How to Migrate a Website from Joomla 1.0 to Joomla 1.5

Okay, so now that I have you convinced on the benefits of upgrading your site, your next question is, “How long and difficult is this process going to be?”. Having done it myself, I can tell you that it isn’t as daunting as it sounds. I’m not going to get into the specifics of the migration process, for that you can visit this site for documentation: http://docs.joomla.org/Migrating_from_1.0.x_to_1.5_Stable. I do have 3 pieces of advice though, based on the migration I went through:

BACKUP YOUR OLD SITE FIRST: This should really go without saying, but during a process like this there’s always the potential for something unexpected to happen. Worst case scenario, you can always reinstall your old Joomla 1.0 site should something go wrong.

Install 3^rd party migrator plugins: The migration process will update the core of your site only. To make your job easier, install as many of these 3^rd party migrator plugins as possible. For example, if you have a small business website with e-commerce using Virtuemart, installing the plugin will allow you to move all of the existing data over to your new Joomla 1.5 site. Otherwise you’ll have to re-create the entire store and inventory from scratch (which I can tell you is incredibly tedious).

Choose a versatile template: If you’re thinking of giving your site a bit of a re-design at the same time that you migrate it, just keep in mind that the original content was created with a specific template in mind. If you install a new template with a different layout, your original content might look awkward when it’s dropped in there. I would recommend that you choose a template that has a variety of customization features (e.g. column widths, module positions & variations, color options, etc.).

If you follow my advice then I’m sure your migration to Joomla 1.5 will go smoothly (if it doesn’t, please don’t blame me…I’m only the messenger). Be sure to follow the documentation instructions closely and research further anything you’re unsure about. Just keep in mind, it’s all worth it in the end and it’ll be over before you know it. Then you can enjoy all the benefits of an up to date Joomla website for yourself or your small business client…or at least until Joomla 1.6 comes out.