… and now for something completely different: Joomla!
The products I have reviewed so far have been website building applications that just work. How they work, how much they cost, etc., varies, but the continuum is that they are already installed and running. Joomla! is very different. It is a technology, a program, that can be installed on a web host. Many web hosts have the ability to host Joomla! and some offer a one-click install, but you still have to go through the one-click installation process. You aren’t going to sign up for hosting somewhere that supports Joomla! and magically find you have Joomla! up and running for you upon initial login.
If you decide to go the Joomla! route, you will first have to select a host that supports Joomla! So you will need to research web hosts and check out their hosting plan details to find out if Joomla! is okay for that host. Next, you will want to find out if Joomla! installation is a one-click procedure or not. For most of you I would advise you to run, not walk, away from any host that requires a manual install. Why? Because most of you won’t understand the process or how to fix things if the process gets mucked up. To put this in perspective, I have been using the self-hosted version of WordPress for years. I still don’t want to do the manual install because I still wouldn’t know how to fix things if it went awry. All the hosts I work with for WordPress install WordPress for me with a one-click install process.
Would you like some free help preparing for your site? Cool. Here’s a free download I created just for you.
You will have to get your web host to tell you how to use the one-click installation process if you’ve never done such a thing before. One-click won’t seem like one-click when you go through the process. It will ask you questions and you probably won’t know what it wants from you. So you’ll want to call your hosting tech support and have them walk you through the install. It’s also important to know that if your host supports Joomla! but doesn’t offer a one-click install they probably won’t walk you through a manual install since that isn’t their product and it is very different than a one-click install.
After the installation, you’ll be ready to work with Joomla! You’ll find out where your login address is during the installation process.
So how much does it cost? I believe Joomla! is free, but the hosting cost all depends on the hosting company you choose.
You’ll be able to use your own domain.
Depending on the theme you select, your site might be mobile-friendly, it might not.
Joomla! supports blogging and has custom SEO capabilities.
Joomla! isn’t as easy to use as the drag-and-drop website builders. There will be a learning curve. For this product, I recommend signing up for Lynda.com at least for a couple months so you can use their Joomla! courses to learn how to use it.
My experience with Joomla! is limited. I attempted to work with it years ago for a client that already had a Joomla! site set up. I found it confusing and learned WordPress instead, which still has its sticking points, but I thought it was a lot more straightforward. The Joomla! platform apparently has a ton of capabilities and, much like WordPress, is used by companies large and small. I have nothing against Joomla! and think it could be a fine solution for many, but I had to make the decision years ago to learn one website builder tool and get to know that tool really well rather than know a little bit about many website builder tools. So I decided to go the WordPress route. I am also thinking about this from the perspective of my clients and what I think they would be able to handle. To me, I think the Joomla! environment would be a bit much to take on in addition to running their businesses if they were going to build a website on their own.
Click here to grab my free download to help you get all your ducks in a row before your build your site.
Even though I made it for people who are getting ready to hire a web pro, 80% of it will help you if you are building your site on your own.
Leave a Reply