nesJoomla 3 hasn't received security updates since August 2023. If your site still runs on it, you should act. Updating to the current Joomla version is possible, but often a lot of work. For many businesses, moving to a more modern system is the better and, in the long run, cheaper solution, for small sites and large web presences alike.
Why so many Joomla sites cause trouble
Ten or fifteen years ago, Joomla was the first choice for many companies and associations. It's a powerful system that can do a lot. That's exactly what often becomes a problem today: many sites were built back then with extensions and templates that disappeared long ago. When you switch to a new major version, they stop working, and so the site just stays stuck on the old version.
That often works fine for years, until one day it doesn't. Outdated software is the most common reason websites get hacked. The consequences range from injected spam links and fake pages that send your customers to scam sites, to a warning in Google that scares visitors away.
Check where you stand
Before you decide, you should know which version your site runs on. You'll find it in the admin area of your Joomla site, usually at the bottom or on the admin dashboard. Then, roughly:
- Joomla 3 or older: No more security updates. Action is needed here.
- Joomla 4: Check how much longer your version will receive updates, and plan your next step in good time.
- Current version: All good, as long as updates are installed regularly and your extensions keep up.
Can't get into the admin area anymore because the password is lost or whoever built the site can't be reached? That's not the end of the world. With access to the web hosting space, we can usually still get to the content.
Update or replace?
Updating to the current Joomla version is worth it if your site is large, uses many features that you need exactly as they are, and your team is comfortable with Joomla. Then the effort is justified, and you keep your familiar workflows.
Replacing it is the better choice if your site is actually fairly simple: a few pages about the company, your services, a contact form. For that, Joomla is often just too big. A lean one-pager, a simple multi-page site or a WordPress site is then cheaper to run and easier to maintain. Our guide One-pager or WordPress? helps you figure out which option suits you.
How we handle the move
- Backup: We take a complete copy of your old site, including the database and images. From this point on, nothing can be lost.
- Rescue the content: We pull texts, images, documents and, if there are any, posts out of the old database.
- Rebuild: The new site is built at a test address, with a new design or modeled on the old one, whatever you prefer.
- Redirect URLs: We permanently redirect the old Joomla URLs to the new pages, so your Google rankings and links are preserved.
- Switch over: We only go live once you've signed off on the new site. The old site is kept as a backup.
More on redirects and Google in the guide Website relaunch.
What the move costs
That mainly depends on the scope: how many pages, how many posts, which features. A small business site can usually be moved for the price of a new website; you'll find the packages on our pricing page. For larger sites, we'll send you a fixed-price quote after looking at your Joomla installation.
And if you want to stay with Joomla? That works too: we host and look after Joomla sites on our server in Germany and keep them up to date. Just tell us which version you have, and we'll tell you which route makes the most sense for you.
