Author: Extendware Team

Improving Magento Store Speed

Extendware Team

Let me guess. You were browsing your own Magento store and found the experience frustrating. You thought to yourself “should I be worried about this?” and started Googling and landed on this page. Well, let me tell you, you should be worried about your store speed and how to increasing Magneto store optimization. If you are frustrated with the speed of your store, imagine how much frustration your customers are feeling. Unfortunately, Magento performance is not good without tweaks, configuration, and testing.

Why is a Fast Store Important?

The answer is simple: Money. Yes, I said it. You are in business to make a living as well as provide a valuable service to people. Both of those things are helped by having a faster Magento store. Here, let me explain:

  1. Increase conversion rates – There has been a lot of research into store speed and conversion rates from Amazon, Walmart, and other big retailers. It has been discovered that there is a direct correlation between speed and sales. Conceptually it is easy to understand… If you provide a better experience, then people will order more.
  2. Increase search engine rankings – Google caught onto the whole Speed == Quality. If customers purchase more and have a better experience on faster stores, then it only makes sense that Google will be providing a better service by to its customers by redirecting them to higher quality stores. As a result, Google now makes store speed as a ranking faster. The math is simple: The faster your store, the higher your search engine rankings.
  3. Provide a better experience – Ultimately, it comes down to the experience and value you want to provide your customers. If you provide a fast experience they will be less irritated and find you store easier to use. This builds loyalty and reduces friction to order from your store.

What are the Components of Store Speed?

It’s really quite. There are only two aspects of Magento speed that are relevant:

Generation time

This is how fast your server can put together your page and serve it up to the user. There are some other factors that can influence this such as network latency, but in general, the dominant factor is your servers ability to serve pages. This aspect of store performance is crucial as it affects every page and it is very important for SEO.

Download time

Once your base HTML page is generated and served, then the client browser must begin to download all the resources it references. This is your Javascript, CSS, and Images. The process of downloading these resources can take a while depending on their size and structure.

The Solution

I get it. You have a business to run. You don’t want to know about all this technical stuff. What you want is an awesome solution to speed up your Magento store in an easy way. The solution is very simple and it will speed up both generation time and download time:

Generation Time Enhancers

  1. Full Page Cache – Cache your HTML pages so they can generate very, very fast.
  2. Cache Warmer – Crawler your store to ensure the pages are cached.

Download time enhancers

  1. Minify Javascript / Css – Make your javascript / css/ HTML smaller and faster to download.
  2. Image Optimization – Optimize store images so they can be downloaded faster and reduce bandwidth.

It’s that simple. Speed up both aspects of slowdowns and have the fastest store possible. Contact us for any questions!

Currency Switching by Country in Magento

Extendware Team

Store--Currency-Switcher-(for-web)Automatic currency switching by geoip is a great way to improve store usability international. Imagine if you sell products in USD, but someone from the the United Kingdom visits. Of course they will want to view prices in British Pounds. To automatically switch currencies based on geographic location is very easy. Just follow these steps:

Setup Currencies in Magento

Follow these steps to enable currencies for your store:

  1. Go to System -> Configuration -> Currency Setup
  2. Select any of the currencies in the Allowed Currencies field that you want to enable on your store
  3. Go to System -> Manage Currencies -> Rates and click the Import button to import rates and save the rates

How to switch currencies automatically based on visitor geoip location

Now you have currencies setup, but they are not that useful to customers as they do not automatically see prices in their preferred currency based on location. To resolve this you will want to follow these steps:

  1. Install Magento Currency Switching extension.
  2. Go to Extendware -> Manage Extensions -> Auto Switcher -> Currency Rules.
  3. Associate any of the currencies in your Allowed Currencies list with any countries that you want to auto switch to that currency.

Once completed your store will be much more internationally friendly! Have a look at all of our best magento extensions.

Quick Extension Overview

Make your store more personalized and easier to use by gracefully redirecting customers to the proper store and currency based on their geographic location and browser configuration with Extendware’s Magento Store Currency Switching extension. Easy and flexible rules give you full control on switching. Compatible with full page cache systems.

 

10 Steps to Make Magento Speed Faster

Extendware Team

At Extendware we specialize in Magento performance extensions and as a result we have learned some things about speeding up Magento along the way. These are 10 easy steps to make Magento faster. The list is not comprehensive of course, but it is applicable to most Magento stores.

Use Extendware Page Cache

The Magento Full Page Cache extension by Extendware will reduce load on the database and server load and improve First Byte Time. The result is a much faster and more stable store. For most Magento stores this speed tip will provide the single fastest improvement in Magento speed.

Minify Javascript / CSS / HTML

Once the First Byte Time is super fast you will want to ensure the Download Time is fast. This is another component of Magento page load. To do this you will want to use the Minify JS / CSS extension which will reduce the size of javascript / css and HTML pages. In addition, it can improve browser caching, do pre-compression and a lot more.

Optimize Images

Very few stores are optimizing images which is quite important considering that images change on every page load. This means that the browser cache is not effectively used. So, though a small improvement on a per-page basis it produces a large speed benefit in aggregate. The easiest way to optimize images is with the Image Optimizatoin extension.

Enable Flat Catalog in Magento

The bottleneck of Magento is almost always the database. To improve the speed of database reads you should use enable Flat Catalog in magento under System -> Configuration -> Catalog -> Frontend. This will reduce the number of database joins done when showing products and as a result reduce MySQL query complexity. The end result is more speed.

Optimize MySQL Configuration

Many stores run MySQL configurations that are not optimized for Magento. Magento use a lot of indexes and a lot of joins. As a result, it will need adequate memory for both of these activities.

Enable Magento Cache

Magento has an internal cache for its configuration, layouts, and blocks. Some stores forget to enable this, so ensure that this is enabled in System -> Cache Management.

Remove 3rd Party Extensions

If you are using extensions that were not created by Extendware, then you will want to disable them. About 50% of all store performance issues are caused by poorly created extensions. When possible you will want to use Extendware extensions as they created with performance in mind.

Enable System Compilation

Magento can combine the PHP files of your store, so that it uses less disk access. This is called System Compilation and can be important if you do not use an opcode cache or you are not on SSD disks. To enable this you can go to System -> Tools -> Compilation.

Review your Hosting Provider

Many hosting companies are oversold and do not offer good performance for the money. In addition, some are just not compatible with Magento. For example, Siteground is a poor choice for Magento hosting as its limitations are too restrictive to run a well-run Magento store. Choosing a better host will help your business reach the next level.

Use a PHP OpCode Cache

A PHP OpCode Cache such as APC can speed up the loading of the PHP files which results in an improved Magento Store speed. This is especially important if you are not using hosting with SSD disks.

Minify HTML in Magento

Extendware Team

Minify-Js--Css-(Web)Minifying HTML in Magento is one of those hidden Magento performance tweaks that few stores do. Almost everyone is minifying javascript and css thanks you our Minify Javascript / CSS Magento extension. However, few people enable the ability to Minify HTML which this extensions also supports.

Why should I Minify HTML?

It is important to optimize the size of your main HTML page because these cannot be cached by the browser (unlike javascript / css) and as a result the speed enhancement will affect almost every request. Many servers will compress the HTML of a page and that is extremely important to the page size. However, if the server is not doing this, then HTML minification becomes extremely important. Even when compression is used the minification process of HTML can still decrease page size by many percent, which will add up when you consider it affects every request.

How do I enable HTML Minification in Magento?

It is simple. Follow these steps:

  1. Purchase Minify Javascript / CSS for Magento and install it in your store
  2. In your store backend go to Extendware -> Manage Extensions -> Minify JS / CSS -> Configure -> Files and enable the HTML Minification option. There are three different modes to choose from. Usually the default is best setup.

Quick Overview

Speed up your site, improve your search engine site rankings and conversion rate, and improve your user experience in the process. Minify Js / CSS extension reduces page size, bandwidth, request count, and server load without anything more than installing this easy to use and feature-full extension.

 

Magento Google Analytics – Page Load Speed

Extendware Team

Google-Analytics-DashboardGoogle Analytics has hundreds of reports and this one is often overlooked even though it is one of the most important reports. The report tells you how quick your Magento store is for people. This is very important considering that Magento store speed directly impacts conversion rates and search engine rankings.

What information can be seen from the Page Load Speed report?

The following types of information can be seen from the report:

  • Average Magento page speed – This is the average page load from all requests on the store. It is important for understanding the general speed experience your store customers have.
  • Page specific page speed – Delve deeper and understand exactly what pages are fast and which are slow. The most important page for speed will of course be your home page.

How is this information actionable to my Magento E-Commerce business?

Information is only useful if it is actionable. That means, is it in your power to improve your Magento store speed so you can have better results? The answer is yes!

It is very easy to improve your store speed with our advanced Magento performance extensions. These extensions can improve both your generation time speeds and the download time speeds. Both of these factors are components of store speed.

For maximum results you will want to get these extensions which speed up the various components of page load speed:

Faster page generation time

  1. Full Page Cache – Cache your HTML pages so they can generate very, very fast.
  2. Cache Warmer – Crawler your store to ensure the pages are cached.

Faster page download time

  1. Minify Javascript / Css – Make your javascript / css/ HTML smaller and faster to download.
  2. Image Optimization – Optimize store images so they can be downloaded faster and reduce bandwidth.

Focus on your business and leave the speed to us. Contact us for any questions!

Quick Overview

Magento Google Analytics Dashboard is a dashboard that shows various statistics from your Google analytics account. This helps ensure you are always staying on top of your analytics and are able to quickly spot any downward or upward trends.

How to Minify Javascript in Magento

Extendware Team

Minify-Js--Css-(Web)Minifying javascript is a very important aspect of a faster Magento store. For many stores, it is their greatest weakness on their Google page speed tests.

Why should I minify javascript?

It is important to minify your javascript because it slows down the page load of your Magento store. Many stores can save 500KB off their download size simply by minifying javascript. The less your customers need to download to view your store the faster they can start shopping and purchasing products!

How do I minify javascript in Magento?

It is simple. Follow these steps:

  1. Purchase Minify javascript / css for Magento and install it in your store
  2. In your store backend go to Extendware -> Manage Extensions -> Minify JS / CSS -> Configure -> Files and click the “Auto Configure” button

It is really that easy!

Quick Extension Overview

Speed up your site, improve your search engine site rankings and conversion rate, and improve your user experience in the process. Minify Js / CSS extension reduces page size, bandwidth, request count, and server load without anything more than installing this easy to use and feature-full extension.

 

Secure Magento admin login with two-factor authentication

Extendware Team

Two-Factor-AuthenticationTwo-Factor Authentication is a great way to secure your Magento admin area. Imagine if a hacker or someone else gains access to your backend? Not only could they destroy data and harass customers, but they could steal valuable business data and the end result could be customers lose confidence in your store. The best two factor authentication is using Google authenticator for Magento.

What is two-factor authentication?

Two-factor authentication increases the security of your Magento login by requiring an additional authentication method. Normally, you would input your password only. With two-factor authentication that is compatible with Google authenticator you would also input a 1 time access code in addition. This access code changes every 60 seconds, so it is nearly impossible to hack your login. By combining these two methods (two factors) your login is much more secure.

How do I enable two factor authentication for Magento?

You should install the Two-Factor Authentication Magento Extension for your store and then go to System -> Permissions -> Users and enable it for specific users.

Great! What else can I do for a secure backend?

In addition to using the Google Authenticator Magento extension you can change your store admin URL. Leaving your store admin URL at yourstore.com/admin is bad for security. To resolve this, simply edit the file at app/etc/local.xml and change contact us.

Quick Overview

Protect your store from key loggers, connection sniffing, unprotected wifi connections, and other threats with our two-factor authentication system. If you ever login to your store over wifi or on a public computer, then you urgently need this extension.

Magento Image Optimization

Extendware Team

Image-OptimizationMagento Image Optimization is an important performance enhancement that will speed up your Magento page load time. The easiest way to optimize all your Magento images without affecting your existing images is to use the Magento Image Optimization extension for Magento.

Why and when is image optimization important in Magento?

Image optimization affects every single page load. The reason for this is that each page includes unique images and as a result it cannot be cached by the browser well. In addition, low bandwidth and high latency connections such as those used by mobile devices will be benefited a lot from image optimization.

How do I enable image optimization in Magento?

It is simple. Follow these steps:

  1. Purchase Magento Image Optimization for Magento and install it in your store
  2. In your store backend go to Extendware -> Manage Extensions -> Image Optimization -> Configure and click the “Auto Configure” button. That’s it!

Quick Overview

Images are very important for online stores, but unnecessarily large images can slow down the user experience and reduce search engine rankings. Image Optimization will optimize your images and reduce their size without sacrificing image quality, so that your site images are faster loading.

Sorting Products by Newest in Magento

Extendware Team

Sorting products by newest is a great way to increase sales especially for repeat customers. Many times a customer will come and want to just view what is new especially if you sell few products. To sort products by newest all you need to do is use our product sorting extension.

How to List Products by Newest in Magento

To sort newest just follow these simple steps:

  1. Install Product Sorting on your Magento store
  2. Go to System -> Configuration -> Catalog and look under Frontend and change “Product Listing Sort by” to Newest if you want this to be the default sort option. Otherwise it will just appear in the sort drop down as an option for customers.
  3. There is no step #3. It is that easy!

What else can be done with Magento product sorting?

The product sorting extension that you installed has many more features in addition to sorting by newest. You can also sort by best sellers, most viewed, highest converting, and more. You can even automatically sort out of stock products last.

Product-Sorting-(Web)Quick Overview

Magento Product Sorting increases the effectiveness of your online product catalog and can increase your conversion rates. Sort products on your sales page by Best Sellers, Top Performers, Most Viewed, Number of Reviews, and more. Easily cascade your sorting options – such as always showing in stock items first.

Magento exception: Invalid block type

Extendware Team

What does the “Invalid block type” exception mean?

This exception usually means that your layout files are referencing a block that does not exist. This could be because an extension was disabled / deleted or because there is a typo in one of the layout files.

How do I solve this type of issue?

Look at the block name and search your layouts for any reference to this block. You can then either remove the layout reference or create the block it is referencing.

I recommend to always use high quality Magento extensions to avoid errors like this. If you need help resolving this error you can utilize our Magento development services.

Magento-Development-15-MinutesQuick Development Services Overview

We understand that sometimes there simply is not a pre-made extension that meets your specific needs. In these instances you need custom development. In addition, custom development can help squash bugs, debug 3rd party extensions, optimize your store, provide consultation, and more.