To add advanced functionalities to an eCommerce site, there will be a need to add extensions. Magento offers thousands of themes and add-ons with amazing features and functionalities for online stores.

With over 3,813 free and paid extensions, there is also a pool of third-party extensions to enhance the store’s performance, functionality, and sales.

But choosing the right extensions may be time-consuming and tricky with so many options. So, validating every add-on on your list will be better for selecting the suitable one.

Checklist for Choosing the Best Magento Extensions for eCommerce Websites

To narrow down the choices, there are a number of technical and non-technical factors that you can take into consideration.

Technical Factors

Features

It is not wrong to say that people prefer extensions that come with a wide range of features. Instead of a feature-crammed extension, look for one that caters to your requirements. You can start it by addressing the questions like -

• What will you use this extension for?

• Is this feature not included in the Magento open-source?

• How exactly does the feature work?

So, discover each function and check related documents like installation guides or user guides. On getting any difficulty during the test, just contact the vendor or take assistance from an eCommerce development company.

UpThere can be many unpredictable scenarios that can happen after an extension is installed on the site. They could be -

• Release of a new Magento version that requires an extension to be compatible with the latest version.

• Extension conflicts with other third-party extensions.

• Extension causes bugs on the customer’s site.

So, if you want a bug-free extension, choose the frequently updated one. You can verify it by taking a look at the release notes. The history will show you how the latest product version is improved and the vendor’s dedication to maintaining quality.

Codes

Bad source codes can negatively impact your site’s performance. Even if you see an extension on the marketplace with good coding and compliance with Magento standards, ask the vendor for a trial version. However, to help you properly inspect the code, you can also contact an 

Non-Technical Factors

Reviews and Ratings

Whether you are downloading the extension from a third-party marketplace or an official Magento store, checking its social proof will let you understand how effective the functionalities are.eCommerce development company to evaluate the extension fully.

Here are some tips for Magento extension buyers while looking for reviews and ratings -

• Seek reviews from verified purchasers.

• A considerable amount of reviews can be fake, especially compared to others in the same category.

• Reviews generated in bulk in a very short time of the extension release are likely to be fabricated.

Support

Even the best Magento extensions require ongoing maintenance as problems may arise anytime. When using the extensions, there can be many cases in which you require support from an eCommerce development company -

• Installation related issues

• Feature configuration issues that you are unable to resolve from the user manual

• Updating to the latest version

So, to prevent any future conflicts with the extension, one must look for the following -

• Vendors that offer lifetime support.

• The dedication and professionalism of the support team. To ensure this, you can try contacting them via live chat to see how quickly they respond to you.

Also, read How Much Does It Cost to Build a Magento 2 Website?

Conclusion

The list of the top Magento extensions seems to be endless. Having a checklist in hand makes it possible to prioritize the important factors and rate the extensions accordingly.

However, it is not wrong to say that picking the right one requires core expertise in the Magento domain. So, investing in eCommerce development services will be the best to achieve your feature-rich online store development goal.