Migrating from Joomla to WordPress: preserving content
By the AXELITES team
A migration from Joomla to WordPress involves more than copying text. Sections, media, accounts and site features must continue to work coherently. This resource recommends preparing the transition from an inventory, with particular attention to old URLs and the editorial team's practices.
Take inventory before converting
The inventory must distinguish published content, categories, media and features supplied by extensions. Some Joomla rules do not automatically translate into WordPress. Define the target structure and decide what will be migrated, adapted or archived. This step identifies special cases before import, including internal links, multilingual content and elements that do not correspond to a simple post or page.
Prepare URLs and features
A new structure can change page addresses. The mapping between old and new URLs must be prepared along with necessary redirects and internal links. Forms, search and access must also behave as expected. WordPress extensions should be selected to meet these identified needs. The aim is to preserve useful features and simplify what can be simplified without losing functionality, rather than reflexively replicating every Joomla component.
Validate with the team before going live
A staging environment allows content review, media checks and journey testing. The editorial team must be able to create and edit pages within the chosen structure. Switchover then requires managing changes made during the project and checking old URLs. A successful migration is verified through actual site coverage and daily use, not merely completion of a data import into the new CMS.
Frequently asked questions
- Do all Joomla extensions need to be migrated?
- Start with the needs they cover. Some features can be provided differently in WordPress, while others require development. The inventory must specify essential uses and associated data before choosing the new platform's components.
- How can broken links be reduced after switchover?
- Map URLs before migration, then check redirects and internal links. Also check media and important pages through their old addresses. Post-launch monitoring helps identify cases missed by the initial inventory.
Prepare your Joomla–WordPress transition
Tell us about your site and the features that must be preserved during migration.
Talk to AXELITES
