Top Magento Developers

What Are Magento Developers?

Magento developers build fully functional and high-performing online stores, using the open-source PHP framework Magento.

They work closely with Magento designers and leverage the platform to develop sites tailored to brands’ business growth objectives and visual aesthetics, ensuring an engaging user experience.

Magento development companies build user-centric websites thanks to the many functionalities, features, integrations and customizations made available by the platform.

What Do Magento Agencies Do?

Many Magento development teams work within larger digital agencies. So, they offer a variety of services that go beyond website design and development.

They commonly specialize in eCommerce marketing and can provide ongoing technical support to their clients.

Some of the most common service offerings include:

• Research and discovery: Magento developers learn about the clients’ needs and objectives. Then, they conduct market research to collect key info on their target audience, competition and channels. They scan existing websites to identify immediate pitfalls and evaluate your position. Additionally, they set practical goals and realistic deadlines.
• Strategy: Before Magento development companies get to work, they discuss the project in detail and develop a strategy that would work for the specific client or business. They touch upon best practices, innovative ideas and methods that cover various aspects, from design to development and marketing.
• Design: During the design process, these agencies produce engaging layouts and user interfaces that can help reduce cart abandonment and increase sales. They design with the brand’s visual identity in mind to ensure consistency.
• Development: Magento developers in the US use their technical skills to write code, customizing third party software, install plugins and more.
• Content migration: Many professional agencies can assist businesses with content migration from one platform to another, though this service usually comes at an additional cost.
• Hosting: Dedicated hosting is needed to fully support Magento sites, so they can usually help arrange web hosting services on behalf of their clients, including managed Magento hosting if desired.
• QA testing and launch: Before and after these experts launch the final products, they perform quality assurance (QA) testing to ensure that all elements and features function properly. Finally, once everything runs smoothly, they can push websites live.
• Training: Magento development agencies also specializes in training clients on how to run their eCommerce platforms in an effortless manner.
• Management and maintenance: These services may include but are not limited to search engine optimization (SEO), content writing, product data entry, social media marketing, PPC, version upgrades, security, backup, analytics and more.

Magento Open Source vs. Magento Commerce: What’s The Difference?

Magento bills Magento Open Source as “a flexible, open-source commerce platform for developers and small businesses”.

Magento Open Source is free to download, but unless you’re already a Magento expert, it is definitely not free to develop.

As discussed earlier, hiring a Magento expert is important as non-technical people (and even developers without Magento experience) won’t be able to manage installation on their own.

You can find a handful of themes in the Magento Marketplace. Working with a theme will save time and money on design since the website building process is much quicker.

However, your ability to personalize the look and feel of your online store will be restricted.

Magento Commerce, on the other hand, is Magento’s hosted enterprise eCommerce solution and unlike Magento Open Source, it is not free.

Its pricing starts at $1,988/month.

However, Magento Commerce clients have the support of Magento’s own developers.

According to the platform:

“With Magento Commerce, you’re supported by a global ecosystem of merchants, partners and developers, who will bring your commerce vision to life.“

What Are The Different Types Of Magento Companies?

There are several different Magento website development certifications, so these experts can be categorized by the types of licenses they hold. The licenses are:

• Front End Developer Certification
• Solution Specialist Certification
• Back End Developer Certification
• Plus Certification
• Javascript Developer Certification
• Cloud Developer Certification

Additionally, we can categorize Magento developers by the types of clients they serve, from small businesses to large corporations, as these inform their cost and even the types of services they provide.

How Much Do Magento Developers Charge For Their Services?

Magento developers in the United States typically price their projects on hourly rates and time estimates.

So, depending on various factors like company stature, team size and project complexity, the cost of their services will vary between $50 and $150 per hour.

Another possible pricing structure is the project-based fee. In this case, Magento website development agencies undertake projects valued at $10,000-$25,000, sometimes even $50,000.

What Type Of Businesses Should Invest In Magento Website Development?

Magento is one of the most powerful eCommerce platforms in use today. It is packed with great eCommerce features and offers unbridled customization.

As such, it’s a preferred option for medium to large online stores. Magento’s flexibility and powerful framework make it a good choice for businesses that know scalability is a key concern.

That said, Magento is also a highly sophisticated and complex platform that is not friendly for beginners hoping to install and manage it themselves.

A successful installation requires the help of an experienced Magento developer. As with any service or product, you can expect to get what you pay for when hiring a professional company.

Trying to cut corners by hiring a cheap developer will cost you in the long run when things begin to break down because they were coded improperly, to begin with.

Hosting a Magento site can also get expensive, and dedicated hosting is usually necessary.

The expense of developing a Magento eCommerce store means that the platform is not especially well-suited for small businesses and those that are just testing the waters when it comes to eCommerce.

Small online stores will find more success (and better cost savings) with a platform like Shopify, BigCommerce or even WordPress with WooCommerce integration.

Why Should You Hire Magento eCommerce Developers?

These are the key reasons why you should hire Magento developers for your eCommerce project:

Reason #1: Take Advantage Of Their Technical Expertise

Even though the Magento Open-Source version is free to use, not every business can set up a digital store for its own needs properly.

Magento website development companies have the relevant expertise and experience to create a bug-free and high-performance site that ensures an engaging user experience and lower bounce rates.

According to OptinMonster, the average cart abandonment rate jumped from 59.8% in 2006 to 75.6% in 2018.

In fact, research conducted by Baymard Institute shows that some of the key reasons why consumers abandon their checkouts are:

• Complicated checkout process (18%)
• Trust issues (17%)
• Website errors and crashes (13%)

Taking all of the aforementioned factors into consideration, the primary reason why you should invest in professional development is quality.

A fully functional and professional-looking website not only increases loyalty among the visitors, but it also ensures an intuitive user experience which is the key to more conversions.

Reason #2: Have A Design That Stands Out

90% of shoppers bounce from websites because of bad design. (Sitejet)

The primary goal of every eCommerce website is to generate sales.

However, for visitors to convert, brands need to create strong messaging but also captivating design that successfully leads them from the beginning to the end of the sales funnel.

From high-quality images to attractive layout and compelling CTAs, having a design that stands out is a powerful marketing tool that builds credibility, increases loyalty and drives conversions.

This is where professional Magento development agencies come in handy.

Magento developers in the USA not only possess the know-how to personalize existing templates and create outstanding custom stores, but they also have the ability to implement design trends as they emerge.

This will help your website stay relevant and up-to-date, ensuring an engaging user experience at all times.

Reason #3: Get Technical Support

One of the key advantages of working with Magento development companies is that they will provide you with round-the-clock support services.

All professional agencies offer long-term technical support and maintenance which matters in having a fully functional site that runs at optimal performance at all times.

Some of the post-launch services include:

• Measuring KPIs and creating analytical reports
• Offering client education
• Configuring tools and accounts
• Maintaining security and plugins
• Fixing bugs and issues
• Adding new products and content

Custom Magento Development Specifics

Stats are useful, but what are Magento specifics that put them over the top?

Here’s why you should use Magento for eCommerce websites:

• Natural fit: While some other platforms, like WooCommerce, started out with a different purpose, Magento has been developed for eCommerce from the start. This highly specialized aspect of Magento website development is bound to make a difference for your eCommerce website.
• Integration: The platform is easy to integrate with third-parties. Also, having Google tools such as Google Checkout, Google Base and Google Analytics built-in from the start, greatly improves the eCommerce experience for your customers.
• Scalability: Some eCommerce platforms might have a problem handling products and orders once they start to scale up, but Magento has no such issues. It was developed to tackle even the biggest of orders with ease, even thousands at a time. And if we are talking about an enterprise-sized business, there is always the Magento Enterprise Edition.
• Support: Whether you are a small-business owner, a web-developer or an CEO of a big company, the Magento support team is always at your disposal.
• Community: Magento eCommerce developers are always willing to help each other out. So, whatever your question or issue may be, you can count on various users of the platform to assist you at any given point.

How To Choose The Best Magento Development Company

When researching the best Magento developers, take the following steps to make sure you select a trustworthy partner that can meet your business needs successfully:

Step #1: Find Out If They Are A Magento Solution Partner

There are over 300,000 Magento developers in the world. (Magento)

Do the potential Magento developers you are considering have the official badges earned by the company or are they, self-proclaimed experts?

Partnering with a company that has certified expertise matters in getting a high-performance digital store.

Discovering whether they have earned specific badges can make all the difference.

There are four types of badges issued by Magento:

• Business
• Professional
• Enterprise
• Global Elite

To ensure your project’s success, make sure you collaborate with a company that has taken one of these programs and has the necessary certification to implement Magento projects effectively.

Step #2: Examine Their Portfolios And Case Studies

Go through Magento development companies’ portfolios and case studies to learn about their work and capabilities.

Their past work will give you meaningful info on:

• The industries they serve
• The type of clients they work with
• The level of their experience
• Their creativity

...and above all, you will understand whether they have the ability to meet your requirements.

In addition to portfolios and case studies, checking their reviews can also be a great source of information that will help you learn about the Magento developers’ reliability and credibility.

Client feedback will also help you find out:

• How flexible and transparent they are in terms of planning and pricing projects
• Whether they deliver their projects on time
• How good they manage their projects
• And more

Step #3: Learn If They Offer End-To-End Services

A professional Magento development company provides robust service packages, including additional services like:

• Performing market research
• Developing a branding strategy
• Creating content
• Optimizing stores and products for search engines
• Implementing marketing campaigns
• Tracking analytics
• And more

These are all key solutions that every business needs to achieve its goals online.

Step #4: Understand Their Communication Skills

Communication plays a key factor in delivering successful projects. Having said that, you need to ensure that the Magento developer you hire is able to:

• Understand your requirements clearly
• Care about your ideas, likes and dislikes

However, establishing proper communication goes beyond listening to your suggestions when developing your online store.

It also matters in how easy the information flows.

To find out if Magento developers have the ability to build a transparent communication process:

• Think about the way they reply to your message and phone calls
• See if they define their communication channels and contact people clearly from the very start

Step #5: Ask For Their Pricing Policy

Before you decide on a Magento developer, make sure you set a budget and understand how much you are able to allocate for the project.

This will help you find a partner that can fit your budget.

Then, before you put your signature on the contract, ask for their pricing policies to avoid any misunderstanding and hidden costs.

10 Questions To Ask Magento Developers

1. Are you a full-service Magento website development company?
2. Are you a Magento-certified partner?
3. What types of Magento websites can you create?
4. What features and functionalities can you implement in Magento?
5. How will you secure our data and information?
6. What processes and methodologies do you have in place when creating your websites?
7. How will you create a timeline and keep our project on schedule?
8. How often will we communicate and who will our point of contact be?
9. Do you offer post-launch support and maintenance?
10. How much do your services cost? How often will we be billed and how do you charge? Should we anticipate any additional fees?

Last Tips To Consider Before & After Partnering With Magento Development Agencies

Here are a few things to consider both before and after signing a contract with Magento developers:

Before Signing The Contract

Make sure to protect your data, intellectual property (IP) and investment.

When drafting your contract, specify the deliverables, include the IP protection clause and data management responsibilities. It is always advisable to seek legal counsel before settling on any particular contract draft.

Next, outline a crisis management plan and sign an NDA agreement.

Many issues may arise during the process of website development and it is best to have safety nets.

After Signing the Contract

You have carefully vetted your Magento development agency of choice and have signed an agreement with them.

That’s great! But, collaboration doesn’t stop there.

It’s only just the beginning.

Though outsourcing development allows you to focus on your core business, be sure to support your developers if and when needed, as well as to monitor their progress closely.

With all the resources delivered to them in a timely manner, as well as regular check-ins and progress reports, your development should run smoothly, and remain within budget and deadlines.

Takeaways On Magento Developers

Magento developers help brands like yours build high-performance online stores using the top-rated eCommerce platform Magento.

The cost of their services approximately varies between $50 and $150 per hour.

You should partner with Magento developers to:

• Take advantage of their technical expertise
• Have a design that stands out
• Get technical support

To choose the best Magento website development company for your business, make sure you take the following steps:

• Find out if they are a Magento solution partner
• Examine their portfolios and case studies
• Learn if they offer end-to-end services
• Understand their communication skills
• Ask for their pricing policies

Best of luck!

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