Joomla has taken huge strides forward in its 3rd version and currently stands proud to be one of the most mature and powerful content management systems (CMS) out there. Should you upgrade your current 1.5 version to 3? If not – will your site stop working? Will it be working as it always has? If Yes – how to upgrade it to the newer version? These and many other questions are going to be answered in the post below. Read on!
For those who wants to have the latest and the greatest in web technologies and be in the frontline of development in general – Joomla 3 might be a perfect fit. New features and capabilities found in the latest release of Joomla has made it one of the best releases ever. Here is a growing list of reasons why you might want to upgrade to Joomla 3 and leave the old Joomla 1.5 behind:
Mobile-Friendly CMS – Joomla 3.0 release opens the mobile door for all Joomla websites making them look, feel and operate equally well on all viewing devices.
- 10 Second Installations – the process of installation can easily be performed in 3 simple steps.
- Advanced Features – Joomla 3 advanced module settings make Joomla website running more comfortable.
- Security Enhancements – because Joomla 1.5 is no longer supported and updated, websites powered by Joomla 1.5 have become much more vulnerable to hackers. That is exactly the main reason why Joomla upgrading is of crucial importance to keep your website secure.
- Enhanced SEO – new search capabilities have been added to Joomla 3 which make it so much beneficial than Joomla 1.5. The internal search itself is very much improved making it possible to search for content within the site.
These are just a few of the Joomla 3 features and capabilities that come out of the box and in case you wish to take advantage of all the aforementioned opportunities – there’s no reason in hesitating whether to upgrade your current 1.5 Joomla version to more sophisticated and advanced 3 or not.
Once you’ve decided to upgrade to Joomla 3 – there’s one more challenge to step over. Because the distinctions between these versions are so severe and large – there’s no upgrade path. It is actually a migrating, not upgrading. Interested yet? Keep reading!
A word of warning before you begin – check if there are new versions available of the extensions and templates you’ve used in your 1.5 website. After upgrading your Joomla CMS, you’ll have a new 3-powered website with all the content from your old site, but you’ll have to manually reinstall the desired template and extension. However, it’s a great idea to see this migration as an opportunity to clean up your site, give it a new look and maybe install and use other extensions than you need in your previous Joomla version.
Preparing the Migration
Every successful website begins with a proper hosting. The old adage that “You get what you pay for” does ring true when it comes to website hosting. Make sure to choose the one that meets all your requirements perfectly. One of the most trustworthy and stable hosting providers is considered to be Inmotion Hosting.
Besides, making a backup copy of your current Joomla 1.5 is of crucial importance to avoid possible catastrophes in future. One of the best solutions for storing your data is free Akeeba Backup. Otherwise, you may make use of any external storage device.
Keeping users informed of what you are doing with the website is important to help them in their overall experience with your website and brand. This also can help keep an understanding user if there are complications or problems.
Migration Scenarios
Because migrating Joomla to the latest version is quite challenging and stressful experience (especially for those who are relatively new to website running) – there are 3 ways to get around the problem. In case you are not skilled enough to perform the migration manually (copy/pasting the content) – there are a lot of designers and developers who would gladly give you a hand (assisted method). Contrastingly, you may turn to online converters (like aisite service) to get the job done without ringing the bell of a developer. The tool makes its best performing the conversion accurately, flawlessly and what is more, in a totally automated way. The process requires several steps to be done:
1. Create your account.
2. Specify your websites’ URLs and install the connection between sites.
3. Choose migration preferences.
4. Start Demo/Full migration.
Post Migration Polishing
Once your conversion process is over and you have your Joomla 3 website live – test your new website in different browsers whether it works properly. Additionally, take care of your website SEO and design features.
These are just a few of the critical steps to keep in mind while upgrading Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 3. There are many other hurdles you may have to jump through. Having a smooth migration is very challenging experience. However, taking the correct preparation actions and picking the right tool for that endeavour will definitely ensure your migration go as smooth and error-free as possible.
Got intrigued? Take this great chance and upgrade your Joomla 1.5 to 3 with aisite service right now.
