Magento is a free e-commerce shopping cart application that enables you to start your e-commerce store and manage all your sales and payments. It was initially released in 2008 and now has grown rapidly to serve more than lakhs of merchants worldwide. In this lesson, you will learn a step-by-step process of installing and managing your Magento-based eCommerce website in your Sangkrit.net’s cPanel Webhosting, Plesk Windows Hosting, Webhosting Plus, VPS, or Dedicated Server.
As we have learned before that Sangkrit.net provides you with Installatron – The One-Click Website Installer Service that you can use for making many types of websites, installing CMS, shopping carts, guest books, and other application types. But this lesson is focussed on installing and managing Magento which is a highly professional eCommerce solution for the people who want to start selling their products online.
Installing Magento On Your WebHosting
The first thing you need to do is subscribe to a cPanel Webhosting, Plesk Windows Hosting, Webhosting Plus, VPS, or Dedicated Server plan at Sangkrit.net. Then log in to your account and launch the cPanel of the plan where you want to install your new Magento website.
Next, from your cPanel, scroll down to Software/Services section. Click ‘Installatron Applications Installer’ and then select the Application Browser tab:
Scroll down to the ‘Apps for e-Commerce and Business’ section and click ‘Magento’:
Clicking ‘Magento’ opens up its installation page showing you details and features of a Magento-based eCommerce website. From here you can take an application demo, check other websites using the same application, etc.
To start the Magento installation process, click the ‘+install this application‘ button:
This asks you to select a domain/subdomain/directory for installing your new Magento website. If you are already running a website on your main domain then you can either go for a subdomain or use a subdirectory for installation.
Scroll down to the ‘Settings’ section and type in your new website username, password, and admin email, and then click the ‘Install’ button:
It takes a few seconds and then provides you your new website address & admin section URL from where you can log in and start managing your e-Commerce website.
The demo screenshot shows the frontend view of a Magento store.
Main Features Of Magento:
Magento provides scalability, flexibility, and features for business growth. Merchants using Magento have complete flexibility and control over the presentation, content, and functionality of their online channels.
- Analytics and Reporting: Useful reports such as Abandoned Shopping Cart Report and Best Customers Report by Total and Number of Orders.
- Search Engine Optimization: URL Rewrites give full control of URLs Meta-information for products and categories.
- Site Management: Control multiple websites and stores from one Administration Panel.
- Catalog Management: Batch Import and Export of catalog, Google Base Integration, and Downloadable/Digital Products.
- Catalog Browsing: Layer/Faceted navigation for filtering of products, Product comparisons, and Product Reviews.
- Product Browsing: Downloadable Products, Multiple Images Per Product, and Product Image Zoom-in Capability.
- Mobile Commerce: An iPhone-optimized interface is included.
- Checkout: One-Page Checkout and Guest Checkout.
- Shipping: Shipping to multiple addresses in one order.
- Payment: Multiple payment options, and Configurable authorization and capturing of funds.
- Customer Service: Feature-rich Customer Accounts, and Order Tracking from Account.
- Customer Accounts: Re-orders from account, and Recently ordered items.
- Order Management: View, edit, create, and fulfill orders from the admin panel. Create one or multiple invoices, shipments, and credit memos per order to allow for split fulfillment.
Managing Your Magento Website
Working in the Magento dashboard allows you to manage and control various aspects of your online store. You can visit the dashboard either by clicking the admin link listed on ‘My Applications’ page of ‘Installatron – The One Click Website Installer’ as that doesn’t require login credentials or you may login with the user name and password as explained in the steps given below.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to work in the Magento dashboard:
- Access the Dashboard: Open your web browser and enter the URL of your Magento store’s admin panel. It usually looks like this: yourstore.com/admin now log in using your admin username and password provided during the installation.
- Overview of the Dashboard: Once logged in, you will be taken to the Magento dashboard. The dashboard provides an overview of your store’s performance, including sales, orders, and best-selling products. You can customize the dashboard to display specific data and metrics relevant to your business.
- Navigation Menu: On the left-hand side of the dashboard, you’ll find the navigation menu. It contains various sections and sub-sections that allow you to manage different aspects of your online store.
- Managing Products: To add or edit products, go to Catalog > Products. Here, you can create new product listings, update existing ones, and manage product attributes.
- Managing Categories: To organize products into categories, go to Catalog > Categories. You can create new categories and arrange products within them.
- Processing Orders: To manage orders and process customer purchases, go to Sales > Orders. Here, you can view and process incoming orders, create invoices, shipments, and issue refunds.
- Managing Customers: To manage customer accounts and information, go to Customers > All Customers. You can add new customers, view their details, and manage customer groups.
- Content Management: To edit website content, go to Content > Pages. Here, you can create and edit static pages, such as the homepage, about us, contact us, etc.
- Customization and Configuration: Magento offers extensive customization options through themes and extensions. To configure the store settings, go to Stores > Configuration. Here, you can set up payment methods, shipping options, tax rules, and more.
- Reporting and Analytics: Magento provides various reports to track your store’s performance. To access reports, go to Reports in the main navigation menu. You can find sales reports, product reports, and customer reports, among others.
- Log Out: Always remember to log out of the Magento admin panel when you are done working on your store to ensure the security of your account and data.
By using the Magento dashboard efficiently, you can effectively manage and grow your online store, providing a seamless shopping experience for your customers. Familiarize yourself with the various features and settings available in the dashboard to make the most of Magento’s powerful e-commerce platform.