Designed purely for e-commerce sites, Magento is one of the internet’s most powerful platforms for websites. Whether you are running a small shop or a large online shopping business, Magento provides the flexibility and customisation to be perfect for anyone’s needs. Unsurprisingly, then, it has grown hugely in popularity since its launch in 2008.

However, it is also true that some of the sites utilising Magento are not necessarily using it to its full potential. If you run a Magento-based e-commerce site but would like to get more from it, here are five fantastic tips that can make a massive difference to your sales.

1. Structure your site for SEO

The first thing to note is that Magento is a platform that can be optimised perfectly for search engine optimisation (SEO) to ensure that it ranks very well. However, this will not necessarily happen automatically, and you need to make sure that you are doing everything you can to make it easy for search engines to crawl your site correctly.

Much of this can come down to the overall structure of the site. For example, if you are working on your category tree you need to remember that as well as being great for users, the categories should benefit your SEO by targeting different keywords. Make sure that all of your top-level categories are generic and broad terms – you can then add levels and target niche keywords in sub-categories.

2. Invest in managed hosting

One aspect that can make a massive difference to a Magento site is having a proper, optimised web hosting solution for your business. Magento is such a successful and popular platform because it offers extensive customisation and optional features. However, the size of the platform and the extras mean that the platform is cumbersome and intensive which means if you want your website to run at its best, you need a comprehensive Magento-focussed web hosting package.

An excellent hosting package not only ensures that you work with a company that understands Magento but also means that you can scale your business as necessary without having to make a change to your in-house infrastructure. It can even make a difference to your SEO, as discussed above, as an excellent hosting platform will mean faster page loading times, which are an important ranking factor.

3. Utilise product alert notifications

Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference to your sales. If a customer has been to your site and looked at a product, they are incredibly close to making that purchase, so a little nudge in that direction a little while later can make a sale happen where it had been lost. This is why you should utilise product alert notifications.

Using this feature means that your customers will receive alerts when products are released or if the price is lowered. Aside from acting as an incentive for customers to buy, it reminds them to visit your site for the product. Some worry that these kinds of pushy techniques can put off customers rather than draw them in. However, that is why it is vital to have a genuine reason to notify them, such as the lowering in price. It can be quickly setup, and the difference it can make to your website is remarkable.

4. Incorporate reviews into your site

If you are not currently using reviews on your site, then you need to. According to recent research, 63 percent of people are more likely to purchase from a website if it has product reviews and ratings, while 71 percent of people agree that consumer reviews make them feel more comfortable that they are making the right purchasing decision.

That means that if you are not using reviews and your competitors are, they automatically have an advantage in trust over your business. Remember that having reviews on your site is not just a way of encouraging people to buy, it also helps to build return customers as well. When customers write reviews for you, they are investing time in you and thinking about the experience that you provided them with. This will make them return to you in the future.

5. Re-think email marketing

It is the case that many businesses capture email details from their clients, along with the consent to email offers and marketing materials to them. However, too many companies then simply use email marketing data for monthly newsletters that don’t promote any sales.

If you are doing this, you are missing a fantastic opportunity to build brand loyalty and bring back returning customers for more sales. Consider sending out emails to people who have bought from you in the past – but don’t use the Magento standard email format – you should customise them for the best results.