario. You hire a dedicated full-time developer who works hand in hand with your team until the completion of the project.
Steps to hire the best Magento Agency
With countless agencies offering Magento 2 Migration and development services, here is the step-by-step procedure to hire the best one for your business, within your budget.
Step 1: Beware of your needs
This is the first and the most important step in hiring a Magento agency or developer. Getting this step right will give your project the right direction and pace.
Before hiring a Magento developer for your eCommerce store you should be aware of your expectations and needs. You need to decide how you’re going to proceed and what to expect from the developer. So,
- Set specific goals that you want to achieve
- List down the objectives associated with the project
- Plan different ideas for the website
- Decide on the budget allocation for the project
- Fix a timeline for project completion
- Decide on your comfortable payment schedule
- Set clear policies regarding the payment process
- Shortlist options of suitable hiring and engagement models
- Have an idea of reporting tools and support services.
Step 2: Check for expertise
Make sure you’re hiring the best Magento developer with all skills, experience, and knowledge. Magento 2 migration and development can be complex processes based on the size of the store. So, see to it that your dedicated Magento developer can help you in an expert way.
Here’s what you must check.
- Check if they have knowledge of programming languages used in website development including Javascript, CSS/HTML, Java, Python, Javascript, Ruby C++, PHP, SQL, and others.
- The Magento developers should be a master of PHP language.
- Look for valid certification in Magento skills.
- Check if the agency has sound knowledge of Magento 2.
- Check for customized CMS development skills like Magento website development, Magento module and theme development, customer extension development, custom eCommerce solutions, and shopping cart development.
- Check whether the agency professionals have sound knowledge of eCommerce integration.
- Look for Magento extension development skills.
- See if they have expertise in developing custom CMS themes and integration.
- Check for deep knowledge of Javascript, CMS, and MVC frameworks.
- See whether the Magento developers have problem-solving skills and proper knowledge of database technologies.
- Check for seamless Magneto migration execution skills.
Step 3: Check the agency’s work portfolio and credentials
Check the number of projects, proficiency, experience, frameworks, certifications, and development work of both the agency and the developers. This will help you decide whether they are a right fit for you or not.
Step 4: Experience in Magento 2 migration process
Apart from the expertise and portfolio you also need to check their experience in the migration process. Experienced developers avoid common mistakes that happen during migration and will help you complete the process in a limited time.
Step 5: Take a look at their past projects, reviews, and ratings
Having a look at their past projects, reviews and ratings will give you a clear idea of the company’s profile, their developers, working excellence, quality, and professionalism.
Step 6: Familiarity with the latest technology
Check if the developers can help you migrate to the latest technology available. Hire them only if they are familiar with the latest trends and updates in the industry.
Step 7: Check if the company offers data security assurance
Security can never be compromised. Data security must be your top-notch priority if it’s a migration project. See to that the agency offers complete protection to both the project details and the website data.
Step 8: Discuss your project’s specific requirements
When all the above-mentioned criteria are met, share your exact project details with your developer and check if they could get you the specific results you’re looking for.
Step 9. Allocate a sample project
If possible, assign your agency or developer with a sample task or minor assignment from your project and see how it goes. This will help you make informed decisions on whether to hire the agency or not.
Step 10: Check for communication skills
Once you’ve hired the developer you’ll have to collaborate with him till the project is completed and sometimes even after that. So, check for communication skills and the working model of the agency before hiring.
Step 11: Look for other Magento-related services
By looking at their list of Magento development services you can learn about their expertise. You may not want to hire an agency with limited services, as you’ll have to once again look for another service provider for other services.
Step 12: Learn about their support service and policies
This is not a one-time process. In case of issues in the future you need support. So, learn about their post-development and migration support services.
Step 13: Budget and delivery time
These are two critical factors in the decision-making.
The project has to be completed in a reasonable amount of time to make the best use of the market opportunities.
Compare prices and services of various migration service providers. Check for hidden or additional charges. See that your Magento service provider adheres to all required features and suits your budget as well.
Step 14: Offering pre and post-migration and development services
Check if they offer pre and post-migration assistance, a clear roadmap for the project, support services for issues that may arise in the future, functionality check, and also make improvisations when there is room for improvement.
Now those are the steps to find your perfect Magento migration company.
Wrapping up,
Taking into consideration all the benefits of involving an expert in the project, hiring professionals from a Magento development company is the best choice – be it Magento 2 store development or migration of the existing website to the new version.
A certified Magento 2 Migration company can save you from tedious processes, common mistakes, fatal errors, and resource wastage.
If you want to hire Certified Magento developers or need expert assistance in hassle-free Magento migration, feel free to contact The Commerce Shop
FAQ
How the Magento 2 backend is different from Magento 1 backend?
Magento 2 backend has the newest display divided as per its primary functions, making it easy and friendly to use.
- Useful information is displayed on Admin Dashboard
- Has a new indexer system
- Provisions to add additional functions and product video
- Combination of full page cache and varnish cache
- Minify CSS, JS
- Upgraded tools for easy management
- New inherited theme mechanism that allows theme customization
