Extensions and themes are of course vital parts of your Magento infrastructure. Because Magento 2 is a completely new platform, migration from 1.9 involves more than just transferring extensions and themes that you used in the old version. Themes and extensions have to be completely rewritten or renewed. That is because Magento 2 works with a different code than 1.9.
It is therefore also wise to delve into the matter in time, especially since the support for Magento 1.9 and older versions will stop in the near future. In this article we show what is involved in the area of themes and extensions when switching to Magento 2. We also show what extensions and themes are already available for Magento 2 and which extensions are essential for a well-functioning webshop in Magento 2.
Too few extensions for Magento 2?
A common complaint is that there are (still) too few extensions available for Magento 2. But that claim is now fairly outdated. The number of available extensions for Magento 2 is indeed lower than the offer for 1.9, but has recently grown steadily.
More and more suppliers (including well-known and reputed parties such as Amasty, Mageworx and Aheadworks) are embracing the new platform, which means that the marketplace for Magento 2 has already been filled very nicely.
An extra feature of Magento 2 is a special layer in the system that ensures that bad extensions are barred. The platform therefore only accepts properly working extensions. That quality guideline is enormously beneficial both in terms of ease of use and the safety of the system.
Choose your extensions selectively
It is beyond dispute that certain extensions enrich your webshop and are necessary to get the best out of the possibilities of Magento 2. Good extensions improve workflow, optimize the front and back end of your site and automate many important actions and processes.
Yet it does not hurt to be selective with the installation and use of extensions. Enabling an extension for virtually every shop function also makes a site slower. Many extensions also mean a lot of updates. Especially during peak periods (think of the holidays, for example) that can quickly cause problems at the back of your web shop.
So first look at the need for a certain extension. Does it offer a functionality that is absolutely indispensable for your webshop? Or is it rather a nice extra that might come in handy in the future, but which you do not or hardly use in the current practice? In the latter case you would be wise to turn off the extension or not (yet) install it. So choose your extensions with care!
Important extensions for Magento 2
But which extensions are essential for a user-friendly and optimally functioning webshop? And what concrete possibilities do these programs offer? We list the most important extensions available in Magento 2 for you.
Amasty Improved Layered Navigation
Good filter options are a must in a modern and customer-friendly webshop. This extension allows you to significantly increase the number of filter options in your webshop. Filtering on product characteristics, price, format or brand, with the Amasty Improved Layer Navigation it is all possible. You can also display both horizontal and vertical navigation blocks and create advanced categories with multiple subcategories (such as ‘new’ or ‘sale’). And last but not least: the extension is also search engine friendly and easy to use.
Mageworkx SEO Suite
Mageworkx SEO Suite is in many ways an all-in-one solution for Magento webshops. Thanks to the eleven available SEO templates, you can clearly enter all important metadata in one go. A special tag ensures that search engines display the right search pages on the basis of the entered language settings, while so-called canonicals stick to the appearance of duplicate (duplicate) content.
Magestore One Step Checkout
With this extension you can view all ordering steps on one page. The Magestore One Step Checkout gives you the possibility to set up an order page entirely to your liking by displaying or not displaying certain blocks. Very handy and clear. And good for the conversion, because research has repeatedly shown that a smooth logout process is an important pillar of customer satisfaction.
Amasty Special Promotions
Do you regularly deal with offers or special promotions? Then Amnesty Special Promotions is a very valuable extension. The tailor-made provision of products and promotions based on the order history of a customer or the free giving away of products for special promotions becomes a piece of cake with this tool. You can also use the Free Gift extension to give away free products. Special promotions are good for customer loyalty and in the long term often make a strong contribution to increasing your turnover.
Aheadworks Automatic Related Products
Especially for large webshops, it is often quite a job to display related and related articles on product pages. The range often consists of thousands of products. The extension AheadWorks Automatic Related Products offers a solution in such a case. This tool automates the process and makes it possible to create general rules.
Moreover, you have the possibility to determine which products these rules should be applied to. For example, on product pages, you can add cups like ‘other customers also bought’ or ‘related to this product’ to increase the up and cross-links.
Mageplaza Magento Blog Extension
Can you reasonably write and would you like to enrich your Magento shop with a blog? With the Magento Blog Extension, this can easily be done without having to use a third party as WordPress. With this extension, you manage categories, messages, and reactions easily from your backend. SEO optimization has also been considered, which helps the extension to attract more organic visitors.
Mirasvit Sphinx Search Ultimate
This useful tool improves the search function in your webshop. The extension recognizes search and automatically discards it even if the user makes a typo. The Sphinx also shows the results of a search through a clear drop-down.
Fooman PDF Customiser
PDF documents are an important part of daily web hosting practice. Good standard tools for editing PDFs are rare. The Fooman PDF Customiser is an exception to that rule and makes it possible to fine-tune pdf to your e-commerce needs.
Themes and templates for Magento 2
Naturally, the themes also form an important part of your Magento webshop. The chosen theme or template you use ultimately determines the appearance of your online store. Themes and templates also influence the user experience through the available layout and layout. Furthermore, a theme or template is decisive for the public who attracts it and the professionalism that your online store conveys. Choosing the right appearance is, therefore, the key to a successful webshop. The design of your webshop has to match the identity and the offer of your company.
An important advantage of Magento 2 is that it has a fully responsive basic template. The template can therefore easily be used as a basis for setting up your own theme. Magento 1 did not yet have a responsive basic template. Developers, therefore, spent a lot of time converting the basic template into a responsive template.
Ready-made templates
As far as the design for your Magento 2 webshop is concerned, you can choose from roughly two options: using a ready-made template or choosing a unique theme ( custom theme design ).
The advantage of clear templates is that they are not that expensive and easy to use. An affordable way to set up a webshop. Moreover, the range of templates for Magento 2 is already quite large. Most Magento templates are responsive and can, therefore, be used on multiple devices. They are professionally designed and often highly customizable with the use of a logo, matching colors and changing the layout.
Examples of good and popular templates are Porto (easily and flexibly adaptable, compatible with many Magento plug-ins), Martinique (user-friendly, beautiful visuals), Ultimo (very responsive, SEO-optimized and many possibilities to design sub-themes), Handmade, SM Vist and UB Bookshop (especially for bookshops).
Custom theme design
Do you want to radiate absolute uniqueness? Then a custom theme design is the best option. The main advantage of such a unique theme is of course that developers can set up the webshop completely in line with your taste and personal wishes. Layout, design, color, you have it all in your own hands. The possibilities to distinguish yourself from the competition therefore increase with a unique design.
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