[iSenseLabs Weekly 94] New OpenCart Features & Fixes, Video Tutorials and Latest E-Commerce News
After another long week of planning and development, we’re ready to roll out our latest OpenCart module updates.
The latest version of SEO Backpack which contains tons of new features and improvements for OpenCart 3.x will bring even more usability, power and simplicity.
A few more modules have also been updated with support for OpenCart 3.x, so check them out and don’t forget to update your extensions to their latest versions!
OpenCart Extension Updates
SEO Backpack 3.6 (OC 3.0.x)
New feature: Added structured data breadcrumbs for the category pages
New feature: Added Facebook App ID as a meta property tag
Improvement: Changes in the Advanced Editor for better usability
Improvement: Changed sorting in the Advanced Editor (Showing the enabled items first, then sorting them alphabetically)
Improvement: Removed validation for the editable fields in the Advanced Editor
Improvement: Now correctly detecting Bingbot
Improvement: Improved 404 redirection tool
Improvement: URL transliteration support for Greek characters
Improvement: URL transliteration support for Bulgarian characters
Improvement: Added support for non-ASCII characters in the 'Page Crawler'
Improvement: The Crawler now has better support for stores with SSL certificates
Improvement: Better PHP 7.x support
Bug fix: Now showing correct status if the module is enabled or not in Extensiv ons > Modules
Bug fix: Now correctly escaping special characters in the 404 Detection/Redirection tools
Bug fix: Fixed 'Add redirect' form not working with special characters in the 404 redirection tool
Bug fix: Now correctly escaping the & character
Bug fix: Now correctly escaping ' and " characters in the Advanced Editor
Bug fix: Minor fixes & code refactoring
SEO Backpack 2.8 (OC 2.x.)
New feature: Added structured data breadcrumbs for the category pages
Improvement: Changes in the Advanced Editor for better usability
Improvement: Changed sorting in the Advanced Editor (Showing the enabled items first, then sorting them alphabetically)
Improvement: Removed validation for the editable fields in the Advanced Editor
Improvement: Now correctly detecting Bingbot
Improvement: Improved 404 redirection tool
Bug fix: Now correctly escaping special characters in the 404 Detection/Redirection tools
Bug fix: Fixed 'Add redirect' form not working with special characters in the 404 redirection tool
Bug fix: feed/google_base is now using the multilingual Meta Description settings
Bug fix: Now correctly escaping the & character
Bug fix: Now correctly escaping ' and " characters in the Advanced Editor
Bug fix: Minor fixes & code refactoring
AbandonedCarts 2.6 (OC 1.5.x)
New feature: Added better guest customer detection on the default OpenCart checkout
Improvement: Added compatibility with OrderSuccessPage and other custom success page extensions
Bug fix: Fixed the installation instruction text file
ComparePrices 3.0.7 (OC 3.x)
Fully compatible with OpenCart 3.x
TrendingProducts 3.1.3 (OC 3.x)
Fully compatible with OpenCart 3.x
LinkedInLogin 3.1.6 (OC 3.x)
Fully compatible with OpenCart 3.x
BrowserSupportCheck 3.0 (OC 3.x)
Fully compatible with OpenCart 3.x
Best E-Commerce Knowledge Resources of the Week
The 7 Essential Elements of Effective Social Media Marketing
By Copyblogger
The first few things you need to do for effective social media marketing are to find a way to manage your time, get your website in order, pick a social media platform to be your primary one and then create the content that will start a conversation. It’s also a great way to peak into your competitors audiences and other brands who have your customers as well.
How to Write Headlines People Can’t Help but Click [Formulas Inside]
By Neil Patel
To write a headline that people cannot resist but click is a gift, but it can also be learned if you put enough time and testing into it. This article by Neil Patel for example has been the guide that many marketers have used to forge their wordsmithing skills. Even if you’re just starting out in social media, email marketing or blogging, your headlines need to be punchy and irresistable. Start here.
How to Succeed at Content Marketing: Do It Better, or Do It Differently
By Animalz
Another content marketing advice article that may seem like more filler, but there’s actually quite more to it. It’s a great short piece that reminds a simple part of content marketing that most people in the industry tend to easily overlook - being different. If everyone follows the same advice and reads the same guides, their strategies will all have so much similarities that it would be difficult to differentiate brands. If you can’t beat them, just don’t be them.
5 New NitroPack Features to Boost Your OpenCart 3.x Site Performance
By iSenseLabs
One of the life-sustaining forces driving your web presence is the speed of your site. NitroPack is the OpenCart tool to ensure that your store is constantly and safely running at maximum speeds. Google likes that, and most importantly - your customers will like that. If your page loading speed is any slower than 2.5 seconds, NitroPack is a necessity, not just an option.
iSenseLabs Videos
How to Manage Taxes in OpenCart 3.x
Pick of the Week
Mazwai is a gorgeous resource for short video clips and various footages including natural shots, urban environments, wildlife and people. A lot of possible applications for material like that.