Joomla’s market share is modest, at 2.4% of all CMS-run websites. For context, WordPress’ market share is a massive 62.7%. Going by those figures alone, you might conclude that Joomla is the inferior option.
Quite the contrary!
Whereas WordPress was initially a blogging platform that morphed into a CMS, Joomla was always a CMS from the get-go. It is extremely flexible and versatile, and it is chock-full of features and add-ons that give it unlimited capabilities.
What is Joomla? How does it work? What can it do? In this guide, we’ll break it down.
What is Joomla Software?
Joomla is a robust open-source content management system (CMS) for building websites. It is licensed under the GNU General Public v2 and can be downloaded and used for free.
It offers many easy-to-use features and infinite extensibility thanks to the rich repertoire of powerful integrations. The CMS is written in PHP to manage web content and store it in a MySQL database.
A content management system (CMS) is simply an application for building websites. If you had to create a website from scratch without a CMS, you would have to write several thousand lines of code to create a dynamic, modern-looking website. With a CMS, you don't have to, which is what Joomla is.
Benefits of Joomla
There are several reasons why millions of users across the globe chose Joomla to power their websites:
- It is free: Joomla is fully open-source software, which means you can download and use it without restriction and at no cost whatsoever.
- It runs on most standard hosting plans: The CMS works best on standard web hosting configurations (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP). However, it can also run on other less common hosting platforms.
- It is flexible: Joomla's versatility knows no bounds. While it has several customization features built into the platform, you will find any additional functionalities you might require in the massive extension directory.
- It is ideal for websites of all sizes: Whether you’re building a personal blog or a large-volume online store, Joomla is equipped to handle projects of all scales.
- It has a large global following: If you ever run into any issues while using the platform, help is just a few short clicks away. There are online forums with teams of expert Joomla developers and site owners with a solution to your problem.
These are just a few of the reasons why it’s the ideal building block for website development projects of all scales and in all industries.
See also: 6 Best Shopify Alternatives for Your Ecommerce Store
How Does Joomla Work?
To understand how Joomla works, we’ll need to break down the process into four main phases:
1. Setup
You can use Joomla in one of two ways:
Through launch.joomla.org
This option is arguably the fastest way to get your website up and running. All you would have to do is:
- Go to the official site and set up an account
- Choose a name for your site
- Select the location of your data center
- Choose a frontend template from the options provided
- Hit the “Launch” button to create your website
Once your website is live, you can configure it and install the extensions you need to support your online business. FTP and phpMyAdmin access are also available if you need them.
Through a Hosting Provider
This option involves installing Joomla on a hosting account from a provider of your choice. Most web hosts support Joomla, so you shouldn't have a hard time identifying one. The CMS works with the vast majority of shared hosting accounts, although you might have to upgrade to a dedicated server once your eCommerce website starts attracting a lot of traffic.
Since Joomla is an open-source platform, it is free to use. However, you will need to pay for a domain and all associated hosting costs.
2. Customization
Once you’ve figured out the hosting bit of the process, you can now proceed with customizing the appearance of your Joomla website. While you could use the default template, there’s a pretty good chance that several other Joomla websites will also have the same default look. If you want your online store to stand out, it would be in your best interest to use a different design that makes your products pop.
There are tons of free and paid Joomla website templates available online on sites like JoomShaper, JoomlArt, ThemeForest, and more. Once you find one that you like, download it in the form of a ZIP file. Then, use Joomla’s extension manager to extract the theme files and set them up on your website. You’ll see several customization options after you’ve successfully installed the template.
3. Functionality
As is the case with most open-source CMS solutions, Joomla is unlikely to meet the requirements you need to run your online store effectively. You will need to integrate a wide range of extensions to expand its core functionality.
Joomla’s extensions directory boasts 5,000+ add-ons in several different categories, including Site Management, Style and Design, eCommerce, Core Enhancements, Marketing, and more. While their functionalities vary widely, they can be broadly organized into three overarching groups:
Plugins
Popularly referred to as event handlers, Joomla plugins are built to respond in specific ways when they encounter specific events. An event can appear in the website's visible sections or at the code level.
As a result, a plugin may need to change the way the website behaves, restrict access to a defined group of users, or change the content any time they encounter a specific event. For instance, a plugin that scans through comments left by users on the site and filters out the ones containing certain words.
Modules
A module is usually a frontend widget. It typically surrounds the central section of a Joomla page and contains things like links to your most popular products, a login form, or your website footer.
Components
Components are responsible for a website’s main functionality and features. In other words, if you think of Joomla as an operating system, the components would be the apps.
You can broadly classify components into two categories:
- The frontend components: Those that are visible to the user.
- The backend components: Those that are visible only to the Joomla Administrator.
For instance, a component like com_content displays product descriptions on your website so users can see them and allows you to edit them on the backend as an administrator. You can use a component to build an online store, add a reviews and ratings section on product pages, and more.
Plugins, modules, and components often work together to add certain functionalities to your website. For instance, you can install a plugin or extension that finds all the H2 headers in your content and automatically generates a table of contents.
However, the plugin would need to rely on the com_content component to find those title tags in the website HTML code. In the same breath, another module would be required to display the table of contents on the post, which means it must work with the plugin.
4. Content Management
The majority of the content you will upload to your online store will be product descriptions and articles for your site blog. Joomla’s interface is pretty decent in terms of its tools for publishing and managing content.
You can create different categories, each of which users can access via menu items. Unfortunately, Joomla’s menus and categorization system will take some getting used to. Once you get over this hump, you’ll breeze through everything else.
Top Features of Joomla
Whether you’re building an online store, a portfolio site, a niche blog, a membership website, or a directories portal, Joomla can help you do just that. Here are some top features that make Joomla a top choice for many.
1. Automatic Updates
One of the most difficult tasks Joomla developers face is ensuring that the software is always up-to-date. Thankfully, the CMS has a built-in updater that makes it easy and convenient for users to update the CMS to the latest version.
This feature, referred to as the One Click Version Update, is easy to use and even has an automated checker that notifies users any time Joomla releases new updates, security patches, or an entirely new version of the software.
2. Built-in Search Engine
Joomla has integrated a smart search feature into its platform to help site visitors find appropriate products or information on your eCommerce website. With this tool, you can analyze your store's top searches and streamline your products and content to better serve them.
You can configure the search engine to incorporate auto-suggest, advanced search, and smart indexing options to ensure customers find the products they’re looking for quickly and conveniently.
3. Configurable Media Manager
With the Joomla media manager, you can upload, organize, and manage your website’s media files. This feature is also integrated into the Article Editor, making it convenient for site administrators to access product images and all other forms of media required to enhance the store’s content.
If you have different file types, you can manage them using the platform’s built-in Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) settings.
4. Convenient Contact Management
If you need to incorporate multiple categories, departments, and contacts into your online store, you can do so with the Joomla contact management feature.
You can use it to extend the basic contact information you gather from customers who create accounts on your website by setting up a contact form to collect more details. You can then use this information to create personalized offers and shopping incentives to boost conversion rates.
5. Easy Banner Management
If you want to integrate advertising into your website so you can monetize it, Joomla's banner management feature can help you do that. With the tool, you can create campaigns, set up multiple banners, track clicks, set impression numbers, add custom codes, and everything else required to effectively manage and monitor banners on your website.
6. Exceptional Global Support
Joomla is composed of a team of world-class developers, business consultants, and platform users across the globe. These individuals actively contribute in online forums to help users and give valuable feedback to aid in the continuous improvement of the CMS.
Additionally, users have access to an extensive array of expert service providers who can help develop, market, and maintain their Joomla projects. You can connect with these professionals through the Joomla Volunteers Portal.
7. Frontend Editing Capability
Joomla makes it fast and easy to edit content on your eCommerce website. Suppose you notice a mistake or see something you need to change while browsing your store. You don’t have to log in to the site’s backend and make the edits as the administrator. You can simply click “Edit” and make changes to content and modules from the front end.
8. Integrated Help Options
Joomla’s in-app contextual help option is an invaluable tool for users of every skill level to learn how to properly use the CMS. Every page on the interface has a help button embedded in the top-right corner to inform users of all the options available to them on that page.
Additionally, you can leverage the system information tool to troubleshoot issues and the version checker to ensure you're using the latest software version.
If the in-app options still haven’t helped you resolve your issue, there’s a link you can click to access a rich repository of online resources for additional support. The User Forum and Joomla Documentation are two such resources you can use.
9. Intuitive Content Manager
Being a CMS, Joomla provides users with excellent tools to help organize and manage content easily and efficiently. With the What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor, you can edit your website content without needing to know how to code.
Once you’ve successfully published your content, you can use the various built-in modules to display popular products, articles, and related products/topics to boost conversion rates on your website. The best part is that you don’t have to learn or remember any syntax or module details to manage your site content. The Joomla user interface will do it for you.
10. Multilingual Support
As one of the world's most widely supported open-source, multilingual CMS, Joomla supports 70+ languages, allowing users to create more accessible websites. Thanks to Joomla's powerful core software, you can create your online store in any one of the supported languages without ever having to leave the platform.
By building and presenting your online store in multiple languages, you can reach much wider audiences and access new markets. Joomla’s multilingual capability provides online merchants with more opportunities for growth.
11. Site Extensibility
With Joomla’s Extensions Directory, you can access over 5,000 add-ons to extend your website’s functionality. Regardless of your business goals, you will find a tool to help you meet your short and long-term requirements.
12. Powerful SEO and Security tools
Running a website goes beyond uploading and publishing content. Joomla goes a step further by allowing users to embed user-friendly aliases into their website URLs. As far as security goes, the platform has implemented two-factor authentication (2FA) to help site owners protect their websites against cyber threats such as brute-force attacks.
See also: Magento vs Joomla: E-commerce Platform Comparison
What Functions Can a Joomla Website Do?
Whatever functionality your Joomla website needs, there’s an app in the Extensions Directory that can help with that. Here are 10 functions a Joomla website can do:
1. Build an eCommerce Store
Whether you want to create a portal for online shopping or are looking for a convenient way to set up an auction site, Joomla’s got you covered. The CMS allows you to build an eCommerce website where you can sell products, accept donations, and even auction items online. Joomla has all the tools you need to set up and manage an eCommerce website with ease, even with zero coding experience.
2. Integrate Ads and Affiliates
Marketing is at the heart of every business. You want your brand and products to have the widest possible reach. With a Joomla website, you can integrate ads and affiliate functions easily and conveniently. In the case of the latter, you can generate a code that affiliate partners can copy and paste anywhere on their website to refer customers to your store.
3. Allow Customer Communication
If you’re running an online business, you must provide a way for customers to communicate with you. Joomla has loads of integrations designed for user/customer feedback, user forums, live chat, video conferences, reviews and ratings, and more.
4. Receive Feedback
One of the most important aspects of any website is feedback. It is how you learn what your customers like and identify shortcomings in your business that you’ll need to address. Joomla allows website owners to integrate feedback features, such as polls, surveys, suggestion forms, etc., into their websites.
5. Add Financial Functions
Depending on the nature of your business, you can incorporate financial functions into your Joomla website. Simply go to the Joomla extensions directory, find the add-on you want with the capability you desire, and add it to your website. You’ll find everything from mortgage calculators to currency converters.
6. Edit on the Go With Mobile Joomla
Your site visitors don’t have to be tethered to their desktop devices every time they need to visit your website. With Mobile Joomla, you can display your site on any mobile device for a richer, more convenient user experience.
Once you install it, the app serves device-type-specific content that's rendered on the server side, optimizing it so that users see only what they need. If you’re looking to ramp up your mobile conversions, this integration is a must-have.
7. Integrate Scripts
Adding custom HTML, PHP, or JavaScript code to your Joomla website can be difficult to do, especially with limited coding knowledge. That’s where modules come in. There are several extensions you can integrate that allow you to easily add any script to your website so you can add your desired functionality in a few easy clicks.
8. Enhance the Built-in Page Editor
While Joomla has a pretty powerful page editor, you can kick things up a notch by installing an extension that adds even more features and functions to it. Some add-ons allow you to edit the background color on site pages, add a wider range of fonts, give you better control over your site multimedia, and even format text using the text editor itself.
9. Convert a Site Into a Photo Gallery
With an image and photo extension, you can easily convert your Joomla website into a gallery. If you have an eCommerce store, you can configure it to display photos of your products online.
10. Integrate Social Networks
Merchants can no longer afford to underestimate the power of social media. It is one of the easiest ways customers/followers can connect with you.
With Joomla, you can install an integration that allows you to integrate social networking on your website. It not only provides a great channel through which you can publicize your brand and products but is also a great way to attract more visitors to your site.
Final Thoughts
Joomla what is it? The short answer is: A powerful CMS. Just because Joomla doesn’t enjoy the same level of notoriety as WordPress does by no means implies that it is somehow not as good. It is just as capable of building powerful websites of all shapes and sizes.
Granted, it does have a bit of a steep learning curve. However, once you get the hang of it, only then will you unlock the true power that lies within—the power to build formidable websites with near-infinite capabilities that you just can't get with other CMSs.
If you want to migrate your online store from your current eCommerce provider to Joomla, Cart2Cart can help you do just that. With our fully automated shopping cart migration tool, you can transfer your online store to Joomla in a few simple clicks.
You also won't have to worry about downtime or losing precious data. Cart2Cart is secure and reliable and guarantees the safe transfer of your eCommerce website to a platform of your choice.
Ready to see Cart2Cart in action? Sign up today for a free demo.
August 30, 2024 
