If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for a strong Magento development team to help take your eCommerce business to the next level. Reasons for this search vary from business to business, but it could be that you’ve lost faith in your current team's skills, or you’ve simply outgrown their capabilities, or perhaps they went out of business or dropped their support of Magento. We’ve been contacted by companies in all of these situations and we recognize the difficulty and importance of making your next agency selection the right one. In this blog post, we'll explore what sets a top Magento agency apart from the rest — along with some insights from the IronPlane team.
The Value of a Great Magento Agency
A skilled and experienced Magento agency brings immense value to your eCommerce business. The best Magento agencies possess in-depth knowledge of the Magento platform and can leverage it to address your unique eCommerce needs, competitive strategies, and innovative marketing initiatives.
How to Choose The Best Magento Agency for your Business
While the agency selection process is not an exact science, there are several factors we believe are the most important to consider. Here are our top five recommended considerations.
1. Choose an Agency with Multiple Certified Adobe Commerce Developers
While you may be attracted to agencies with Silver, Gold, or Platinum Adobe partnership badges, we find that the more important factor is the team of developers and their certifications. Regardless of partner level, you want an agency staffed with officially certified Adobe developers and solutions specialists.
In 2018, Adobe replaced the Magento certification program with their Adobe Commerce certification program. Magento certifications remained valid through their scheduled end date, but by now, any skilled Magento developer will have their Adobe Commerce certifications.
These are the current Adobe Commerce certifications available:
- Professional Level Certifications
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- Business Practitioner
- Developer
- Front-end Developer
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- Expert Level Certifications
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- Business Practitioner
- Developer
- Front-end Developer
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- Master Level Certifications
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- Architect
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In particular, we recommend seeking out an agency with mostly expert level certifications who have demonstrated their expertise and understanding of Magento's architecture, its administrative configurations, advanced features, security protocols, and development best practices.
While not a guarantee of a perfect agency fit for your business, this is a good starting point.
2. Find a Magento Agency that Understands Your Business
Finding an agency to tailor solutions to your business’ needs is crucial in the eCommerce space — allowing you to stand out from your competition and cater to your target audience, whoever they might be.
Every eCommerce venture possesses distinct goals, products, and customer demographics, making a one-size-fits-all approach inadequate. Partnering with a Magento agency that understands your business allows you to design and build an online shopping experience that resonates with your with your best customers and sets you apart from the competition. This type of tailored solution streamlines internal processes, and optimizes user journeys — resulting in increased operational efficiency, improved customer satisfaction, and higher conversion rates.
3. Find a Magento Development Agency that Understands SEO Priorities
A good Magento agency will not only deliver excellent quality code that is designed to your specific business needs, that agency will also understand the overlay of SEO importance across all of the work they do. While many of the items below might seem like they are the responsibilities of a marketing team, they should remain top of mind as your developers design and code your specific solutions.
- Develop and Configure for Increased Visibility: Magento sites should be built and configured to allow your marketing team to easily manage keyword optimization and content strategy to help improve your website's search rankings.
- Optimize for Organic Traffic: Optimizing site design, navigation and site speed all play a role in attracting and engaging organic traffic. Your development team has a great deal of impact on these elements and should prioritize them throughout their work.
- Aim for Higher Conversion Rates with Improved User Experience: Conversion rates are directly tied to user experience. A fast-loading website with intuitive navigation, effective search functionality, and mobile responsiveness ensures that visitors can easily find what they are looking for, leading to a positive shopping experience and increasing the likelihood of purchase. Both designers and developers are essential here as they design and build for optimal engagement and conversion.
- Design your Competitive Advantage: In a competitive eCommerce landscape, SEO and website performance can differentiate you from your competitors. An eCommerce store that ranks higher on search engines and provides a seamless user experience gains a competitive advantage in the marketplace - attracting more customers and building brand trust.
4. Partner with an agency that respects your financial priorities
All agencies are excited by the potential of technology design and development to solve your business problems. However every solution directly impacts your available resources in terms of both staff and finances. The best Magento agency partners will help you weigh the value of each task, make the trade-offs and prioritize those activities with the greatest potential to improve your business.
5. Seek Out A Long-Term Partnership
A top Magento agency doesn't just deliver a website and disappear. The best agencies believe in forging lasting partnerships with their clients. They offer ongoing support, security updates, and maintenance services, guaranteeing your online store remains secure and running smoothly.
The Experts at IronPlane Weigh In On the Key Factors in Choosing a Top Magento Agency
At IronPlane, we have a proven track record of guiding businesses through the complex process of eCommerce development. With our team’s combined decades of experience, we understand the challenges and intricacies of creating successful online stores. We’ve honed our skills in delivering tailored solutions for various business models, including:
- B2B businesses like ControlTek
- High-end consumer brands like High Point Scientific
- Companies with complex product offerings like Russell Marine Products
We believe that a top Magento agency should be flexible, responsive, and results-driven. As exemplified in our case studies above, we set out to be just that with every client and every project — every time.
Partnering with the Right Magento Agency for Success
Choosing the right Magento agency can be the cornerstone of your eCommerce store’s success. Be sure to seek out an agency with expertise, commitment to personalized solutions, and long-term support — and then make them a partner for your online business. If you choose wisely, the rewards will be substantial.
