Websites & platforms
Guides to portals, redesigns, CMS decisions and Joomla maintenance. Understand what needs to be specified before the build or migration begins.
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Reach Joomla 6 by upgrading one major version at a time on a tested copy, or by migrating to a fresh installation when the extensions and template would need rebuilding anyway. Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3 or later, so check your hosting first.
Read the guide: Planning a Joomla 6 upgradeGuideAt Orvenant a focused customer portal first release typically costs $12,000–$30,000, a multi-role portal with several integrations $30,000–$70,000, and complex portals start from $70,000. What decides the figure is the workflows, access rules and integrations, so count those before counting screens.
Read the guide: Customer portal development costGuideProject delivery creates an agreed release; maintenance keeps a live system usable as dependencies and requirements change. Define the boundary at handover so neither side assumes continuing work is included.
Read the guide: Project delivery vs ongoing maintenanceGuideDiagnose a slow Joomla site by separating server response, database and extension work, media transfer and browser rendering. Change the measured bottleneck rather than enabling every optimization at once.
Read the guide: Diagnosing a slow Joomla websiteGuideChoose an off-the-shelf portal when its core workflow fits with manageable configuration. Consider custom development when important rules, integrations or ownership requirements would otherwise require lasting workarounds.
Read the guide: Custom portal vs off-the-shelf softwareGuideRedesign when the current website creates a meaningful barrier that targeted improvements cannot reasonably solve. Age or a new visual trend alone is not a sufficient reason.
Read the guide: When should you redesign your website?GuideWrite Ruby multiline strings without a chain of + operators. Choose the right heredoc, control indentation and newlines, and check the exact output with runnable examples.
Read the guide: Ruby multiline stringsA website, portal or CMS should make a defined customer and editorial task easier. We start with the questions visitors bring, the records they need and the people who will maintain the experience. The platform choice follows that map. Starting with a preferred framework can hide the cost of migration, access control or routine content changes until late in the project.
Use these guides to examine product fit, migration and the condition of an existing Joomla estate.
A customer portal is worth building when it gives people a useful recurring task or clearer access to approved information. Compare custom development with an existing product and include account administration in the cost.
Read the guide: Custom portal vs off-the-shelf softwareA redesign can move pages and change navigation. Inventory valuable content, URLs, forms and integrations, then plan relevant redirects and post-launch checks before changing the public site.
Read the guide: Website migration SEO checklistA Joomla upgrade depends on extensions, templates, custom code and hosting. A compatibility inventory gives the team a safer basis for a migration plan than the current version number alone.
Read the guide: Planning a Joomla 6 upgradeWhich visitor journeys matter most, and how will the business know they improved? Who writes, approves and updates content? Which system owns customer data, and who can grant or revoke access? If the current site changes, what must remain findable and functional? Consider accessibility, mobile behavior, search URLs, backup ownership and support after launch alongside the visible design.
An audit may reveal that content and navigation need attention before a rebuild. A portal may need a smaller access-controlled journey before a broad feature set. A slow Joomla page may need diagnosis rather than migration. The right starting point is the change you can specify and verify, with a clear route to the larger outcome.
Not necessarily. Review the current content model, editor tasks, security and maintenance first. The design may be achievable on the existing system, while a migration may be justified if ordinary changes are consistently difficult or a required capability cannot be supported.
List the customer tasks, required permissions, integrations and operating responsibilities. Then compare how each option handles them, including limits, recurring costs and handover. A feature list alone can miss the work of identity, corrections and support.
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Share what exists today and what you want to change. We can discuss the scope, dependencies and a practical way forward.
