The path between Joomla and WordPress (and vice versa for that matter) is well traveled. As two of the most popular content management systems in the industry, it’s not uncommon for web developers and website owners to transition from one to the other. However, while a switch from Joomla to WordPress is often a smart choice, it’s not always easy.
Much like you would need to align yourself with the right resources when moving from one house to another, you need to make sure you have access to the correct information when it comes time to migrate content management systems. Let this article serve as a brief, yet informative guide for your move.
Reasons to Migrate to WordPress
The first thing you have to do is make sure it’s worth it. What benefit(s) will you receive by migrating from Joomla to WordPress? In most cases, it will be one of the following:
SEO
There’s no denying that WordPress is superior to Joomla in terms of SEO. WordPress gives you access to better tools, a more streamlined interface, and simple, straightforward options. Joomla, on the other hand, can be a nightmare – especially for someone with minimal experience.
Plugins
While Joomla certainly gives its users plenty of extensions to choose from, it’s often challenging to find exactly what you’re looking for. WordPress, however, does a fantastic job of organizing and sorting plugins. Whether it’s a backend enhancement or front-end addition, you can search for it and find it with relative ease.
Content structure
Most users find the WordPress content structure to be much simpler than Joomla. Content is divided into concise pages and posts that make information easy to locate and store. Joomla, on the other hand, can get very complicated. If you’re going for ease and simplicity, WordPress reigns supreme.
If you can’t justify these benefits as reason enough to migrate, the move may not be worth it for you. You may be better off sticking with Joomla until you’re actually ready to make the switch. However, if these sound like logical reasons, it’s time to get started.
4 Tips for an Easier Move
Your move from Joomla to WordPress won’t be effortless, but these tips can make the process easier:
Consolidate and remove
Every image, file, and piece of data that you migrate from Joomla to WordPress takes time and effort to move. Now is the perfect time to get rid of obsolete data and irrelevant content that serves no other purpose than to take up space. Your migration will go much smoother if you leave it behind.
Backup your data
Do you want to avoid unnecessary risk? After deleting unwanted files, backup the remaining data. This will prevent you from losing any information, should something happen in the process.
Select a migration plugin
While there are numerous guides for manually moving from Joomla to WordPress, plenty of plugins also exist for simplifying the migration process. A couple of good options include CMS2CMS and FG Joomla to WordPress. Both of these plugins help you seamlessly move things like articles, images, tags, users, internal links, and even comments.
Move into detective mode
After getting everything moved to WordPress, you need to be on high alert for a few weeks. While most things should migrate pretty seamlessly, there are always some hitches. Keep an eye out for broken links and set up redirects to fix any issues.
Take it Step by Step
Patience is key when moving from WordPress to Joomla. While you’ll be glad you did when the process is complete, you have to take a step by step approach along the way. Ultimately, you’ll end up with a site that’s easier to manage and considerably more functional.