PrestaShop is the foundation for hundreds of thousands of online stores – but it only becomes a true sales engine when you optimally configure your shop, give it an appealing design, and implement smart performance tricks. In this guide, we show you step by step how to launch, enhance, speed up, and optimize your shop for search engines. And if you’d prefer to leave everything to the professionals: We build and manage your entire PrestaShop store.
1. Getting started: Installation & setup
Before your shop goes online, it needs a stable home:
- Choose the right hosting: Look for a one-click installation or let us handle the complete server setup.
- At least 2 GB of RAM and SSD storage ensure fast loading times.
- Upon request, we will set up an SSL certificate, daily backups and security updates – and only charge for the actual working time.
2. Design & Theme Customization
The layout shapes the first impression:
- Free themes are suitable for trying out, but often only offer basic functions.
- Premium themes (approx. €50–€200) offer modern, mobile-optimized designs and regular updates.
- Create a child theme to customize colors and layouts without losing changes during updates.
3. Essential Modules & Interfaces
Greater range, greater comfort:
- SEO modules generate user-friendly URLs and automatically create meta tags.
- Payment providers such as Stripe, PayPal and local favorites (Klarna, Sofortüberweisung) keep the shopping cart running.
- Marketplace integrations for Amazon, eBay or Otto make it easier to sell on multiple platforms.
- Everything from one source? Contact us, and we will professionally set up your PrestaShop store.
4. Speed that convinces
Slow websites cost customers:
- Enable caching so that returning visitors can see your pages in a flash.
- Compress images for faster downloads.
- CDN usage brings content from servers located near you.
We conduct a brief performance check, implement the necessary optimizations, and only charge you for the minutes we actually work.
5 SEO tips for real traffic
Anyone who wants to rank at the top of Google should:
- Choose targeted keywords for products (e.g., “handmade leather clutch Vienna”).
- Clearly formulate headings and alt text so that search engines can correctly categorize your content.
- Build backlinks by featuring your products in specialist blogs or industry directories.
Start with our free SEO check to see initial improvements immediately.
6. Safety & Care
Trust creates sales:
- SSL encryption for all pages – absolutely essential, especially during checkout.
- Regular updates to PrestaShop and extensions close security gaps.
- Daily backups with 1-click recovery protect against data loss.
Our German-speaking virtual assistants are happy to take over routine tasks such as product maintenance or price changes, so that your shop always stays up-to-date.