Migrate From Joomla To WordPress Without Downtime

The online space is fiercely competitive as billions of websites battle for rankings on search engines. Many have moved their websites to WordPress, knowing that using the world’s biggest platform gives you a competitive edge.

WordPress is home to over 43% of the world’s websites with known content management systems. With unlimited website building tools, a community of developers, and SEO-rich functionality, migrating from Joomla to WordPress is a no-brainer for ambitious people.

To successfully migrate websites with control and ease, you want to ensure that your site remains active throughout the process. Explore this guide to seamlessly transfer your Joomla website to WordPress with zero downtime. 

What to Do Before Migration?

Preparing for your Joomla to WordPress conversion simplifies the process and acts as a map to your destination. So, follow these steps to set your migration in motion.

1. Define Migration Goals

Before embarking on your journey to a new site, define your goals and analyze the migration process. Be clear about your expectations, the migration duration, and the resources needed for the process. Defining your goals can help you strategize or reorganize your plans to enhance your strengths.

If you find it challenging and want to avoid the hassle during migration, hire Joomla to WordPress conversion experts. These experts have years of experience and can migrate your data swiftly and with precision.

2. Backup Data

Once you’ve decided to proceed with the website migration, secure your website data. Unexpected occurrences, such as crashes or incomplete transfers, can cause data loss. Therefore, back up all your information externally to retain your content, customer information, uniqueness, and web data.

3. Research a Hosting Platform

Many Joomla websites use hosting services that are not common among WordPress users. So, your current hosting platform might not be the best fit for a WordPress site. Therefore, research the best hosting platforms for websites on WordPress and choose the one that suits your site the most.

4. Understand the WordPress Platform

It’s common practice to “test drive” a car before buying it. This is also applicable to using a WordPress site for the first time. Install the WordPress software to see how the site works. Open your WordPress site in a subdirectory to enable you to use it while your Joomla website is live.

Check the interface and various tools available on WordPress and analyze them. By doing this, you can already imagine what your website would look like. Also, look up WordPress’s terms and conditions to ensure compliance and retain your place on the site.

5. Test Essential Tools

If you’ve been using Joomla, you are likely unfamiliar with some of WordPress’s most crucial tools: plugins and themes. To begin with, search for the best plugins and themes that would enhance your site. Test the selected tools to learn how they function and the ways they can boost your website’s performance.

How to Migrate to WordPress?

You may begin the website migration once you have backed up your data, chosen a host, and learned the WordPress platform. Follow these steps to get your WordPress website running without downtime.

1. Transfer Joomla Content

To retain your website data and authenticity, move your Joomla data to the new WordPress site. You’ll need a migration plugin to complete this procedure. The plugin will help you move your website’s files to WordPress, including blogs, tags, and links. Search the WordPress platform for your preferred plugin and install it.

Upon installing the plugin, activate it to begin the transfer. This is the process where the plugin imports your Joomla information directly to WordPress. You may run a quick test to ensure the migration was successful.

2. Move Multimedia Files

Migrating your Joomla data to WordPress may not always be smooth. Some files may not import correctly or at all. Images and other media files can easily get lost in the transfer. Therefore, always pay attention to your multimedia files to be sure they are imported. If not, you must manually move them.

WordPress has many plugins for transferring specific files, like images, to your website. You may search the platform for these tools to complete your data migration.

3. Set Up Permalinks

Configuring permalinks is key to making sure that all your SEO endeavors do not go to waste. This process can help you maintain your SEO edge, enabling online users to find your website in search engines. Search WordPress permalinks to find a structure that fits your Joomla site’s URL best or enhances it for future SEO practices.

Carrying out this procedure may alter your Joomla site’s URL. To correct this occurrence, use 301 redirects for your URL.

4. Test the Site

Check your new WordPress site to be sure it’s working perfectly. Analyze the posts to ensure proper formatting for high readability. To avoid link redirecting failure, check for linking errors or broken links. Click on every page to see if the outcome is what you imagined.

What to Do after Migration?

After successfully moving your Joomla site to WordPress and confirming its performance, here’s what you must do to complete the process.

1. Regular Checks

Monitor the site after migration and check its features to ensure they function properly. Correct every error immediately after you notice it to avoid worsening the issue.

2. Update Internal and External Links

Migrating a website to a new platform will alter the internal links’ URL. So, you must update the links to fit the new site’s URL. Likewise, external links will be affected by the change. To update links from other sites, contact the website, informing them of your migration to allow them to update the link.

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3. Notify Search Engines of Migration

To retain high search engine rankings, you must inform search engines of your migration to WordPress. Tender your new website’s site map to the search engine to complete this process.

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Conclusion

Migrating your website from Joomla to WordPress can be tricky. To avoid losing your website data, customers, and search engine rankings, you must perform this procedure expertly. It begins with a pre-migration plan that helps you set the tone for the main procedure.

After pre-migration, transfer your Joomla website data with the multimedia files, set up permalinks, and test the site. To conclude your website transfer, update internal and external links, notify search engines, and prioritize maintenance. If these processes seem overwhelming, consider working with a WordPress migration service for a speedy and seamless outcome.