Migrating your online store from Magento 1 to Magento 2 can be a complex and challenging process, but it’s a necessary step to keep your website secure and up-to-date. One of the key elements of this migration is updating or rebuilding your existing Magento 1 theme to work with Magento 2.
In this article, we will provide you with the facts and solutions you need to successfully migrate your theme from Magento 1 to Magento 2. We’ll cover the challenges of theme migration, the steps you need to take, and the tools and resources available to help you along the way.
This post will give you the information and insights you need to handle the theme migration process and ensure a seamless transfer to Magento 2, whether you’re a business owner or a developer. So let’s get started with everything you need to know about how to migrate your theme from Magento 1 to Magento 2.
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Why You Should Consider Magento 2 Theme Migration
Magento 2 Theme Migration is necessary because Magento 1 has reached its end-of-life and is no longer supported by Magento or Adobe, the company that owns Magento. This means that Magento 1 websites are no longer receiving security patches, bug fixes, or updates, leaving them vulnerable to security threats and compatibility issues with newer technologies.
In addition, Magento 2 offers several significant improvements and new features compared to Magento 1, such as better performance, an improved checkout process, and an enhanced admin panel. To take advantage of these new features and benefits, businesses need to migrate their existing Magento 1 stores to Magento 2.
As part of the migration process, themes need to be updated or rebuilt to work with Magento 2’s different file structures and coding standards. This guarantees that the website will keep working properly and will provide users with the best possible experience.
Overall, Magento 2 Theme Migration is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of a business’s online store, as well as to take advantage of the latest features and benefits offered by Magento 2.
3 Facts About Theme Migration From Magento 1 to 2
1. It’s impossible to move your current theme and templates to Magento 2
There is a serious misunderstanding that we can continue using the existing Magento 1 theme after migration just by moving the code.
In other words, we can’t migrate Magento 1 theme to Magento 2 but develop a new one that has the same appearance or design your website from scratch.
For some stores, it’s a good chance to improve their design and create a fresh look for the customers. For others, it’s a piece of bad news since they want to maintain the design that has already been familiar to all of their buyers.
2. It’s costly to migrate themes from Magento 1 to 2
As you might know, in order to migrate the extensions from Magento 1 to Magento 2, we must discard and replace all current Magento 1 modules and plugins with the new ones for Magento 2 having the same functions. The more extensions you have, the greater your investment is. Unfortunately, this situation is quite similar to Magento theme migration.
The next part will show you five possible solutions to migrate themes from Magento 1 to Magento 2. The option you go for will decide how much money you have to invest in the theme migration.
3. It’s time-consuming to migrate themes from Magento 1 to 2
Migrating themes from Magento 1 to Magento 2 can be a time-consuming process, especially if you have customized themes in Magento 1. Magento 2 has a different file structure and coding standards compared to Magento 1, so migrating a theme requires a significant amount of manual work to update the code and files to work with the new platform.
Depending on the complexity of the existing theme, this procedure can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. It’s important to plan and allocate enough time and resources for the migration to avoid any delays in launching your Magento 2 store.
5 Solutions To Migrate Theme From Magento 1 To 2
First, we will list all available options to migrate themes to your new Magento 2 website. Second, we will analyze both the pros and cons of each method. Finally, we will suggest the most effective and efficient solution for your Magento 2 theme migration.
1. Download and install a Free theme for Magento 2
To begin with, this would be an ideal option for small Magento e-commerce stores since it’s the cheapest solution on the list.
There is a broad choice of Magento 2 responsive themes free to download on the market that you can quickly find and install on the new site.
However, “you’ll get what you are paying for” might be right in this situation. Most of the free Magento 2 themes and templates have poor functionality and less appealing design. Therefore, you have to find and test the theme very carefully before applying it to the store.
2. Buy and implement a Ready-made Magento 2 theme
Like the first solution, we will use a ready-made theme for Magento 2, but… pay for it. Most of the commercial Magento 2 themes and templates are of higher quality than the free themes, both in terms of style and functionality. Besides, those themes often cost from $100 to $250 on average.
In general, the ready-made Magento 2 themes and templates are well-designed. Nevertheless, we often need to customize them to meet our special needs and requirements.
If you hire a Magento migration company to carry out the project, they will help you install and customize the theme. You might have to spend approximately one week on both theme installation and customization in terms of time. Otherwise, if your site doesn’t need any customization, you can install the theme yourself or consider using the installation service of your theme provider.
3. Create a new design based on the existing Magento 1 theme
As mentioned before, while some merchants prefer leveling up their current design with the new Magento 2 theme, others want to keep it the same. In that case, they will have to clone the Magento 1 theme and build a similar one for Magento 2.
The more complex your site is, the more time is consumed to complete the new design. On the whole, it would take at least one month for site cloning and development.
If you outsource your Magento migration project to an agency, more time means greater investment. For the second solution, you will have to pay the cost of the theme ($100-250) plus the cost of service for 1 week, while you will be charged at least a 1-month service fee (4 weeks) for website cloning.
4. Develop a new look based on your favourite e-commerce website
Like the third solution, we will build a new design based on the cloning method but based on the design of another website instead of the current Magento 1 theme.
Assuming that you find an eye-catching e-commerce website and want to copy that design for your Magento store, it’s able to clone it and make a new one for your Magento 2 store.
It’s worth noting that this solution would take more time and effort to deploy than the third one. The reason is that you have the PSD design of your current design, which facilitates the cloning process, while it’s difficult to possess the PSD design of your favourite website.
5. Create a one-of-a-kind theme from scratch for your Magento 2 store.
The final option we want to discuss is creating a brand-new Magento 2 theme from scratch for your store. As a result, you will have a unique design that meets all of your needs and requirements. The thing is that this is the most expensive and time-consuming method.
First of all, you will have to work with the designer to build from your ideas and complete the PSD design. After that, you must find good Magento front-end and back-end developers to build your store based on the design.
In most cases, it would take double or triple the amount of time spent on the third and fourth solutions and about eight times the time for implementing the second method.
Consequently, you have to prepare a large budget for the new design and several months to manage the project as well.
7 Steps To Migrate Themes From Magento 1 To Magento 2
Migrating themes from Magento 1 to Magento 2 can be a complex process, but the following steps can help you navigate the migration process more smoothly:
- Analyze your Magento 1 theme: Start by analyzing your Magento 1 theme, including its design, functionality, and customizations. This analysis will help you identify the changes required to migrate your theme to Magento 2.
- Create a new theme in Magento 2: Create a new theme in Magento 2 based on the design and functionality of your Magento 1 theme. The relevant files, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and pictures, should be present in this new theme.
- Copy over the design elements: Copy over the design elements of your Magento 1 theme to your new Magento 2 theme. This includes your logo, background image, and any custom fonts or colours you may have used.
- Update the code: Magento 2 uses a different file structure and coding standards than Magento 1, so you will need to update the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to work with Magento 2. This includes updating the layout and block files, as well as updating any custom code or extensions.
- Test your new theme: Once you have updated the code, test your new Magento 2 theme thoroughly to ensure that it works as expected. This includes testing the layout, functionality, and performance of the theme.
- Make necessary adjustments: After testing, make any necessary adjustments to your new Magento 2 theme. This may include further code updates, design changes, or additional testing.
- Launch your new theme: Finally, launch your new Magento 2 theme and make any necessary adjustments based on user feedback or issues that arise.
By following these steps, you can migrate your theme from Magento 1 to Magento 2 while minimizing disruption to your online store.
Wrap Up
All things considered, we highly recommend you select the second solution – buying a high-quality ready-made theme for your Magento 2 store. The majority of our clients also go for this method since it helps to save their time, money, and effort. In addition, they often ask for minor theme customization, such as changing the theme colors to get the best results.
Furthermore, if you don’t have enough knowledge and skills about Magento store migration, it’s better to hire a reliable Magento development company to conduct the transfer from the beginning to the end.
With more than 9 years of experience in Magento development and Magento 2 migration, in particular, Tigren agency is confident to help you migrate from Magento 1 to 2 smoothly at a very competitive price. Contact us now to get a FREE and FAST quotation and consultation for your project.
