Magento Search Engine Optimization (2014)
Chapter 8. Purpose-built Magento Extensions for SEO/CRO
In this chapter, we'll be looking at a selection of SEO and CRO (conversion rate optimization) related extensions that should help to bring more visitors to our Magento website and improve our chances of converting those visitors into paying customers.
The decision to make Magento open source is perhaps the primary reason for its meteoric growth over the last few years. The sheer quantity of Magento extensions available through Magento Connect (currently well over 5000) is a testament to the innovate nature of its fantastic community of developers.
Entire companies have been established in order to cater to the demand from the more than 150,000 live Magento stores (according to BuiltWith usage statistics, goo.gl/H5BbLY).
In this chapter, we will be looking at:
· Some of the best SEO-specific extensions available for Magento
· CRO-related extensions to help boost sales
· Extensions that enable the use of optional functionality described in this book, such as Universal Analytics and Varnish Cache
Installing extensions
Before we start taking a look at some of the best SEO extensions available for Magento, we should quickly cover their installation.
Most free Magento extensions will be available to install through Magento Connect (http://www.magentocommerce.com/magento-connect/).
Paid extensions usually require manual installation; it is therefore important that whoever is installing the extension is familiar with FTP. Most of these types of extensions come with their own set of instructions, and thanks to the automatic setup scripts within Magento, there are never any complicated database adjustments to make.
Generally speaking, the most common problems with extensions can be avoided by making sure that we do this:
· Check that the extension is compatible with our Magento platform (Community/Enterprise/Go)
· Check that the extension is compatible with our own Magento version (for example, CE 1.7)
· Disable Magento compilation prior to installing our extension
· Make sure that our folders are writable by the server
· Check reviews/FAQs for our extension to resolve known issues
· Clear our cache (System | Cache Management | Flush Magento Cache) and log out/back in to our Magento admin panel to reset permissions after installing our extension
Note
For a comprehensive guide on how to install Magento extensions, please visit (fooman.co.nz—PDF) goo.gl/oxnsVl.
Popular SEO-specific Magento extensions
The following are a selection of the popular extensions related specifically to search engine optimization. The prices and links herein are accurate as of the time of this writing, but may change over time.
SEO Suite Ultimate by MageWorx
One of the most popular full-service SEO extensions out there, SEO Suite Ultimate by MageWorx is reminiscent of the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress (goo.gl/oeR500) in that it supports a wide range of optimization tools within a single extension. Its properties are as follows:
· Type: Paid
· Cost: $399
· Supported for both Community and Enterprise editions
Within its list of features, we will notice several solutions to some of the topics covered in this book (such as rich snippet support/301 redirects for duplicate home pages), and there are also a few unique additions that are worth mentioning:
· The ability to define templates for meta title/description/keywords across all products and categories
· Addition of a simple HTML sitemap for usability
· Ability to edit/choose the canonical URL to use for pages
· XML sitemap improvements including the splitting of the sitemap into several smaller files (great for large Magento sites)
· Ability to define a template for product descriptions (a real time saver!)
Currently, SEO Suite Ultimate will set us back just under $400, which seems a pretty small price to pay for such bold claims by MageWorx as:
"It considerably reduces the time necessary for search engine optimization and promotion from 3-6 months to 1-3 months."
However, I would personally guess that this statement is also dependent on many other ranking factors.
Note
For more detailed information and to find out about pricing options for multiple installations, we should head over to goo.gl/mlHbC1.
Google Shopping feed by Rocket Web
Google Shopping is not a subject that I have touched upon within this book simply due to the fact that the default Google Shopping API within Magento struggles to keep up with the ever-changing Google Shopping requirements.
Thankfully, there is an extension available that seamlessly integrates any type of product into Google Merchant Center. It has the following properties:
· Type: Paid
· Cost: $149
· Supported for both Community and Enterprise editions
A few key features worth mentioning are:
· 100 percent configurable through the Magento administration panel
· Video tutorials available (goo.gl/iLqenk)
Google Shopping feeds are becoming CPC-driven and are tied to an AdWords account. To find out more about Product Listing Ads (PLAs), please see (google.com) goo.gl/NJlLVo.
Note
For a detailed description and links on where to purchase the Google Shopping feed extension, please visit goo.gl/nNf0yu.
Universal Analytics by Aromicon
Mentioned in Chapter 6, Analyzing and Tracking Your Visitors, Universal Analytics is the new tracking method that has been incorporated into Google Analytics.
By default, Magento (<1.8.0.0) does not come equipped with the ability to add our universal tracking code, and so Aromicon have filled that gap in the market with a free extension with the following properties:
· Type: Free
· Supports both Community and Enterprise (although only Community shown on Magento Connect)
Key features:
· Quick and easy installation
· E-commerce tracking enabled
Tip
I would personally recommend disabling the standard Google tracking code within Magento if you are using this extension (System | Configuration | Google API).
In rare cases, having both tracking codes may result in duplicate statistics within Google Analytics.
This extension simply swaps out our standard tracking code for the new template using layout XML and custom code in the template, and is therefore really lightweight.
Note
To download and try out this extension ourselves, we should visit its page on Magento Connect at goo.gl/25Ycwb.
Magento WordPress Integration by FishPig
A regularly updated blog is one of the most common examples of creating fresh content on a website. WordPress is by far the most popular blogging platform on the Internet and can easily be integrated into Magento through the use of this free extension. Its properties are as follows:
· Type: Free
· Supports both Community and Enterprise platforms
The following are a few key features of the Magento WordPress Integration extension:
· Easy access to WordPress features directly though the Magento administration panel
· WordPress categories and posts automatically implement the current Magento theme (no need to retheme the WordPress installation)
· Ability to associate posts with products and categories (similar to related product functionality)
This extension has been downloaded over 50,000 times and just goes to show how popular the combination of using Magento coupled with WordPress has become.
Additionally, there are paid add-ons that can be purchased from www.fishpig.co.uk to further extend their already extensive add-on.
Note
For more information and to download Magento WordPress Integration via Magento Connect, please visit goo.gl/FJICGr.
AddThis by AddThis
In Chapter 2, Product and Category Page Optimization, we talked about implementing social sharing into our product pages to better "spread the word" about our products through various social media channels.
A really quick and simple extension has been developed by AddThis for us to automatically enable these social widgets on our product pages. Its properties are as follows:
· Type: Free
· Supports both Community and Enterprise
A few key features about this extension are as follows:
· Over 350 different social services supported
· Ability to change social button display
· Smart Layers integration (show follow buttons and recommended content)
Typically, we would only want to display the top four or five social media services (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest).
Alternatively, we could integrate the AddThis widget ourselves if we wanted to place the social icons in custom locations just by visiting their website (www.addthis.com) and downloading their JavaScript snippet.
Note
For more information on how to get the Magento extension, we should visit the Magento Connect page (goo.gl/iVnKCd).
Creare SEO by CreareGroup
Our final SEO-related extension is a free extension that hopes to solve many of the inherent Magento SEO flaws mentioned within this book. Creare SEO has the following properties:
· Type: Free
· Initially supporting Community Edition
This has been developed by myself and two other Magento Certified Developers at our company Creare Communications Ltd. based in the UK. The Creare SEO extension will feature a large list of functionality including the following key features:
· Dynamic HTML sitemap
· Category H1 headings (as mentioned in Chapter 2, Product and Category Page Optimization)
· Clean-up script: To empty log tables and generally clean up redundant files
· Layered navigation NOINDEX option for category filters (as mentioned in Chapter 7, Technical Rewrites for Search Engines)
· Default SEO checklist: To check for default Magento SEO options that have been incorrectly configured
As with SEO Suite Ultimate by MageWorx, our primary goal is to provide the community with a comprehensive yet easily configurable SEO extension that will help to fix most of the SEO-related problems that unfortunately reside within a default Magento installation.
Note
For a complete breakdown of the functionality (including meta description templates, twitter card support, duplicate product information warnings, and much more) please head over to our page at Magento Connect at goo.gl/chdBRU.
We'd also love to hear your feedback at www.creare.co.uk.
Extensions to help improve CRO
In this section, we'll look at a couple of extensions that will help to improve our conversion rates through user experience. Once again, prices on these pages are accurate as of the time of this publication.
Turpentine by Nexcess
The Turpentine extension allows for Magento to easily integrate into Varnish Cache and also allows Varnish to be configured via the administration panel in Magento.
As mentioned in Chapter 5, Speeding Up Your Magento Website, Varnish Cache is a powerful tool that can improve the loading speed of any website. Load speed is increasingly important as more and more Internet-savvy users grow tired of waiting for pages to load.
A faster Magento website will almost certainly result in a higher number of sales. The properties of the Turpentine extension are as follows:
· Type: Free
· Supported for both Community Edition (1.6+) and Enterprise Edition (1.15+)
Some of the key features of Turpentine are:
· Ability to clear cache upon saving of a product/page/category
· Configurable options within the Magento administration panel
· Support for Magento installations within subdirectories
Note
For more information and to download the extension from Magento Connect, we should visit goo.gl/u0zd0A.
One Step Checkout by OneStepCheckout.com
Checkout optimization, discussed in Chapter 4, Template/Design Adjustments for SEO and CRO, is an important factor to consider for any e-commerce website. The simpler the checkout experience, the more likely a customer will enter their details and pay for their product without abandoning their cart.
The default One Page Checkout extension consists of six steps, each step hidden from view until the customer clicks on a button to proceed. This can sometimes lead to shopping cart abandonment as customers are unsure as to how long the checkout process will take.
One Step Checkout simplifies this process by making all required steps visible to the user so that the customer has a good idea of how much information they are required to enter:
· Type: Paid
· Cost: From €245 onwards
· Supported for both Community and Enterprise editions
A few key features of the One Step Checkout extension are:
· It's easy to install because it simply replaces the /checkout/onepage/ URL with /onestepcheckout/
· Admin configuration is used to enable/disable certain fields
· All checkout updates are performed via AJAX, for example, the shipping cost/payment method availability is updated as a customer enters their address details
· It is compatible with most other checkout-related extensions (such as additional payment gateways)
I would personally recommend this extension for any Magento development, and at €245, it is surely worth the price of reducing last-minute shopping cart abandonments.
Note
One Step Checkout can be purchased directly from the company website (onestepcheckout.com).
Noteworthy extension developers
Due to the sheer volume of extensions available, it is impossible to list them all. Instead, here is a list of some of the most recognized Magento extension developers and a selection of their best extensions:
· Aheadworks (goo.gl/FSYT9Y): Take a look at Follow Up Email for remarketing and AJAX Cart Pro for CRO and usability
· Fooman (goo.gl/JZ3hsb): Take a look at Fooman Speedster for Magento load speed optimization and Fooman Google Analytics+ for enhanced Google Analytics tracking
· Mage Store (goo.gl/JxwCJK): Mainly known for their Affiliate+ extension
· M2E (goo.gl/KwtIwR): Used for integration into eBay stores and Amazon
· Amasty (goo.gl/gX3BUQ): Used for a wide range of usability improvements, such as improved layered navigation
Unlike this book, this list could quite literally never end as more and more companies develop increasingly popular Magento extensions.
Summary
In this chapter, we have looked at how the open source nature of Magento has helped to spawn thousands of Magento extensions through the innovation of its growing community of developers.
We've looked at some of the best SEO-specific Magento extensions available (both free and paid) and have had a quick look at some of the key features of each. We've also looked at a few CRO-related extensions whose aim it is to increase the number of sales we make on our Magento websites.
With the continued expansion of the Magento framework and the ever-increasing demand for third-party solutions, we can expect to see tremendous growth in the Magento Connect marketplace over the coming years.