Products management in OpenCart 4 with Best Practices

Managing products effectively is one of the key aspects of running a successful e-commerce store. OpenCart 4 makes it easy to add, edit, and delete products through its intuitive admin panel. This opencart user manual walks you through the process and shares some best practices for product management and SEO optimization.

Adding a Product

Follow these steps to add a new product in OpenCart:

• Login to Admin Panel: Navigate to your OpenCart admin dashboard.
• Go to Products: Click on Catalog > Products.
  
  
• Add New Product: Click the Add New blue button (➕).
• Fill in Product Details:
  
  General Tab:
  
  Product Name: Enter the name of the product.
  Description: Provide a detailed description using keywords to improve SEO.
  Meta Tag Title: Title of the page, mostly useful for SEO Title. Create an engaging title using the primary keyword.
  Meta Tag Description: Write a concise, compelling summary of the product, including keywords.
  Meta Tag keywords: It used to be useful for SEO but for nowadays not very beneficial but does not hurt if entered useful keyword.
  
• Data Tab:
  It is separated to Model, Price, Stock and Specification section
  Model: Enter the product model which is required field. Other fields like SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), UPC (Universal Product Code), EAN (European Article Number), JAN (Japanese Article Number), ISBN (International Standard Book Number), MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) and location
  
  Price: Set the main price of the product.
  Tax Class: Select the tax class for the product. Read more about how to set the different tax class
  Quantity: Quantity of products available
  Minimum Quantity: Force a minimum ordered quantity. If you set 2, then at least 2 same products need to be ordered.
  Subtract Stock: When this is enabled, the quantity will decrease once someone order the product.
  Out of Stock Status: When the quantity of products become zero then this stock status is shown. Learn how to set the Out of Stock Status
  Date Available: Make sure this date available is before now time, else the product will not show in frontend. You can set this Date Available to future date if you want it to be available on future date.
  
  
  
  Specification section
  Requires Shipping: If you are selling physical products and needed it to be shipped then this needs to be enabled. If you are selling digital products like PDF where no shipping is required then you can disable it.
  Dimensions: Enter length, width and height of product. This information are used by Shipping method for calculating the shipping prices.
  Length Class: As different countries different measurement units, so you can select which length class you will set for this product. Read more how to set Length Class.
  Weight: Enter the weight of the product.
  Weight Class: Select the weight class. Read more how to set weight class.
  Status: Status is to show in the frontend or not.
  Sort Order: This is useful when you want to sort the products. Mostly useful for searching products, category listing etc.
  
  
  
• Links Tab:
  Manufacturer: Select or add the manufacturer. As Manufacturer field is autocomplete select type, so start typing the manufacturer name and it will list out and then select it.
  Categories: Start typing the category name and select it. You can select multiple categories for a product. Category Management
  Filters: Add filters to the products which helps on filtering at category page or other product listing page where filter is enabled. Filter management.
  
  
  Stores: Assign products to one or more stores. Mostly there will be default store available if you have not set multi-store. Multistore setup.
  Downloads: If you are selling digital products like PDF, docs, zip, images etc then you can add the download here. Downloads management.
  Related Products: Link other relevant products to cross-sell.
  
  
• Attribute Tab:
  Click the add button on the Attribute tab and enter the attribute and its description
  
  The same entered attributes shows in the frontend product detail page at specification tab.
  
• Option Tab:
  In the Option tab, enter the available option for the product.
  
  
• Subscription Tab:
  If your product offer subscription payment then you can enter the details here.
  
• Discount Tab: A discount is a price reduction applied to a product based on certain conditions, such as the quantity purchased.
  
  
• Special Tab: A special is a temporary promotional price for a product, regardless of the quantity purchased. Add promotional pricing if applicable.
  
• Images: The top image is the main image of the product. Additional images are show below the main image in the frontend of default theme.
  
• Reward Points: If your store support reward points, then you can manage reward points for the product in the Reward Points tab. Here in the screenshot, 400 is number of points needed to buy this product. 100 is the reward points earned when someone ordered this product.
  
• SEO: The keyword entered here will be shown in the URL. Use short, descriptive URLs that include keywords. Do not use spaces, instead replace spaces with - and make sure the SEO URL is globally unique. Example: /apple-cinema
  
• Design Tab: You can have different layout as per product. Flexible design layout system for customizing the appearance and functionality of the Product. Learn more about Design layout override.
  
• Report: You can see some list of IPs, store, country and date added.
  
• Save the Product: Click Save to add the product to your catalog.

Editing a Product

1. Locate the Product:
   • Navigate to Catalog > Products.
   • Use the search bar to find the product you want to edit.
2. Edit Details:
   • Click the Edit button (✏️) next to the product.
   • Update the necessary fields (e.g., price, stock, images, description).
3. Save Changes: After making the updates, click Save.

Deleting a Product

1. Select the Product:
   • Go to Catalog > Products.
   • Check the box next to the product(s) you wish to delete.
2. Delete the Product:
   • Click the Delete button (🗑️).
   • Then, click to confirm the deletion when prompted.

Note: Deleting a product is permanent. Make sure to back up your database regularly.

SEO Best Practices

1. Product Titles

• Make product titles descriptive and keyword-rich.
• Example: Instead of "Shaving Cream," use "Natural Aloe Vera Shaving Cream for Sensitive Skin."

2. Meta Tags

• Meta Title: Create an engaging title using the primary keyword (e.g., "Buy Natural Shaving Cream | Gentle on Skin").
• Meta Description: Write a concise, compelling summary of the product, including keywords.

3. SEO-Friendly URLs

• Use short, descriptive URLs that include keywords.
• Example: /natural-aloe-vera-shaving-cream

4. Product Descriptions

• Include long-tail keywords naturally.
• Use bullet points to highlight features and benefits.
• Avoid duplicate content to prevent SEO penalties.

5. Categories and Tags

• Place products in relevant categories.
• Add tags that reflect popular search terms related to the product.

Best Practices for Managing Products

1. Keep Product Data Up-to-Date:
   • Regularly review and update stock levels, descriptions, and prices.
2. Optimize for Mobile:
   • Ensure images and descriptions display well on mobile devices.
3. Monitor Analytics:
   • Use OpenCart’s reporting tools or integrate Google Analytics to track product performance.
4. Offer Variations:
   • Use product options for size, color, or other variations.
5. Leverage Reviews:
   • Encourage customers to leave reviews to build trust and improve SEO.

Where to look if the product is not showing in the frontend?

If a product is not showing on the frontend of an OpenCart store, several factors could be causing the issue. Here’s a checklist to systematically diagnose and resolve the problem:

• Date available is set for future date
• Status is not enabled
• Stores assignment is not checked for default or to specific store where needed
• Cache issue, clear the cache

By following these steps and best practices, you can efficiently manage your OpenCart product catalog while optimizing for search engines, ensuring that your e-commerce store remains competitive and user-friendly.