Migrating from Joomla 3 to WordPress, why and how to do it
If your site still runs on Joomla 3, you have a real problem, even if it looks and works fine. Joomla 3 has reached end of official support, which means one thing: it no longer receives security patches. With every month the risk grows that some known, unpatched flaw gets exploited by bots that scan the internet around the clock. It is the most common reason owners of Joomla 3 sites ask us about moving to WordPress.
Why Joomla 3 is a risk today
A system past end of life is no longer looked after on the security side. Even if nothing bad is happening today, an unsupported CMS is a risk that only grows. On top of that comes the practical side: extensions are harder to find, as is someone who knows old Joomla well enough to work on it safely.
Joomla 5 or WordPress?
You have two sensible ways out of Joomla 3. The first is upgrading to Joomla 5 (the current branch). That is a big jump, because Joomla 4 and 5 differ from 3 enough that the move looks more like a migration than a simple update. The second is moving to WordPress, which many companies choose at this point, since a big change is coming anyway, they pick a system that is easier to use and has broader support. Which to choose we lay out in a separate post, Joomla or WordPress.
What a Joomla 3 to WordPress migration looks like
In short the process is the same as any migration from Joomla: we build WordPress in parallel, import articles and categories, recreate the layout and features, map 301 redirects from the old addresses, test, and only then switch the domain. The full step by step is in the guide on Joomla to WordPress migration. With Joomla 3 there is one extra element: it is worth securing the old site in advance (backup, restricted access), because until the switch it is still vulnerable.
Do not put it off indefinitely
A site past end of life is a bit like driving without insurance, as long as nothing happens, everything looks fine. The problem is that the cost of neglect appears suddenly, usually at the worst moment. If you want it off your plate, we handle Joomla to WordPress migration so that the content, addresses and Google rankings stay in place.
Have a Joomla 3 site and not sure where to start? Get in touch, we will take a look and tell you plainly what and how.