it is a powerful platform in its own right. However, many people prefer it for their applications, largely due to its ease of use and flexibility. The problem is that migrating a website from one platform to another can be a bit confusing. That is why we will guide you through the process.
In general, this is the process to migrate from Joomla to WordPress:
- Configure the plugin for .
- Find your Joomla database parameters.
- Migrate your content from Joomla to WordPress.
- Replace your internal links in WordPress.
- Point your domain to your new WordPress site.
By the time we’re done, your website should be up and running on WordPress with no issues. However, before we get started, let’s discuss the reasons for moving from Joomla to WordPress.
Why migrate from Joomla to WordPress?
Joomla is a solid platform, but many people prefer the flexibility of WordPress.
Let’s start by saying that Joomla is a fantastic platform. It offers built-in search engine optimization (SEO) options, strong security, and many useful features. Migrating from one platform to another is not about choosing which one is superior, but about understanding which one is best for your particular needs.
WordPress, by comparison, is the most popular content management system (CMS) out there. It also offers a number of advantages over Joomla. For example:
- WordPress is easier for beginners. If you are new to creating and managing websites, WordPress will probably take less time to get to grips with than Joomla.
- You have more customization options. The sheer number of plugins and templates available to WordPress users is staggering. No matter what kind of website you want to build, you can achieve it much faster using these dedicated tools.
- The WordPress community is much more active. More users means you have access to a better support community. If you ever run into problems using WordPress, you’ll find tons of guides and tutorials online to help you solve them.
In our experience, WordPress is by far the best option if you have no web development experience. With this CMS, you can create professional-looking websites that are packed with advanced features, without touching a single line of code. On the other hand, if you have experience with web development, you will be able to get even more out of this platform. So there are very few downsides to using WordPress.
At this stage, you should already know if you’re ready to migrate from Joomla to WordPress, so we won’t spend any more time selling you on the idea. Instead, we’ll show you how to do it, so you can quickly get back to work on improving your website.
Preparation to migrate from Joomla to WordPress
As you may have noticed, we are big fans of WordPress!
Before you begin the migration process, you will need three things:
- Web hosting to host your new website. If you’re not sure which one to use, you can take a look at . But the choice is up to you!
- A fresh installation of WordPress, configured and ready to go. If you don’t know how to install WordPress, .
- Access to the domain that you are currently using on your Joomla website. Once you migrate your site, you will need to update this domain to point to your WordPress installation.
It is important to note that the choice of your web hosting provider is essential for the performance of your website. Ideally, you’ll want to choose a provider that offers you fair prices, excellent performance, and WordPress-specific features. For example, we optimize to give you top-notch performance if you’re using WordPress.
In any case, once you have a hosting plan and WordPress installation ready, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
How to migrate your website from Joomla to WordPress (in 5 steps)
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover here, so let’s get down to business. Don’t worry, the process is easier than you might imagine.
Step 1: Configure the FG Joomla to WordPress plugin
Right out of the box, WordPress allows you to import content from other platforms. However, Joomla is not on the list of CMS that it natively supports. No need to panic though: you can easily add Joomla support using the right plugin. In this case, that is .
To get started, log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to the tab Plugins > Add New. You will see a search bar on the right, where you can type FG Joomla to WordPress to open the plugin:
Go ahead and click the button Install Now next to the plugin name. WordPress will configure everything, and when it’s done, a new button will appear Activate In the same place. Click on it and the plugin will be ready to go.
However, before you can use the plugin, you will need some credentials that will allow WordPress to embed your Joomla content. Let’s talk about how to do that.
Step 2: Find your Joomla database parameters
For the next step, we are going to need your Joomla database credentials. This will allow your Joomla content. Without these, the platform will not allow the plugin to copy your files.
To find these credentials, go to your Joomla control panel and select the tab System at the top of the screen. Choose the option of Global Configuration and look for the tab servers on the following screen:
If you look to the right, you will see a section called Database Settings. The fields we are interested in are Host, Database Username, Database NameY Database Tables Prefix:
If your Joomla database is located on a different server than the WordPress site, you may need to use the Remote MySQL hostname. An easy solution is to backup your Joomla database, upload it to the current hosting account and use it instead of the original one during the migration.
You can keep this tab open for now or copy the content of these fields to a safe place. You will need them shortly.
Step 3: Migrate your content from Joomla to WordPress
At this point you already have all the ingredients you need. It’s time for the FG Joomla to WordPress plugin to work its magic. To get started, return to your WordPress dashboard and go to the tab Tools > Import. There you will see several options, including one that says Joomla (FG). Do click in the link run importer which is just below:
On the next screen you will configure how the plugin will handle the content it imports. First, choose whether you want WordPress to merge your Joomla content with your existing posts, or set the whole thing up as a new site. We recommend the latter option, even if your WordPress website is brand new:
Now go to the section Joomla site parameters. There, you will need to enter the URL of your existing Joomla website. This way the plugin will know where to pull your media files from, which are necessary unless you want your new site to look empty:
Go to the section of Joomla database parameters, which is where you’ll use the credentials you found in the previous step. Paste the Joomla values into their respective fields here, but leave the options intact Port Y Database:
Now click the button Test the database connectionso that the plugin can check if the database parameters are working correctly.
We’re almost done, but there are still a few settings to configure. If you scroll down, you will see a section called Functioning. Here you can choose if you want to import archived posts, select which media files the Joomla plugin should extract, and decide what to do with your content’s meta keywords:
You will also notice that there is an option to import your Joomla content as pages instead of posts. Whether you do or not will depend on the type of site you had in Joomla. If your site is a blog, for example, you’ll want to keep this option off.
Finally, you can go ahead and click the button Start / Resume the import, and wait for the plugin to do its job. This could take a while, depending on how big your Joomla website is, so grab a cup of coffee in the meantime.
If you want to know how the process progresses, check out the registration section, directly from this page. There’s also a handy progress bar that shows you how far you’ve come:
In our experience, the migration usually runs smoothly. However, there are cases where WordPress might have difficulty importing some of your Joomla content, depending on your hosting provider. If you are using a light plan, the plugin may ‘time out’ when trying to pull your content from Joomla, which can cause errors.
To be clear, this is not a common problem. However, it shows how important it is to choose a solid hosting provider. If you have this problem, you will need to restart the process and give it another chance to run.
In either case, once the migration is complete, you should see a success message in the log section. Now, go and check out the new pages and posts on your WordPress site. Now you need to verify that all your content has been successfully moved from Joomla to WordPress.
At this stage, you may notice that if you click on an internal link within WordPress, it may not work properly. That’s because these links still point to your Joomla site. Let’s fix it now.
Step 4 – Replace Your Internal Links in WordPress
Fortunately, the FG Joomla to WordPress plugin also includes a tool to help you fix your internal links. To use it, you must return to the tab Tools > Import and click the button run importer under the Joomla option once again.
You will see the familiar importer screen now. Ignore all the settings you used in the last step and scroll down to the bottom. There is a section called Post Migration there, which includes a button that says Modify internal links. Click on it now:
This button will take care of any internal links it finds within your WordPress content, and fix them so that they no longer point to Joomla. When the process is done, the plugin will tell you how many links it has modified. It should work fine, though you’ll want to check some of your links later just to be sure.
Now your new WordPress website is almost ready! There is only one detail left to resolve: your domain.
Step 5: Point your domain to WordPress
You probably already have one pointing to your Joomla site. However, after migration, you’ll want to make sure your domain is taking visitors to the right place.
If you want to register a new domain to use with WordPress, you can. However, we do not recommend changing domains if your website has already been around for a long time. Fortunately, changing the site it points to…
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