Countdown to Umbraco 7 End of Life

In September Umbraco 7 becomes unsupported

In September Umbraco 7 becomes unsupported by Umbraco HQ (2023). They have only been providing security updates for a while now, and with the release of Umbraco 11 last December they are on the last leg of Umbraco 7's illustrious journey.

What does Umbraco 7 End of Life mean for your website?

Good question. If you are a business, your Umbraco 7 website will be unsupported by the head office and in turn unsupportable by your web agency. You will need to put a plan in place for migrating your Umbraco website to the latest Umbraco version.

Why is Umbraco 7 being retired?

Umbraco 7 was first released in 2013 and is now classed as legacy software. It just isn't feasible to continue to support software when technology has moved on.

Why do I have to migrate and not just upgrade Umbraco?

There have been some fundamental changes to the code and the database infrastructure which means it is not possible to upgrade and that you will need to migrate Umbraco.

What does migrating to Umbraco 11 mean?

This means integrating your front-end code with the Umbraco 11 back-end. This process could be a significant piece of work dependent on:

• Solution size
• Number of templates and components
• Third-party systems integration

You will however have the opportunity to streamline and improve the user experience, technical SEO, solution architecture, accessibility, sustainability and system functionality.

Can I redesign my website when migrating from Umbraco 7? 

As well as streamlining your solution while migrating from Umbraco 7, it is an excellent time to consider a new web design or User Interface (UI). Use this time to make improvements to User Experience and Conversion Rate Optimisation.

Will my Umbraco website continue to work after September 2023?

Absolutely, although I.T. should be concerned about data security and risk, marketers should be concerned with performance and the cost of launching new features on legacy software (invest in the Umbraco 10/11 migration instead).

Should I migrate from Umbraco 7 to Umbraco 11?

It is common sense to migrate your solution to the latest major version of Umbraco. GrowCreate will always recommend migrations, support and continuous improvements to get the most from your solution. This means that you can access new features and remain secure and supported.

If Umbraco 7's End-Of-Life is in September 2023 why do I need to be thinking about it now?

Leading up to September, good Umbraco agencies will be busy working with companies to migrate their solutions to Umbraco 11. To hit the September 2023 deadline you need to be engaging your agency right now and planning how and when this going to be done. You'll also need to include time for User Acceptance Testing and Content.