If you’re a Magento user, then you already know that this open-source eCommerce software is
an awesome, cost-effective way to host your web store online.
Magento is relatively user-friendly, but what happens when your website throws an error code your way?
Even small mistakes can turn into big problems when it comes to interpreting and correcting coding errors.
Do you know how to solve these common error code issues with Magento?
Table of Contents
What Are Common Magento Errors?
These are some of the most common errors and issues you’ll encounter when working with
Magento. Errors can prevent you from accessing your own site, block customers from seeing
your products, or even make your entire web store inaccessible to users.
Catching errors quickly and resolving them efficiently is crucial to keeping your Magento eCommerce store running smoothly.
If you don’t know how to correct an error, you could potentially do even more damage with a bad fix. If you’d rather focus on the big picture and leave the execution of technical endeavors to the professionals, then consider partnering with a Magento development and management firm for managed support services of your site.
503 Errors for Front and Back End
A 503 error code means that your server is currently unavailable, usually due to maintenance or
traffic overload, but not always!
This is one of the most deceitfully complex errors that you can get. If you find yourself at the mercy of a 503 error code, you’ll need to hunt through your root installation for maintenance .flag file and delete it. But what if you delete the wrong file? Or can’t seem to find the error file to delete?
You’ll have to clear your cache and keep searching. Additionally, Magento may decide to stay in Maintenance mode after you correct this error, so you’ll need to clear your cache again to get everything back in working order.
Magento Categories Not Showing on the Front End
This is actually a pretty easy error to fix, but can quickly snowball into a massive, time-consuming project if you have multiple product categories being added or updated at one time.
To correct this issue, you need to ensure that all of your categories are placed inside of the
“Default Category” list. You can then add your subcategories inside of the default category.
This can be done on the backend under “Manage Store”. Don’t forget to set your subcategories to
both “Is Active” and “Is Anchor” in order for them to appear on your front end for customers to
view.
Error 403/ 404: Access Denied/ Resource Not Found
Ah, the dreaded 403 and 404 error codes. The “Forbidden” 403 error code sounds menacing, and in actuality is one of the more complicated codes to get, simply because there are so many potential causes for it.
You may get a 403 code due to server issues, file permissions, or bad rules written into your access files.
The 404 “Not Found” error is it’s ugly little twin, indicating that somewhere, somehow, something has gone terribly wrong (usually a broken link or index management issue). Solutions to these errors can be as simple as clearing your cache, to as complicated as searching for and replacing individual code lines in your Mage log.
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all solution to these error codes. You’ll need to determine
the individual cause of your errors before you can implement a solution.
“Access Denied” Error for Admins
This one sounds scary, but is probably one of the easiest error codes to fix. Basically, you’ll want to try “turning it off and on again,” as the IT Crowd would suggest. To correct this admin access error, you’ll want to log out of your admin panel, and then log back in.
Reset the Magento admin privileges under Systems > Permissions > Roles > Administrators. Update your
Role Resources to ensure that you have access to “All”. Then just hit save to reset your
permissions. This should grant you access to your full Admin dashboard and tools, and
eliminate the “Access Denied” error.
Resetting Magento Admin Password
Regularly resetting your password is an obvious but important security measure. If you need to
reset your password for security reasons (or because you’ve forgotten it), you can reset it by
going to PhpMyAdmin and then using the admin_user table in your Magento database. Replace
your old password with your new password, and make sure to also change your new password
in the MD5 function as well.
Creating 301 Redirects for New Website Domain
It seems like it should go without saying, but an SEO friendly URL that contains relevant
keywords to your website or e-commerce business is an invaluable tool in your eCommerce
toolbox.
At some point, you may decide that your current domain name just isn’t working for you. You can configure your Magento web store to a new domain URL in your Magento backend database using either MySQL Manager or PHPMyAdmin.
You’ll have to exchange your old domain name for your new domain name and save changes, then clear your cache.
Don’t forget to set a 301 redirect so that users can continue to find you using your old domain name!
If you do feel the need to change your URL after your web store has been created and
established, you’ll want to make sure to set up 301 redirects.
This will tether the content (and page rankings!) from your old URL to your new one, so Google and your customers can still find you. Creating 301 redirects is essential, but not necessarily easy.
To set your 301 redirect path, first go into the URL Rewrite Management section of your Catalog function. There, you’ll need to set the new URL and identify the old URL, and request a path between them. Make sure to choose a permanent 301 redirect when updating the URL- a 302 redirect is for temporary use only, and won’t bring your full content and page rankings to the new URL.
Whether you’re switching domains or just updating URLs to be more SEO friendly, you’ll need to
set up 301 redirects.
Keep in mind that this is a serious endeavor with huge implications for your SEO. If your eCommerce site has hundreds or thousands of product pages, incorrectly executed 301 redirects can end up costing you time and money. Before taking on a project of this importance and magnitude, it’s essential to get organized and have a solid plan in place.
Get Real Time Help with Magento Error Codes
For those with larger web stores, a lack of experience writing and fixing code, or just not enough
time on their hands to slog through hundreds of lines of code looking for an error, consider
signing up for managed services with a leading Magento development firm.
Forix is one of the world’s premier Magento development and management companies, with more than 750
successful website launches on the books. We’ve got the tools and experience you need to bring your website into the roaring 2020’s. Stay competitive in the world of eCommerce with Magento Support Services from Forix
