Project Execution

1. Design and Discovery Process

The project commenced with a detailed discovery phase to understand Farmstead’s business model, customer behavior, and content structure.

• Analyzed the existing Joomla website structure and user journey.
• Conducted stakeholder interviews to define expectations, challenges, and goals.
• Finalized information architecture and user flow to guide development.

2. Data Evaluation and Mapping

We conducted a complete audit of the Joomla site:

• Identified and cataloged static pages, blog/news content, and media.
• Developed a product import template for 900+ wines, mapping fields like title, SKU, price, image, description, and tags.
• Classified site taxonomy (categories, tags) to streamline search and navigation on the new site.

3. Development and Customization

• Selected a responsive, mobile-friendly WordPress theme from the marketplace that supported eCommerce components.
• Customized the layout to reflect Farmstead’s branding, including:
  • Homepage with hero banner, featured wines, testimonials, and newsletter signup.
  • Category pages with filters (price, new arrivals).
  • Product detail pages with zoomable images, ratings, reviews, and wishlist.
• Developed custom theme features tailored to Farmstead’s requirements.
• Built membership & gift card pages using WooCommerce subscriptions and product types.
• Integrated Sendinblue for newsletter subscriptions and archive access.

4. Content Migration to WordPress

• Migrated all static content, blogs, news, contact details, and newsletters using WP All Import and custom scripts.
• Uploaded all products—including descriptions, prices, attributes, and categories—to WooCommerce via the predefined CSV template.
• Retained metadata and internal links to preserve SEO integrity.

5. Thorough Testing and Quality Assurance

• Functional Testing: Verified all user roles (admin, visitor), form submissions, shopping flows, and payment gateways.
• Cross-Browser Testing: Ensured visual and functional consistency across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
• User Acceptance Testing: Conducted Alpha and Beta releases for internal and client-side feedback.
• Performance & Load Testing: Evaluated site speed and server response under simulated traffic load on staging.

6. URL Redirection and SEO Preservation

To retain SEO value:

• Created a URL redirection map to align old Joomla URLs with new WordPress paths.
• Set up 301 redirects via Redirection plugin.
• Maintained metadata and image alt tags.
• Integrated Google Search Console, submitted a new sitemap, configured robots.txt, and ensured proper indexing.
• Monitored and resolved crawl errors post-migration.

7. Launch and Ongoing Support

• Deployed to AWS production server with SSL, domain mapping, and analytics setup.
• Trained Farmstead’s core team in content management, inventory updates, and order processing via two live sessions.
• Delivered a comprehensive Training & Support Document for ongoing reference.
• Continued post-launch support for performance optimization and security hardening.