Expert Tips on configuring Magento 2

Is you Magento backend and frontend are running slow

If your Magento 2 store is being challenged by operational slow-down then there are certain elements contributing to this problem that need to be addressed and resolved.

The most likely cause of a slow Magento backend is a slow hosting server. To run Magento 2 efficiently, a powerful server is required. A low cost shared monthly plan will not supply the expected performance. The complexity of the Magento ecommerce platform, with its multifarious features, requires resources to run fluently. You can make a simple check to see if your Server CPU usage graphs are reading max all the time. If they are, then this is an indication that your hosting power needs upgraded. Drill and see if any scripts are running in the background, eating up all your available resources. By monitoring the system you will ascertain if this is so and you can redress the problem by getting your hosting provider to perhaps disable some of them.

Should you need a new more efficient hosting plan it pays dividends to troll through servers that are optimised specifically for Magento, thus ensuring complete compatibility with your complex hosting needs. They may be more expensive but they will ultimately do the professional job that your clients are expecting of the system. A top tip from a certified Magento developer is to ensure your hosting deploys the fastest disk technology possible – even if it means paying more per month for the service.

Third party extensions present another area worthwhile monitoring and analysing, to see if they are possibly cause for slowing Magento performance. Some plugins may be at the core of M2 running slower than normal so it is vital to identify and eliminate extensions that slow your store down. By accessing the Magento backend menu and listing all custom extensions – excluding the Magento core extensions – you or your developer can disable the offending plugins one at a time and benchmark the page speed. Once you are aware of the offending modules you can contact the provider and inform them of the problem. You then have the choice of finding alternative extensions or removing the inefficient ones completely.

Another element that can affect operating speed is incorrect Magento configuration. Changes in Magento configuration can present problems for backend performance. The most common configuration mistakes that affect admin speed are:

• Keeping internal cache disabled – this might simply be down to an outsourced developer having switched it off while testing and having forgotten to reactivate it.

           This is something that the store owner would not be aware of as a possible cause of slow Magento backend.

• Ensuring that your running mode is production: It is the fastest of the three running modes – default, developer and production. Again this could be down to an oversight on the developers behalf when working on the system – they might inadvertently have it in a different running mode which would slow the system down.
• Scrutinise JS Bundling feature on Java Script file. See if it is slowing down your site, especially on mobile devices.

Use a full page Caching Application such as ‘Varnish’ which is supported by Magento 2 native – a special software to serve and cache content. Magento developers claim that it renders sites very fast.

A further slowing factor is running a non-default Magento backend custom admin theme. Magento backend performance is very much dependant on theme files. It is quite a straightforward process to test this element and rectify the issue. Firstly you have to instal a fresh copy of Magento – the same version you already have – then instal all the extensions you have on the original store, excluding those that change the backend theme. Compare the two admin panels and that will inform you as to why the system is operating slow and below expectation.

Make sure to manually update your website’s indexes through the admin panel. If this is neglected then it will become  a contributory factor in your Magento site’s slow loading.

Also turn compilation on, which means you group  Magento’s files into blocks of HTML increasing their accessibility. This can effectively provide you with an improved performance of between 25 and 50 percent, depending on the page requested.

Increasing the memory parameters to a level greater than 128mb will enhance your site speed. A higher memory limit is necessary as Magento is heavy on memory use.

Another important element in promoting site speed and performance applies when you add products or categories that are spread through many different tables. You can enable Magento to harvest the information more quickly by having a single repository from which the information can be quickly retrieved. Technically it is described as “ flattening your products and categories”.

“Hacking the Core” is a term used to denote the overwriting of Magento Core Files by developers to customise your website. The snag with this is the resulting decline in site speed.

As with any platform site speed is a factor considered by Google when positioning your website on page rankings. If your Magento Website takes ages to load then that is a negative signal to the bots and will reflect your page ranking in the Search Engine Results. As a multi-award winning digital marketing agency Dublin, we specialise ecommerce development and in profitable campaigns including: professional copy writing, high quality content placement, social optimisation and advertising, search engine optimisation SEO Agency Dublin and PPC Dublin advertising, conversion rate optimisation, Magento ecommerce development, video production and 3d animation and modelling  that entice, engage and convert your target audience.