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  • 301 Redirects May Save Your SEO - A search engine professional’s lucky number is 301. That’s the server header status code for a type of redirect that performs many critical functions for natural search performance. What Is a ...
    Topics: url, old, search, redirects, server, seo, need, lost, page, redirect, save.
  • 9 Best Ecommerce Hosting Providers in 2023 - An ecommerce hosting provider stores the data needed to power your online store. Everything from page loading speeds to site security is managed by your hosting provider. Here’s how to choose one that grows as you do.More
    Topics: store, youll, server, provider, website, host, best, need, ecommerce, hosting, providers, online.
  • A Simple Explanation of a 502 Bad Gateway Error & How to Resolve It - When your website experiences a 502 Bad Gateway Error, it can be like solving a mystery. You don't know what exactly happened or why -- all you know is that something's wrong and you need to fix it.
    Topics: fix, explanation, bad, gateway, error, resolve, page, website, server, firewall, simple, websites.
  • Despite the GDPR, Cookies Are Vital to Ecommerce - Cookies are in the spotlight with the E.U.’s new General Data Protection Regulation. It follows the E.U.’s “Cookie Directive,” which has been in effect for several years. Cookies are important for ...
    Topics: ecommerce, cookie, despite, cart, vital, gdpr, web, track, data, stores, browser, cookies, visitors, server.
  • HTML Rendering in Digital Commerce Websites - Since the introduction of Single-Page Applications, the web has debated between delivering HTML directly from a server or rendering that HTML within the browser. Each comes with pros and cons favoring either content rich pages or highly interactive experiences. Digital commerce is a blend of both rich product information and robust checkout funnels and must find balance between server-side rendering and client-side rendering. Static Rendering Static rendering is where a fully formed HTML file exists for each page of a website, the file exists on a hard-drive or cloud storage and is then served to the client when requested. When a client or browser requests the HTML there is no code executed, databases to call, or other changes to the content of that HTML document. This was the original approach to serving websites and HTML was created or written by hand. Recently, static sites have come back into popularity, but instead of writing and managing each HTML file manually, code is leveraged to combine content and templates to pre-generate the HTML in a build step before copying those files to the server. This is referred to as static-site generation and is a key component to JAMStack. Dealing with static files comes with multiple benefits, the first being website performance. These files can be quickly served on request, distributed through a CDN, and easily cached. There are no steps required between requesting the HTML file and displaying the content. Another major benefit is security as it’s extremely hard to hack a basic server distributing files, especially when using modern techniques and a content-delivery network. Since all the code required to build the HTML files happens during a build step there is no need to expose that code to the wider internet and it removes this code as an attack vector. This speed and simplicity make the content easy to read and crawl by bots, which is beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO) and can improve rankings. The problem is that these static sites lack any type of dynamic or interactive functionality which is a non-starter for digital commerce. Basic features such as a cart are impossible, let alone highly personalized recommendation engines or A/B testing. So, the best case is to combine static assets with dynamic content driven via APIs. A common JAMStack approach is to statically generate all product pages, but to render the cart through client-side rendering. This brings the second major problem, which is website updates. Since content is updated during an expensive build-step any content changes wait for that build. This can be run through a CRON job, but is far from immediate. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Server-side rendering (SSR) is a technique where a server generates the HTML for a particular page and sends it to the client. This page is created dynamically when requested, often combining templates with data queried from an API or database. When we hear the term Server-Side Rendering the context is often around single-page applications or progressive web apps, but it predates both. This is the default rendering option for most of the web, but was previously not discussed as there was no alternative. From the client or browsers perspective server-side rendering looks the same as static rendering, it simply includes a slight delay as the server collects the needed information and builds the HTML. It is also great for SEO. These pages can also include dynamic content based on the user information. The main drawback to server-rendered pages is the level of interactivity and the overall user experience. Clicking a link or adding an item to the cart requires a new request to the server and an entirely new HTML page to be served. This is a large amount of data to transfer when you may only be incrementing the cart count in the header, in addition the entire page will disappear and be reprocessed which is jarring to the customer. While the initial page load is fast, navigating the website or crafting highly interactive experiences is not nearly as fluid as client-side rendering. Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial Client-Side Rendering (CSR) Client-side rendering (CSR) is a technique where a browser executes JavaScript which generates the necessary HTML. This was popularized with single-page applications (SPA) which instead of serving multiple content rich HTML pages sends a single HTML document that contains the necessary JavaScript includes. In a SPA JavaScript takes the role of generating all HTML, handling navigation, and ensuring the right content is displayed. The term Single Page Application comes from two parts: The server only has a single HTML page. This technique is designed for applications instead of websites. When you consider web applications, for example Gmail or the Elastic Path Commerce Cloud, users typically enter the application from a single point (the sign-in), initial load time is less important than a great experience as users will enter once and spend many hours in the application, and SEO is not a concern. This is in stark contrast to websites where users will come from a search engine or backlink to any relevant page and may only spend a few seconds or minutes on that page. Despite the fact that SPAs were designed and optimized for applications, users loved the great UX and seamless navigation, and they started being leveraged for more traditional websites or digital commerce. Having JavaScript load all content made websites difficult to crawl by bots, though the Google bot can execute JavaScript, SPAs suffer for SEO when compared to traditional websites. In addition, the JavaScript files can get very large so when first visiting a website users encounter slower load times and delays before seeing the requested content. Merging Techniques With the hopes of getting the benefits of both SSR and CSR, developers looked at merging the two techniques. The first approach was to run the rendering code on both the client and browser, this became known as Universal or Isomorphic rendering. This approach can take the advantages of both SSR and CSR and minimize the drawbacks. By using this technique, the initial load of the page is done by the server using NodeJS which can be rendered immediately with HTML, then the JavaScript takes over and improves the dynamic features of the page. This allowed bots to see the initial HTML improving overall SEO, allowed the browser to paint the content prior to loading and executing all JavaScript, and maintained the streamlined UX of a SPA. The problem with isomorphic rendering was twofold, the hand-off between server and client execution and the lack of rendering control in the application. After the browser rendered the initial page the JavaScript was required to take over, unfortunately many libraries struggled to re-use the HTML already in place and instead re-rendered the entire page. So while the content was displayed quickly, any interactivity waited for the full SPA to load and execute. In addition, if the server-rendered HTML had any differences to the JavaScript rendered version the page would randomly change soon after initial load. Isomorphic rendering also required both the server and client to have matching capabilities, both being able to render all parts of the page. While this works, it failed to take into account that server-side execution has security benefits, and some components may be more optimal when rendered client-side. While isomorphic rendering was an attempt to merge the two with existing tools, web frameworks have evolved to take a more transitional approach. New frameworks allow rendering to transfer seamlessly from server to client with progressive or partial hydration and include opportunities for developers to determine if code should be executed client-side or server-side. The Elastic Path Composable Frontend leverages NextJS which includes these options. The page is server-rendered and then progressively enhanced in the browser. Where necessary an API route can be created for server-only execution or the “use client” directive can be added to components at the top of the file to ensure client execution. In summary, the choice between server-side rendering and client-side rendering depends on the specific requirements and constraints of the project. Content heavy websites should lean towards SSR to improve initial load time and SEO, while web applications and highly interactive websites should focus on CSR for improved UX. Digital Commerce should take advantage of transitional apps like Elastic Path’s Composable Frontend to seamlessly move between both techniques depending on the specific site-section. In conclusion, while server-side rendering and client-side rendering are both valid options, each has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. The specific requirements and constraints of the project, such as performance, SEO, accessibility, and development environment should be considered when making the decision. Also, the choice between them can also be influenced by the needs of the development team, security, and caching requirements.
    Topics: client, code, rendering, content, digital, websites, html, commerce, javascript, server, file, page.
  • HTTP 500 Internal Server Error: What It Means & How to Fix It - Troubleshooting an HTTP 500 internal server error is like solving a mystery.
    Topics: code, browser, fix, page, internal, website, file, server, means, http, error.
  • How Eleganza Transformed Mobile Shopping with PWA Studio - Since 2015, Eleganza had been successfully running its online shop and supporting four languages on Magento 1.9.2.0. With the end of life of Magento 1 on the horizon, the well-known, high-end fashion retailer in the Netherlands saw an opportunity to transform its mobile shopping experience and leap to the forefront of its market by embracing Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) with Magento 2. Read more.
    Topics: company, eleganza, magento, shop, studio, server, shopping, mobile, web, experience, using, pwa, transformed.
  • How to Achieve a High Performance Score on Google PageSpeed Insights for WooCommerce - Website performance is an essential aspect of web design that is often overlooked by agencies.  If your site responds and delivers content very quickly, you’ll receive many benefits – including an increase in conversions and better rankings in Google. At Herdl, we fully appreciate the benefits that high performance can offer across multiple marketing channels […]
    Topics: pagespeed, sites, hosting, speed, score, high, website, wordpress, server, using, achieving, performance, best, insights, site, google.
  • - The goal of every online store owner is to get traffic to their site that will ultimately lead to conversions.  But not every user who comes to your site will turn into a customer. In fact, not every user will even engage with the content on your site.  The top […]
    Topics: page, load, website, properly, run, user, speed, site, redirects, server, test.
  • How to Scale Your Online Store with WooCommerce - How do you scale WooCommerce? We debunk the myth that WooCommerce can't scale and share the five things you need to know to scale successfully.
    Topics: load, scale, stock, site, hosting, server, speed, store, woocommerce, online, website.
  • New Release: GraphQL Server for Elastic Path Commerce Cloud - The recently released GraphQL Server for Elastic Path Commerce Cloud provides a GraphQL implementation of Elastic Path Commerce Cloud APIs to support shopping experiences. This release enables developers more familiar with GraphQL, as compared to REST, to more easily build shopping experiences. REST vs GraphQL We often get asked about REST vs GraphQL. In our experience you can do almost anything with both REST and GraphQL. There are some technical differences, but nothing that's a roadblock in achieving a business goal. The choice between REST and GraphQL comes down to preference. An analogy would be that humans communicate in many languages - English, French, Mandarin, German etc. Some languages might be "better" for some things. However, there are very specific nuances and can oftentimes be difficult for a non-native speaker. People would prefer to speak in their native language, solely due to preference and comfort level. The same goes for choosing between GraphQL and RESTful APIs. At Elastic Path, we prefer REST because it follows HTTP protocol standards. This enables us to keep our APIs clean and simple, and REST APIs can take advantage of all the efforts to improve web performance at every level. As an example, it is relatively simple to use browser caching and CDNs to optimize HTTP requests. At the same time, we also recognize that GraphQL makes some things easier for developers consuming APIs. You may prefer GraphQL because you are familiar with it, or that it makes it easier to wrap different APIs together, or any other reason by which GraphQL makes the front-end development easier for you. We certainly want to give you the choice of using the technology that works for you. GraphQL Server for Elastic Path Commerce Cloud The GraphQL server provides the following capabilities:  Ability to build shopping experiences using Elastic Path Commerce Cloud and GraphQL Convenience of wrapping APIs from different systems and vendors with a single GraphQL endpoint The GraphQL server is easy to consume. The readme provides steps on how to set it up on your machine and deploy to the cloud. As the source is available to you, you can add additional data sources to wrap multiple APIs from different systems and vendors. You can also use something like Apollo Federation to aid with this. GraphQL in Action The GraphQL server comes with GraphQL Playground which is an interactive, in-browser GraphQL IDE.  Here’s a simple query to fetch nodes and products in a storefront. Get Started  To start building shopping experiences with Elastic Path Commerce Cloud and GraphQL, clone the Github repo and follow the instructions in the readme.
    Topics: rest, server, simple, commerce, elastic, cloud, shopping, release, graphql, apis, path.
  • Pointers on Backing Up Ecommerce Data - Backups are an insurance policy for your ecommerce store that you hope never to use. Unfortunately, many backups aren’t adequate. The purpose of a backup is to recover the code and ...
    Topics: backups, restore, save, server, backup, hosting, data, store, pointers, hosts, backing, process, ecommerce.
  • Technical SEO Indexability Checklist - As search bots crawl your website, they begin indexing pages based on their topic and relevance to that topic. Once indexed, your page is eligible to rank on the SERPs. Here are a few factors that can help your pages get indexed.
    Topics: indexability, error, website, technical, search, server, checklist, site, seo, redirects, users, pages, redirect, bots.
  • Technical SEO Renderability Checklist - Before we dive into this topic, it’s important to note the difference between SEO accessibility and web accessibility. The latter revolves around making your web pages easy to navigate for users with disabilities or impairments, like blindness or Dyslexia, for example. Many elements of online accessibility overlap with SEO best practices. However, an SEO accessibility audit does not account for everything you’d need to do to make your site more accessible to visitors who are disabled.
    Topics: structure, technical, server, renderability, checklist, site, seo, accessibility, bots, load, web, pages, page.
  • Ten Ways to Improve the Speed of Your WooCommerce Store - How slow is too slow? Every second counts! Don’t let a slow site chase customers way. Speed up your store with these ten proven and easy-to-implement tips.
    Topics: site, hosting, php, blog, images, theme, plugins, load, store, speed, youre, woocommerce, official, ways, server, proven.
  • The Exhaustive List of HTTP Status Codes & What They Mean - We've all been there: You're mindlessly scrolling the web, clicking on a variety of links from Google, social media, or other sites, when suddenly — you're prevented from continuing a search due to an HTTP error code.
    Topics: web, server, request, browser, list, code, mean, codes, resource, status, http, exhaustive, response.
  • The Quick & Easy Guide to Fixing 504 Gateway Timeout Errors - If you've ever visited a website that served you an error page, you know how frustrating it is.
    Topics: page, error, errors, fixing, gateway, server, firewall, servers, quick, website, guide, easy, timeout, websites.
  • The Ultimate Guide to Magento Hosting - Magento is a robust solution in the world of eCommerce. Many developers and store owners rely on Magento for selling their products online. If you are among such users, you might have spent some time figuring out the best possible… Continue reading The Ultimate Guide to Magento Hosting
    Topics: ultimate, hosting, guide, dedicated, web, magento, shared, support, server, need, vps, provider.
  • Top 5 Mobile Page Speed Fixes - We've tackled in previous posts mobile page speed and Google’s efforts to drive mobile-first indexing. Having built and advised many mobile ecommerce sites, I’ve discovered hundreds of optimization tactics. In this post, I'll share the top five issues that impact mobile page speed in my experience. I’ll also offer tips to assess and quickly fix.
    Topics: mobile, sites, files, page, set, server, fixes, speed, file, site, javascript.
  • What Does HTTP Error 503 (Service Unavailable) Mean & How To Fix It? - Imagine someone searches for a topic and finds your website on page one of Google. When they click through to your website, though, their eyes land on a bland webpage that says "Service Unavailable".
    Topics: service, fix, website, unavailable, mean, does, http, server, firewall, error, web, logs.