Finding outdated content in Joomla
In Joomla, outdated text usually sits in modules that appear on every page, in archived articles that are still being served, in category descriptions, and in extensions with their own text fields. A sentence can be updated in one place and simply forgotten in another.
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So geht es
- 1Check modules. Go through every published module; text modules often hold old promotions.
- 2Filter articles. Sort by date and review everything published before last year.
- 3Compare the menu. Click every menu item and check whether the content behind it still holds.
- 4Check from outside. Look at the address with DustOff.
Where content gets stuck
The structure of articles, modules and extensions creates its own blind spots:
- Modules in positions that appear on every page
- Archived articles that are still being served to visitors
- Menu items pointing to content that no longer exists in that form
- Extensions with their own separate text fields
- Category descriptions carrying old notices
Why archiving isn't the same as removing
Archiving an article doesn't reliably pull it out of listings and search results — it depends on how the site's templates and menus are set up. Reachable still means visible, whatever the article's status says internally.
Modules age faster than articles
In Joomla the visible text is split between articles and modules, and modules are the part that quietly falls behind. A module assigned to all pages keeps showing an old notice long after the article behind it was rewritten.
When you check a Joomla site, walk the module manager as well as the article list — otherwise you fix the content and leave the sidebar saying something else entirely.
Text scattered across three systems at once
In Joomla, content is spread across articles, modules and extensions, each maintained through a slightly different screen. A sentence updated in an article can easily be forgotten in the module sitting right next to it on the same page, simply because the two are edited in entirely different places.
Häufige Fragen
- Why do archived articles still show up?
- Archiving doesn't always remove them from listings and search results. Reachable still means visible to a visitor.
- How often should the site be checked?
- Monthly for a larger, older installation — that's where the most content accumulates over time.
- Do module texts need separate attention from articles?
- Yes — they're maintained on a different screen, so an update to an article rarely carries over to a module automatically.
- What about extensions with their own text fields?
- Worth listing separately, since they don't show up in the normal article search and are easy to forget entirely.