Magento is a powerful and flexible platform that allows businesses to create online stores tailored to their businesses. So, can you build a website with Magento? Absolutely. The more important question should instead be: what does it take to build one?

Whether you’re a developer planning to work with Magento or a business owner considering it for your website, this article outlines what’s required to build a website using Magento — from skills and knowledge to tools and setup and more.

What is Magento?

Magento is an open-source ecommerce platform designed for businesses that require flexibility, scalability, and custom functionality with their websites.

Magento is ideal for medium to large businesses, particularly those with complex product catalogues (e.g. Nike) or multi-store needs. It’s known for its range of features and customisability — but it also comes with a steep learning curve.

Can You Build a Website with Magento?

Yes, you can build a website with Magento — but it’s not a plug-and-play solution like Shopify or Wix. Magento requires a combination of development skills, hosting knowledge, and an understanding of ecommerce best practices.

Let’s break down what’s needed.

1. Web Development Knowledge
At its core, Magento is built with PHP, so knowledge of PHP is essential. You’ll also need to understand:

• HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – for customising front-end themes.
• XML – used throughout Magento for layout and configuration files.

2. Magento architecture
Magento is not like other CMS platforms. Understanding its structure and architecture is key.

You’ll need:

• Familiarity with Magento’s architecture
• Experience with Magento’s module system
• Knowledge of how Magento handles themes, blocks, and layout XML

You should be developing for Magento 2, at which point you’ll also encounter service contracts, plugins, and observers — all of which require a deeper understanding of how the platform is structured.

3. Frontend Development and UX
While Magento’s default theme is functional, it is often replaced with custom themes. Knowing how to build or customise a Magento theme requires skills in:

• CSS pre-processing
• JavaScript (especially Knockout.js, which Magento 2 uses)
• Magento UI Components

4. Command Line Proficiency
Magento relies on the command line for installation, upgrades, cache management, and more. Basic Linux knowledge is a must!

5. Database and Server Management
Magento needs a capable server environment. You’ll need to manage or configure a range of areas and features such as SSL certificates for secure transactions.

Optional but Helpful Skills
There are a range of other skills that aren’t necessarily detrimental but will certainly help if you intend to build a site using Magento.

• Version control (Git) – for collaboration and deployment.
• Magento Marketplace familiarity – for finding and installing third-party extensions.
• Security and performance optimisation – critical for protecting customer data and ensuring fast loading times.
• Basic SEO knowledge – Magento supports SEO, but knowing how to configure it well is essential.

Can Beginners Build a Magento Website?

Technically yes, but realistically — only with help!

If you have little to no development experience, Magento will likely be too complex to handle alone. Beginners are better off hiring a Magento developer, using a development agency, or opting for a more user-friendly platform unless they’re committed to learning.

Is Magento Right for My Website?

Before committing to Magento, it’s important to understand whether it suits your needs…

If you’re running a large-scale online store — or planning to — Magento offers the flexibility, scalability and customisation options to grow with your business. It’s ideal if you have:

• A large or complex product catalogue
• International or multi-language selling requirements
• A need for custom workflows, integrations, or checkout experiences
• A development team (in-house or outsourced) to maintain and update your website

On the other hand, if you’re a small business looking to get a simple online shop up and running quickly, Magento might not be the most efficient route. Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce or WordPress offer faster setups with fewer technical hurdles.

In short, Magento is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s built for businesses that want full control and are willing to invest the time, money and technical resources to achieve that.

Extensions and Customisation

One of Magento’s biggest advantages is the ability to extend its functionality through third-party modules or custom development. However, the more you customise, the more complexity you introduce — and that means more testing, more development time, and more things to maintain. Magento’s flexibility is one of its greatest strengths, but it can also be one of its biggest challenges if not managed carefully.

Should you use Magento?

So now you know how to use Magento, and whats requires to build a website, the next question should be, should you build using Magento?

Magento is a big platform, but it’s not the solution for all. Whether you should choose it depends heavily on your goals, budget, and available resources.

Why You Should Choose Magento

1. Flexibility and Customisation
Magento is built for businesses that want full control over their website. You can tailor everything from the checkout experience to product filtering, and even create entirely custom workflows. If your business has unique needs that outgrow off-the-shelf platforms, Magento is often the solution.

2. Scalability
From small catalogues to vast product inventories across multiple regions, Magento scales effectively as your business grows.

3. Advanced Features
Magento includes features out of the box that other platforms often charge for or require third-party apps to achieve. This includes complex product types, layered navigation, customer segmentation, and rule-based promotions.

Why You Might Not Want to Use Magento

1. Steep Learning Curve
Magento isn’t beginner-friendly. Even relatively simple customisations can require in-depth technical knowledge. Without a developer or agency involved, many businesses struggle to get the most out of the platform.

2. High Cost of Development and Maintenance
While Magento Open Source is free to use, the cost of development, hosting, security, and ongoing support adds up quickly. And, the likelihood is you will need support.

3. Hosting and Performance
Magento requires powerful hosting to run well. Inadequate servers can lead to poor load times, which impact your websites SEO and even your customer experiences. As is the way with most things on Magento — it requires technical know-how.

4. Not necessary for Simple Stores
If you’re running a small store with a limited range of products and don’t need extensive custom features, Magento is likely way more than you need. Platforms like WordPress or Elementor offer much faster setup with far less technical elements!

5. Ongoing Maintenance
Magento is not a set-it-and-forget-it platform (No website should be, but for magento this is the case even more). Updates, patches, and security maintenance are all necessary to keep things running smoothly and securely — and often require developer support.

Final Thoughts

So, while you can build a Magento website it’s not a task to undertake lightly. Magento is a powerful platform that can support larger, more complex ecommerce sites. However, it demands a significant level of technical knowledge, planning, and maintenance to get right.

The likelihood is you’ll need a team on hand to help with a Magento website.

If your business needs full control over its online store and you’re prepared to invest in the necessary skills or developer support, Magento could be a fantastic choice. But if your priority is speed, ease of use, or minimal maintenance, you might want to consider a simpler solution.

Ultimately, Magento is a professional-tool — and with the right resources, and investment it can help you to build a great website.