Joomla upgrades · care plans · new builds
Your Joomla site still works. That doesn't mean it's safe.
Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 no longer receive security updates. I migrate outdated Joomla sites to Joomla 5 or 6 — keeping your design, content and rankings intact — then keep them patched, backed up and monitored every month.
No obligation · Report in 48 hours · I never touch your live site without written approval
Free Joomla Health Check
Enter your site's address and I'll check it in seconds — no signup required for the basics.
We only request pages your browser can already see. No login, no scanning, nothing changed on your site.
- Joomla version & end-of-life status
- PHP version
- SSL certificate status
- Security header score
Checking
This usually takes a few seconds.
- Reading the homepage
- Detecting the Joomla version
- Identifying template and extensions
- Checking security headers and SSL
Measuring mobile speed…
Want the Full Report?
I'll email you a detailed breakdown — extensions detected, exact fixes needed, and a priority order for what to tackle first.
The uncomfortable part
Which Joomla version are you actually running?
Most business owners have no idea — until a scanner, a client or a hosting provider tells them. Here is where each version stands today.
| Version | Status today | What it means for you | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joomla 1.5 – 2.5 | Abandoned | No updates for over a decade. Publicly documented exploits. Often already infected. | Rebuild on Joomla 6 |
| Joomla 3.x | End of life | Free security support ended in August 2023. Runs on PHP versions hosts are switching off. | Migrate to Joomla 5 or 6 |
| Joomla 4.x | End of life | Security support ended in October 2025. No further patches, even for critical issues. | Upgrade to Joomla 5 or 6 |
| Joomla 5.x | Security-only | Still supported, but the bugfix window closes in October 2026. A safe interim home. | Keep patched, plan the step to 6 |
| Joomla 6.x | Current | Supported into 2029. Faster, PHP 8.3+ ready, and where every new extension is heading. | Stay on it — with a care plan |
Silent infections
Injected spam pages and mail relays usually run for months before anyone notices — usually when Google flags the domain.
Hosting cut-offs
Hosts are dropping PHP 7.x. When they do, an old Joomla site does not slow down — it goes white.
Extensions that stop
Forms, galleries and shops built on abandoned extensions quietly stop working after any server change.
Lost rankings
Slow, unpatched, non-responsive pages lose positions month after month to competitors who invested.
What I do
Three ways I work with Joomla owners
Whether your site needs rescuing, babysitting or building from scratch — it is the same Joomla specialist doing the work, not a rotating agency team.
Joomla upgrade & migration
I move Joomla 1.5, 2.5, 3 and 4 sites onto Joomla 5 or 6 — content, URLs, images and SEO structure preserved. Legacy extensions are replaced with supported equivalents, and the whole thing is rehearsed on a staging copy first.
- Full staging rehearsal before go-live
- URL and redirect map so rankings survive
- Template rebuilt on Helix Ultimate if needed
- PHP 8.3+ compatibility pass on every extension
Joomla maintenance & care plans
A monthly retainer that keeps the site current: core and extension updates applied on staging, offsite backups, uptime and malware monitoring, security hardening, and a human who answers when something breaks.
- Tested updates, never blind one-click updates
- Daily offsite backups with restore testing
- Malware scanning and firewall tuning
- Small content edits included every month
New Joomla websites
Custom Joomla 6 sites built on Helix Ultimate and SP Page Builder, with premium extensions licensed and configured properly — not a demo template with your logo dropped in.
- Design that matches your brand, not a demo
- Premium extensions included and licensed
- Speed and Core Web Vitals built in, not bolted on
- Training so your team can edit without fear
Transparent pricing
What it costs to sleep at night
Every site is different, so these are honest starting points — you get a fixed quote after the free health check, before any work begins.
Care Plan — Essential
For a brochure or portfolio site that simply must stay online and patched.
Billed monthly · cancel any time
- Monthly Joomla core & extension updates
- Weekly offsite backup
- Uptime monitoring
- Monthly health report
- 30 min of content edits / month
- Priority response SLA
- Malware cleanup included
Care Plan — Business
For sites that generate enquiries or sales, where downtime costs real money.
Billed monthly · cancel any time
- Everything in Essential
- Updates tested on staging first
- Daily offsite backups + restore tests
- Malware scanning & firewall tuning
- Free malware cleanup if it ever happens
- 2 h of content & small dev work / month
- Response within 1 business day
Care Plan — Priority
For shops, portals and multilingual sites that need a developer on standby.
Billed monthly · cancel any time
- Everything in Business
- Permanent staging environment
- VirtueMart / e-commerce support
- Performance & Core Web Vitals tuning
- Quarterly security & SEO audit
- 5 h of development work / month
- Same-day response, emergency line
Joomla upgrade & migration
One-off project. Joomla 1.5 / 2.5 / 3 / 4 → Joomla 5 or 6, design and content preserved.
Fixed price confirmed after the free health check
- Full staging rehearsal & rollback plan
- Extension replacement where needed
- Redirect map so SEO survives the move
- 30 days of post-launch support included
New Joomla website
Custom Joomla 6 build on Helix Ultimate + SP Page Builder with premium extensions.
Scoped and fixed-priced before I start
- Custom design, not a recoloured demo
- Premium extensions licensed & configured
- On-page SEO and speed work included
- First 3 months of Essential care free
Prices in EUR, excluding third-party licences and hosting. Serbian clients can be invoiced in RSD. Not sure which one you need? Start with the free health check — it costs nothing and tells us both what we are dealing with.
How it works
Nothing touches your live site until it is proven
The reason most Joomla upgrades go wrong is that someone clicked “update” on production. I don't work that way.
Free health check
Free health check
Fixed quote & plan
Fixed quote & plan
Staging rehearsal
Staging rehearsal
Go live & care
Go live & care
Why a Joomla specialist
I don't “also do Joomla”. It is all I do.
Most agencies will quietly quote you a WordPress rebuild because Joomla is not what they know. Your site does not need replacing — it needs someone who actually reads the Joomla changelogs.
I write Joomla extensions
Published on the official Joomla Extensions Directory. When your site has a problem no forum has answered, I go into the code — components, modules, plugins, database level.
Security is the default
Hardened .htaccess, PHP execution blocked in upload folders, security headers, firewall tuning and malware scanning — standard on every site I run, not an upsell.
One person who knows your site
No ticket queue, no account manager relaying messages. You talk to the developer who did the migration and knows exactly why that module is configured the way it is.
Built in-house
Premium extensions, included where they help
Sites I maintain get my own Joomla extensions at no extra licence cost — alongside the commercial ones I license on your behalf.
Malware Scanner for Joomla
Scans your Joomla installation for injected code, suspicious files and known malware signatures, with scheduled scans and email alerts. Listed on the JED.
Simple Newsletter
Lightweight newsletter component for Joomla — subscriber lists, templates and sending, without the bloat of a full marketing suite.
PayPal Download Suite
Sell and deliver digital files from Joomla with PayPal-gated downloads, licence keys and automatic delivery.
Cache Buster for Helix
System plugin that versions custom.css and custom.js automatically — so your visitors never see a stale stylesheet after an update.
I also license and configure the commercial extensions your project genuinely needs — Akeeba Backup, Admin Tools, RSFirewall, SP Page Builder Pro, VirtueMart and others — and I tell you honestly when the free version is enough.
A recent migration
What “I upgraded it” actually looks like
MIC - Medijski IstraŽivački centar / Media Research Center
Regional news portal, 1240-page Joomla 3 site
The site had been running Joomla 3.9 on PHP 7.2 for four years. Two extensions were abandoned by their developers, the contact forms had silently stopped sending, and the host had announced it was retiring PHP 7. Rebuilding from scratch was quoted elsewhere at four times the price.
I migrated it to Joomla 6 on Helix Ultimate, rebuilt the two dead extensions as native functionality, mapped every old URL to its new home, and moved it onto a Business care plan.
- Joomla 3.9 — no security updates since 2023
- PHP 7.2, scheduled for shutdown by the host
- Contact forms failing silently for months
- Two abandoned commercial extensions
- Failing Core Web Vitals on mobile
- Joomla 6, supported into 2029
- PHP 8.3, fully compatible extension set
- Forms tested and monitored monthly
- Native replacements, no licence risk
- Green Core Web Vitals, patched every month
Clients
What site owners say
Joomla Website Improvement
“Again, it has been a great privilege and pleasure to work with Bojan on solving my Joomla problems. He is one of the most dedicated, hardworking, diligent, knowledgeable, and truly brilliant people I've ever worked with. In addition, his English is great, he's polite, respectful, communicative, and cooperative. Bojan has embraced all aspects and fulfilled his undertakings to a professional standard. I look forward to working with him in the future.”
Joomla Landing Page Design
“Bojan is very easy to work with. He did exactly what the project required and was very quick to respond and communicate. He was also patient with us. The quality of the work was very good. Would definitely hire again”
Joomla Website Redesign
“Bojan provided timely and responsive professional service to assist us to get a complex website developed and configured. I was very satisfied with his service. ”
Let's start
Find out where your Joomla site stands — free
Send the address and a sentence about what worries you. You get a written report within 48 hours and a fixed price if you want the work done. If everything is fine, I will tell you that too and charge you nothing.
- studio@saintartdesigns.com
- +381 64 16 22 768 · WhatsApp & Viber
- Niš, Serbia — working remotely across Europe
- Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 CET
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my design when I upgrade Joomla?
No. In most cases I rebuild your existing design on a current, supported template framework (usually Helix Ultimate) so the site looks the same or better to your visitors. Where a design is genuinely dated, I will say so and quote the refresh separately — but it is your decision, not a condition.
Will my Google rankings drop after the migration?
Not if it is done properly. I keep your URL structure wherever possible and build a complete redirect map for anything that has to change, preserve titles, meta descriptions and structured data, and verify everything in Search Console after launch. Most migrated sites get faster, which helps rather than hurts.
How long does a Joomla 3 to Joomla 6 migration take?
A typical brochure site of 20–80 pages takes 5–10 working days from approval to launch. Larger sites, shops and multilingual sites take longer, and I tell you the realistic range in the quote — not an optimistic one.
Can you upgrade if my site is already hacked?
Yes, and it is more common than people expect. I clean the infection first, identify how it got in, then migrate onto a clean, patched installation. Rebuilding on top of a compromised site simply carries the problem across, so cleanup is always step one.
Should I just move to WordPress instead?
Honestly — usually not. Migrating platforms means rebuilding every template, form, custom field and integration, and it costs several times what a Joomla upgrade costs. Modern Joomla 6 is fast, secure and multilingual out of the box. If your project genuinely fits another platform better, I will tell you that too.
What exactly is in the monthly care plan?
Core and extension updates tested on staging before they reach your live site, offsite backups with periodic restore tests, uptime and malware monitoring, security hardening, a monthly plain-language report, and a block of included time for content changes and small fixes. On the Business and Priority plans, malware cleanup is included if it ever happens.
Do I have to move my hosting to you?
No. I work on your existing hosting in almost every case, and a migration never depends on it. I do offer Joomla-tuned hosting on Hetzner in Germany for clients who would rather have one person responsible for the site and the server — some prefer it precisely because it makes maintenance simpler — but it is an option, never a condition. If your current host is genuinely the problem (no staging, old PHP, no backups), I will tell you that whether or not you move.
Can you take over a site another developer built?
Yes, that is most of what I do. The first month includes a full audit so I understand what I have inherited, and I document it for you — often the first documentation the site has ever had.
What does the free health check actually include?
Your exact Joomla and PHP version with support status, a list of installed extensions flagged for known vulnerabilities or abandonment, basic speed and Core Web Vitals results, obvious security misconfigurations, and a fixed-price recommendation. It is a real report from a real developer, delivered within 48 hours, with no obligation to buy anything.
Not just an upgrade
Want the site faster and easier to find, too?
A Joomla upgrade fixes what is broken. These two go further — better search visibility, and hosting that will not slow the fix back down.
Is your site actually being found?
Technical SEO for Joomla — sitemaps, meta data, page speed, structured data. Built for how Joomla actually works, not a generic checklist.
Is your hosting holding the fix back?
Joomla-tuned hosting so the upgrade actually feels faster — not undone by a host that was never built for Joomla in the first place.
