So your Joomla developer ran off to join the circus or just isn't returning your calls and emails. What now?
Every developer has their own methods and logic on site building and also sometimes very questionable practices. I have learned from watching the many discussions in the forum over the past decade;
- keep your use of extensions down to the basics to achieve your objectives
- use extensions from quality developers and use their paid versions even if you only need the free options (everyone's got to eat and if you want your fav extension to be there for you they can't/won't do it free forever).
- use fast and stable templates from quality developers
- uninstall extensions you aren't using
- update all the things always
Why do I mention all that? Because when you come with your website and your template maker is long gone and your extensions are years out of date with weird configuration it is going to take a bit to wrangle the site into a decent state before an update can be done and IF it can be done without a big time/dollar investment.
Things I, or anyone will need to help:
- Top level admin login (please test it first)
- Hosting access (if something goes sideways during updates it's important to be able to restore your site quickly)
- Info about any active paid subscriptions for updates
- What is happening - error message etc.
- Have you or your friend "that knows computers cause they play games" messed around already and changed settings? Be straight and save us all time.
What will I do?
- I'll log in and see what your backup status is and run a fresh backup.
- I'll list your extensions and the status/cost to update.
- Review your requests with the shape the site is in.
- If your site is built/dependant extensions that are out of my expertise I will be straight with you and recommend you to a developer with that expertise and charge you only for my work to date. I'd rather lose a potential client and ensure they are being well cared for.
- Give you a breakdown of cost options. With Joomla 3 being end of life in August it may be more cost effective and a wiser investment of your dollars to choose to have me take your site straight to Joomla 4.
- If your site isn't up to current web requirements (unresponsive and slow are just two of the many functionality killers) and is very dated is it better to reimagine your site for your current business goals and requirements. The web is ever changing and what was good 10 years ago is no longer acceptable.
No BS pledge!
I promise to not candy coat the situation. I feel it is easier for you to make a decision for the website your business depends on if you have the facts. The pandemic has made it abundantly clear - your website is critically important to your business.