Considering launching an online store. You made the right choice if you decided to build your store using the Magento 2 platform. Congrats! It provides limitless hosting control, a tonne of add-ons, and customization options. Due to all of these factors, it is incredibly well-liked by B2B and B2C companies of all shapes and sizes.

More than 170,000 business owners have chosen Magento as the foundation for their online stores. Approximately 1.4% of all websites on the Internet are currently powered by it! Additionally, 8% of all eCommerce sites, as reported by BuiltWith, use Magento, with more and more merchants making the transition. 

Having said that, working with Magento (and Magento 2) is not the simplest platform if you have never used it before. Because of this, a lot of business owners opt to hire a company that specializes in Magento development to build their online store. But how do you pick a Magento company to complete your dream project?

Since the platform is so well-known, there are many Magento eCommerce agencies available. They weren't all made the same. With so many businesses claiming to be the finest while giving their services, choosing one can be very difficult.

This post will walk you through the process of choosing a top development agency and provide you with ten questions to ask the business.

1. Reputation of the company

A good place to start is to look for Magento development company reviews online. Clutch, GoodFirms, and Techreviewer all have Magento agency rankings based on user ratings. The company you intend to hire should have a large number of positive reviews, all from credible sources.

Reading the evaluations will help you understand what to expect when working with a particular agency. You'll learn about their strengths and shortcomings, as well as the kind of clients they accept. Pay attention to the particulars: Was the communication clear and up to date? How did they handle an emergency? Were they willing to talk? You are more likely to experience a bad characteristic if you see it in multiple evaluations.

2. How much of experience they have

We don't have to tell you that experience is important. That is why it is critical to understand how long the development company has worked with Magento and how many projects they have done. The more certified developers they have, as well as the variety of projects they've worked on, the better.

Another step is to inquire about the normal project development cycle length. Keep in mind that the average length of a Magento project is 6 to 7 months. Comparing this number to the one provided by the agency will help you assess their level of expertise.

3. Magento Certified developers

To ensure that the Magento agency you choose is qualified to complete your order, ask if the company's developers have Magento Certification.

Magento created its own certification exam to validate developers' skills and qualifications. It is a practical test that Magento developers must pass in order to be certified. There are various types of certificates (for Front-End developers, JavaScript developers, all-around specialists, and so on).

After Magento was acquired by Adobe, Magento Certification became Adobe Certification, which you must renew every two years. The agency you choose should have the most recent version of the Magento certificate.

4. Being a Magento Partner

Being an official Magento Partner is a step up from being certified. According to Magento themselves, they break up their web developers into three categories:

1. Magento Solutions Partners
2. Magento Technology Partners
3. Magento Community Insiders

1. Magento Solutions Partners are consulting companies that focus on building leading B2C and B2B digital experiences and helping businesses worldwide create a lasting impression on their customers. They do it through things like digital strategy, project scoping, integration with third-party applications, etc.
2. Magento Technology Partners contribute to development and optimization in a variety of ways, including product information management, enhanced customer discovery and purchasing journeys, and business system integration.
3. Magento Community Insiders are qualified Magento experts who can assist you with your e-commerce project. The Insiders Program is a stepping stone to becoming a Partner. To be considered a Community Insider, an agency must have certified Magento developers on staff as well as experience working with Magento.

5. Does their portfolio correspond to the outcomes you seek?

1. Examine the agency's portfolio and look at the produced websites. Do you like how they turned out? Is their functionality comparable to what you require?
2. Analyzing projects in your industry would be extremely beneficial. If they have a lot of them, that's a good clue that the agency knows what you're going to expect and what the common issues in your area are.

6. Estimated cost

You should also inquire about the costs of any additional services and maintenance. Keep in mind that in many circumstances, the price dictates the quality. You do not have to go to the most expensive agency available. However, if the anticipated cost you are given is excessively low, be aware that there must be a cause for this. In the end, it all comes down to how much money your E-commerce store is expected to make. If you intend your website to have a large scope and a lot of visitors, your budget should match that. Spending more money to get a highly customized website based on your needs would be well worth it. 

7. Security policies

It can be frightening to entrust your data to an outsource business. Every good agency understands this. They should have an excellent security system in place to keep your data private. If your Magento agency is trustworthy, they will outline the steps they take to keep your information secure. 
Among them are:

• Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA): A legal contract signed by both you and your agency that stipulates that neither party will reveal any sensitive information without permission.
• Splitting data and sharing each section with a person who requires it for their duties.
• Code transfer: Transferring any intellectual property you may have regarding the technology or code. You don't want to be charged for using a code that belongs to you. You should bring this up because not every company will have it in their contract.

8. Ease of communication

Because this is a personal topic, detailed counsel is difficult to provide. In general, you should feel at ease working with the development agency. Take a look at the developers who would work on your project before jumping in and agreeing to work with them. 

Aside from learning about their certifications and technical talents, try to figure out if you'll be able to communicate with them. Their location is one of them. Everyone lives in different time zones, and English is not always the native language. Take note of how quickly the agency responds to you and their level of English. You are not required to work with a native English speaker who lives in the same nation as you, but their location should not be an impediment to your communication.

Another aspect is their general communication abilities. You should feel comfortable raising your concerns and that the agency is doing its best to understand them. The provider must keep you informed during the construction of your eCommerce store. What is comfortable for one person may not be for another, so pay attention towards how you experience after each interaction with them.

Here are some more questions to consider: Do they ask you a lot of questions (as we've already said, this is crucial)? Do they respond quickly? Do they provide detailed responses or send generic brief responses? Good Magento developers also give a variety of contact channels, based on your preferences. They should be approachable via email, phone, or Skype, and they should adapt to your preferred contact route. 

9. Strong UI/UX, Design team

Everyone must have a rough notion of what a Magento website looks like at first. The home page is completely blank, with no text or images, while the following pages have nothing.

Your Magento developer would be necessary to change the main page as well as design various pages supporting your product ideas, resulting in a Magento website that would draw even more people to your sector. But let's just agree that aesthetic appeal is what will entice visitors to visit your business. As a result, your chosen Magento expert should be imaginative enough to create an eye-catching website that offers a range of functions with a faster response time and less data utilization.

This will assist you in establishing a benchmark in the market, which will pave the route to prosperity under all circumstances. As a result, your personnel should be clever enough to handle minor issues and give your websites a Midas touch that will outshine everyone else.

10. Post deployment support and maintenance

Quality testing and deployment should be prioritized if you want your Magento project to be successful in the long run. It's useful to know what to expect from project deployments and what occurs thereafter. The roll-out procedure must be carried out effectively to ensure that no technical or functional issues harm your clients.

Following the completion of the deployment, the agency should concentrate on the smooth and proper maintenance of your business. The greatest companies always provide continuous 24/7 help so that any faults can be corrected swiftly. Some organizations may provide a full service package for your ecommerce project. It can include services like hosting, SEO, and online marketing. Be aware that the chances of your agency being at the top of all of these categories are slim. It is probably best to use several firms for different needs.

Conclusion

Choosing a competent Magento development agency might be difficult, especially if you lack experience in the field and have never worked with an outsourcing company before. There are many agencies that provide a variety of services, and it can take a significant amount of time and effort to restrict your options down to just a handful.

Hopefully, we provided enough information for you to feel confident in selecting a Magento agency to work with.

Choosing the finest Magento agency is so critical to increasing sales and developing a positive brand image. If you have any further questions concerning the Magento ecommerce platform or development, please contact us and we at TerrificMinds will gladly assist you!