Geschirrverleih NRW Upgrade: A Seamless Leap from Joomla 3.6 to 5.2.3
Ebizon Digital migrated the Geschirrverleih NRW website from Joomla 3.6 to Joomla 5.2.3, maintaining design consistency. The migration preserved SEO equity, ensured content continuity, and improved mobile responsiveness.
Industry
Tableware and Event Equipment Rental
Technology
Joomla
Services
Website Migration & Upgrade, CMS Customization & Optimization, Frontend Implementation, Feature Redevelopment & Integration, Data Migration
Project Overview
Ebizon was engaged by the client to perform a comprehensive upgrade of the website https://www.geschirrverleih-nrw.de/ from Joomla 3.6 to Joomla 5.2.3. The client’s core objective was to ensure a smooth transition while preserving all current design elements, content, functionalities, and SEO integrity.
Project Objectives
- Upgrade Joomla CMS from version 3.6 to 5.2.3.
- Preserve and migrate:
- All website content and pages
- Functional modules and components
- SEO attributes (URLs, meta tags, redirects)
- Ensure full mobile responsiveness and improved performance.
- Seamless user experience with no downtime or loss of data.
Project Execution
1. Design and Discovery Process
- Cloned the production site into a staging environment.
- Conducted a detailed site audit identifying all components, templates, modules, and third-party extensions.
- Reviewed client expectations and compatibility requirements for Joomla 5.
2. Development and Customization
Frontend Implementation
- Upgraded to a responsive, Joomla 5-compatible template.
- Refactored page layouts and design to match the legacy site closely.
Feature Implementation and Setup
- Maintained core product flows including:
- Product listing & detail views
- Add to cart functionality with quantity selection
- Request Product Price form
- Sorting mechanisms for product listings
- Contact form for inquiries
- Supported the following content categories:
- Dishes, Cutlery, Glassware, Accessories, Table & Buffet, Devices, and more.
- Each section had both listing and detail pages replicated post-upgrade.
3. VirtueMart Compatibility Adjustments
- In Joomla 3, the site used the VirtueMart extension, which was not compatible with Joomla 5 because the existing template only supported Joomla 3.
- Implemented fixes and adjustments to ensure VirtueMart functionality worked correctly with the new Joomla 5-compatible template, addressing layout, styling, and structural changes introduced by the template upgrade.
4. VirtueMart Tags (VM Tags) Migration & Fixes
- Migrated existing VM Tags data from Joomla 3 to Joomla 5.
- Updated VM Tags display and filtering to work seamlessly with the upgraded template and VirtueMart version.
- Fixed template overrides and styling issues for tag-based product listings to ensure they matched the design of the rest of the site.
5. Data Migration & Performance Enhancements
- Upgraded sequentially:
- Joomla 3.6 → 3.10.x
- Joomla 3.10.x → Joomla 4.x
- Joomla 4.x → Joomla 5.0.0
- Joomla 5.0.0 → Joomla 5.2.3
- Migrated all existing content (articles, media, menu items, etc.)
- Optimized database structure and PHP configurations for better performance.
6. Thorough Testing and Quality Assurance
- Enabled Joomla’s error reporting for debugging.
- Conducted UI/UX checks across browsers and devices.
- Validated backend admin access, user roles, and permissions.
- Reviewed third-party plugin behavior post-upgrade.
7. URL Redirection and SEO Preservation
- Reconfigured SEO settings using Joomla SEF tools.
- Ensured:
- Retention of all URL slugs
- Functioning 301 redirects from legacy URLs
- No 404 errors on key product/category pages
- Integrated SEO monitoring tools for post-launch tracking.
- Generate XML sitemaps for search engines, ensuring updated indexing of all product and category pages.
- Monitored Google Search Console for post-migration indexing errors.
8. Launch
- Created full backup using Akeeba.
- Deployed website to production hosting server.
- Repointed DNS to the new environment.
- Final round of sanity testing before making the site live.
Results & Feedback
- Successful upgrade from Joomla 3.6 to 5.2.3 without downtime.
- 100% content and design parity retained from the original site.
- Improved page load times and performance metrics.
- Enhanced mobile responsiveness and user navigation.
- Zero disruption in user experience or SEO rankings.
Client’s Feedback
“Working with EbizON Digital was a smooth and positive experience. The team communicated clearly and reliably throughout the project via virtual meetings, emails, and messages. Their project management was excellent, and they delivered everything on time as promised. We’re very satisfied with the final result of the website upgrade. The entire process was well-organized, and the collaboration felt effortless. We would be happy to work with them again.”
— Michael Eifer
Owner, Eifer Geschirrverleih
What Our Customers Says
reviewed by JOE WILLIAMS
Senior manager, Remedy Liqour
Head of Business Engagement, WRI
“Ebizon is one of the best in the business and they back this up with their quick and friendly support. The team is relentless to listen to our issues and come up with a solution. Have seen the team stretch beyond their knowledge to help us.”
reviewed by JOSEPH CURLEY
Vice President, Sokolin
Content Officer, Society for Science & Public
“My experience with this partnership has been positive. The support Ebizon extended towards us was commendable. It perfectly fulfils our requirements with their support we had no hassle.”
reviewed by Beat Walder
Manager, Forester Beauty
Chief of Staff, Strategic Dentistry
“I’m the owner of Forester Beauty in Switzerland. I’ve contacted Dee and he led me through the whole process of migrating our online shop to Shopify, including custom elements to enhance user experience. The whole Project Team at Ebizon has a very professional attitude and provide their support and insights promptly.”
reviewed by Wilma Pretorius
Managing Director, Cranimals
For fully managed WordPress installs, WPEngine is my Go-To
“The Team worked well with my company to migrate our Magento store to a new Shopify store. Ebizon was able to implement required applications to enable a near seamless transition. Thanks Team!
reviewed by Raul
Senior Manager, Emporium Embroidery
Head of Business Engagement, WRI
“Emporium Embroidery – customization module / Magento upgrade Thank you Ebizon and a great thank you to the team who was always very helpful on this journey.”
reviewed by Alexandre Salem
eCommerce Manager, Ada Cosmetic
Chief of Staff, Strategic Dentistry
“Thanks to EbizON solution, the platform enabled the company to sell products efficiently. The team worked in sprints and held weekly meetings, ensuring accurate outcomes.”
reviewed by Po Ming Lam
Manager, Avec Plaisirs Chefs Traiteurs
For fully managed WordPress installs, WPEngine is my Go-To
“Ebizon is helping our Magento development needs. Their customer oriented approach has made our experience very pleasant and efficient. We are definitely sending more work to them and recommend others to try them out!”
