Joomla Migration to latest available version - a step you must consider
Joomla 1.0 reached his end of life in June 2009, Joomla 1.5 in September 2012, Joomla 2.5 in December 2014. There are no more security releases for these versions. In fact all versions of Joomla prior to Joomla 2.5.28 and versions of Joomla 3.* prior to latest official release are vulnerable. Also is a fact, that more, than 3.5 million of Joomla powered sites where hacked in the year 2014 alone. With Joomla 4.* released, you have no more excused to begin to plan your migration!
So check your version of Joomla! If you are already on one of 3.* versions, you can solve your problem by using the one click upgrade feature to get the latest stable release. If you have any of earlier versions, you need to plan to migrate - and fast.
You don't need to migrate only for security reasons. Joomla has been improved dramatically over the years, an migration let you access the new features, like the improved content structure, clan, fast, mobile friendly backend, built in change tracking for content, the new built in tagging system, and generally a responsive-ready, Bootstrap powered engine.
The new Joomla Extensions Directory hosts 7500+ hand-picked, cross-checked, feature full add-ons for the new engine (among them, 15+ of extensions built by ourselves).
If you are a versed Joomla developer, you can do the migration on your own, but most of the site-owners does not have the expertise, the time or both to do the big leap. Generally, older and more feature packed your site is, the migration will be more complicated, and you might risk to loss part of your data, your SEO assets, other things you want to preserve.
We are here to help, we are migrating Joomla sites since the fork between Mambo an Joomla happened (practically we have done our first migration from Mambo to Joomla in late September 2005), and as the maintainers of Joomla-Tips.org site we already demonstrated, that we know this CMS from inside out. So, if you need a genuine Joomla guru to hire, here we are!
What this step will cost me?
It's a hard to respond question. Due to the versatility of Joomla, each site built on this CMS is unique, so obviously migrating cost varies with the site's complexity. Small and simple sites (with few and simple extensions) built with a relatively recent Joomla, properly coded might cost somewhere around €300-450. As the complexity increases and the CMS version used is older, the prices naturally are increasing. So sites of medium complexity might cost between €500-750. Big and complex sites (sites with e-commerce, community, and or CCK extensions like K2) are starting at €1000. Sites with home grown components, extra, non Joomla features (as ones connecting to other databases too, or performing non core functions) can cost even more. But we have the knowledge to handle most of situations, including building custom Joomla components if needed.
What if I have already a Joomla security contract/I am hosting the site with you?
this is a great advantage. We know your site from inside out, so you can expect a quick turnaround and a great price for the migration!
What if I have a Joomla 2.5 site? You said it's secure!
It's a clear difference between migrating different Joomla versions. Migrating from Joomla 2.5 to 3.* is considered a mini-migration - so, more, than a simple upgrade, but generally simpler, than a migration from Joomla 1.5 for example. But you still need to upgrade, as is described pretty clearly by the core developer team in this article. I don't have much to add to their reasoning. So the question is not IF you need to migrate, but WHEN you will do it. In mean time you should add the latest available patches, and be sure, to have the latest stable official Joomla 2.5 release (Joomla 2.5.28).
OK, got the idea, what I need to do?
Migrating a Joomla site begins with planning. Before contacting a pro, you will need to take that proverbial pencil and paper sheet, and think about key questions a pro will ask from you:
do you want to keep the design?
Probably not, especially if the site is older, and is not mobile friendly/responsive. But you might want to keep as much from the existing page elements as is possible - so, try to do an inventory of what you want to keep, and what can be/should be dumped.
do you want to keep ALL features of the site?
Also there might be parts of the site you no more need, but in same time you might want new features.
what are the key features/functionalities you want to preserve?
Prepare yourself for the eventuality that your preferred component/module/plugin is no more available, and will need to be replaced!
what are the key data you want to keep?
There can be a lot of things, beginning with data collected over the years bu a Joomla statistics component, user accounts which have not been used by years, other things you might want to dump with this migration.
what are your key landing pages?
Preserving the SEO assets is one key point of any migration process. But no one can you guarantee a 100% success - especially on older, larger sites. You need to pinpoint your key assets, and you need to focus on them.
Now you can proceed. If you are a skilled Joomla Developer, it can be a straightforward project, but if you don't have the time or just want a pro to do it, please contact us for a quote. Keep your data you collected above handy, and don't hesitate to contact us for a quote. We will analyze your site FREE OF CHARGE. We will need Super Administrator access for this purpose. Our team will get back to you with an estimate in a few days.
We take the time to study and analyze EVERY site that asks for a quote, so some cases might take up to a week.
