Migrating to WordPress is something that a bunch of website owners is doing these days. The fact that your website’s data is at risk during migration, along with the other challenges, makes migration a complicated affair. We are going to discuss the safety measures to perform before migration and the specifics of conversion from Joomla to WordPress. We don’t mean to state that Joomla’s CMS is not good. They are definitely good. But WordPress offers an unmatchable range of flexibility with regards to website development and management.
Be ready with a hosting account that is owned by WordPress. The abundant themes and plugins offered to you will surely be 5x times more effective than what other CMS’s can offer.
Instead of having an established plugin (that we will speak about below), one must consider going through a checklist before website migration. Have you optimized your website for SEO? Have you added code to make it compatible with smartphones? Being a business owner, you or your website developer may have mostly altered code to suit the requirements. When you convert Joomla to WordPress you must ensure the following points are double-checked:
Backup of databases – Posts, menus, forums, widgets, etc.
· Sanitization of the database – Ideally, you would have plenty of downloads and content on your existing website. The chances of viruses are quite high. Ensure you carry out a thorough check via plugins created for such purposes. You don’t want to infect your new WordPress website right at the start.
· Content data folders – Your media-related content would, in most cases, be stored on a content folder in your existing hosting account’s database. Make sure you double-check to verify whether you have backed up your media-related content.
· Make a note of site analytics – Take note of your website’s loading speed and also ensure that all linking strategies are fully functioning. Compare the website’s analytical report of both domains to see if the migration has affected you in any way. You may also identify some optimizable attributes.
· Hide SERP visibility until ready to launch – You don’t want users to get a glimpse of a semi-populated website. This may reduce your brand value if you are yet a budding business owner.
Once you have performed these safety measures it is absolutely safe to go about the migration. Even if an issue occurs you are in the clear (as you have backups ready). While also have no need to hire a WordPress developer, you have learned a few more valuable website development lessons.
1. Download WordPress– Making the website shift to WordPress cannot be done without installing the software. You may get an automatic installation option when you access their website. But if you don’t then access the software from their website itself.
2. Install a plugin – You need to identify a plugin that can seamlessly convert Joomla to WordPress. We recommend using the FG Joomla to WordPress plugin due to its ease of use. Go to the dashboard of your WordPress website and click on add plugin. Download this plugin, click on run, and then install the plugin.
3. Database Parameters – Head to Joomla’s admin region and locate the database settings. Follow this path global configuration server. Leave the details on your screen as they are. You can also access the configuration.php file in the website’s route folder.
4. Importing – Click on tools and then import. You will see Joomla FG on the tool tab. That shows you are on the right path.
5. Website Parameters – Scroll down to the Joomla website parameters section; enter the URL of your old website. Do you remember the website parameter details in step 3? Copy-paste these parameters to the boxes in step 3. Make sure to leave the port field as it is. You will see a button below that will test your database connection. If the connection is successful then you are halfway into your migration.
6. Archived Posts & Media – Now it’s time to modify the primary import options. For the archived posts, select import as drafts or published posts – this entirely depends on your requirements.
Follow the same process for the media tab. Do not forget to enable the ‘import meta keywords as tags’ setting. Now you can click on the save settings option and you’re in the clear. Finally, click on start/resume the import and wait until the transfer is done.
7. Enable all your interlinking strategies –You will be prompted with a message that will inform you whether the import worked or not.
Finally clicking on the ‘modify internal links’ tab all your links will get activate just like on your old website.
This was it. Now make use of the plethora of features that WordPress has worked SO hard to create!
