Magento 1 reached its end of life in June 2020.
However, most businesses are still hesitant to migrate to Magento 2.
While costs and complicated processes are key barriers, some decision-makers also think the shift does not make much difference as far as the platform’s capabilities are concerned.
But nothing could be further from the truth!
To enlighten you on why Magento 2 migration is necessary for your business, this blog post highlights the major differences between Magento 1 and Magento 2, and the top reasons to opt for the latter.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Magento 1 vs Magento 2
It has been more than 13 years since the release of Magento 1.
In the last few years, the eCommerce platform has evolved to a great extent.
Magento 2, being a successive version, supports the latest eCommerce innovations to enhance merchant and customer experience.
Here is a table depicting the major differences between Magento 1 and Magento 2:
Particulars | Magento 1 | Magento 2 |
---|---|---|
Technical Support | Not available | Support available |
Security | Vulnerable to cyberattacks | Highly secure against cyber threats with latest security patches |
Site Support | Ordinary site speed | Faster server response and checkout speed |
SEO | Meta tags are not supported | Support is provided for meta tags |
Extensions | Outdated extensions with no further updates | Latest extensions available with updates |
Technology | Latest PHP stack is not supported | Supports latest PHP stack |
Top 6 Reasons to Migrate to Magento 2
Now that you know how Magento 2 differs from Magento 1, let’s now look at the key reasons to migrate to the latest version.
Enhanced Security
Adobe has stopped pushing regular security updates for Magento 1, making it more vulnerable to hackers and cyber-attacks.
So, if you are currently using Magento 1, you are not only risking your store’s data but also customers’ sensitive details. This could seriously damage your business reputation and result in major financial losses.
By migrating to Magento 2, you can easily safeguard your website from potential threats as it offers regular security patches and the latest updates.
Latest Extensions
Most companies have stopped development for Magento 1.
This means there will be no more new extensions available for the version. In addition, most of the existing extensions will become outdated in a couple of years.
So, Magento owners will have no choice but to migrate to Magento 2 for new extensions and added functionalities.
Faster Speed
Magento 2 offers better order processing speed and server responsiveness than Magento 1. As per reports, it loads pages 30% to 50% faster than its predecessor.
Magento 2 can also handle 10 million page views within an hour, whereas Magento 1 would stop only at two hundred thousand. So, not migrating to Magento 2 would mean that you are compromising on your store performance and user experience.
Better Support
Most developers prefer to work on the latest technology. Being an outdated version, Magento 1 developers are limited in number. So, it will get difficult for Magento 1 users to get professional support in the near future.
On the contrary, in Magento 2, store owners can reach out to Adobe Commerce for quick support and issue resolution. Besides, there is a big community of Magento 2 developers that are readily available to help you.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization plays a crucial role in the direct selling of products online. However, Magento 1 does not offer certain SEO-related functionalities for which site owners have to depend on third parties.
Magento 2 solves this issue by offering rich SEO settings that users can implement to tune their pages.
You can set canonical tags, meta titles, descriptions, and keywords to enhance your reach and visibility. Furthermore, Magento 2 comes with built-in functionalities to make your website more mobile-friendly.
Highly Customizable
Magento is well-known for its customizability. And Magento 2, with its redesigned codebase, has taken this up a notch. The platform now uses the defacto PHP package manager and Composer to manage the installation of modules, and everything related to a module lies under a single directory.
This facilitates endless development possibilities, thus, improving the platform’s customizability.
The Bottom Line
Magento 2 brings a whole new playing field for eCommerce store owners. There are plenty of advancements, new features, and updates that will help you step up your business game.
Eventually, the benefits you will reap with the migration will far exceed its initial cost. So, what are you waiting for?