If you’re looking for an intuitive and straightforward way to learn more about WordPress plugins, this is the article for you.
WordPress plugins add a number of new and useful features or functionalities to your WordPress website. They can be additional features, individual functions, or a combination of both.
We’ll discuss WordPress plugins in detail, outlining everything you need to know about this important tool that can take your website to the next level. From installation to post scheduling and custom settings, we cover them all.
What is a WordPress Plugin? (Overview)
WordPress plugins are add-ons that provide new or additional functionality to your website. They help WordPress users easily and safely add extra features without needing to touch the code. The plugins help to upgrade and strengthen your website, making it stronger overall.
With so many great WordPress plugins available, it can be difficult to find the perfect ones for your website. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Just browse our list of plugins and find the perfect one that works best for you.
You can choose from 57,000+ free plugins on WordPress’s plugin directory. From custom forms to third-party integrations and social media sharing tools, you typically won’t have to spend a dime.
WP Plugin Repository
If you need premium plugins in WordPress to help your web design and development, there are plenty of sites where you can purchase premium products.
WPEverest Plugin Market
Advanced businesses have an option other than free and premium; freelancers can now sell upgrades to plugins that still exist in the freeware version. With Freemiums, you get what you want without having to pay for it up-front.
How does a WordPress Plugin Work?
WordPress has a plugin architecture which makes content customization easy. You can build an endless amount of plugins to add to your website by separating code from WordPress core and defining configuration options.
Creates a bit of extra code for your WordPress website so it looks and functions better. Or we can say that the plugin integrates certain functions to your WordPress site without needing to modify the core files. This allows you to customize or configure it as you need.
No matter what your website needs, WordPress plugins can give you the tools you need to build a fully functional site. You might need to develop a full-fledged online store, or something in between.
One website plugin, Everest Forms, lets webmasters build a contact form that works on any website. Another is WooCommerce, which takes your site to a whole new level and gives it the ability to facilitate an e-commerce shopping experience. Plus, Estatik lets users create multiple listings for their entire property portfolio with a single click.
Using plugins for website changes is a great way to save time and increase your productivity. One example is Yoast SEO, which helps you optimize your website’ Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
With so many plugins available, it’s easy to find the right one for your website. For example, you can find plugins in the areas of spam control, security, contact forms, galleries, backups, pop-ups and drag-and drop page builder.
How to Use a WordPress Plugin?
Here’s a step-by-step guide of how to install the FREE plugin. For the PREMIUM plugin, you’ll notice that it has a different installer which is very easy to use.
Installation of the Free Plugin
- Login to your WordPress admin area.
- Search for the word “Plugins” on the sidebar menu at your left-hand side.
- Click on the “Plugins” menu.
- Click the “Add New” button at the top of the page and you’ll land on the WordPress plugin directory page. Here, you can find all the free plugins for your site.
- Search for the plugin that you want to install by typing the name of the plugin in the search button. You may also type by related functionality.
- Hit the “Install Now” button after searching for the required plugin.
- After completion of the installation process, you need to activate it.
- Simply hit the “Activate” button and your plugin is ready to use.
Installation of Premium Plugin
First, you’ll need to purchase the required plugin for your website. You can buy a plugin from any premium plugin store. Next, you’ll download the ZIP file that contains your plugin and unzip it on your computer. You’re ready to go as soon as you bag and upload the code to your website!
- Similar to a free plugin, login to your WordPress dashboard area.
- Search for the “Plugins” menu at the sidebar of your left-hand side and click it.
- Click the “Add New” button at the top of the page.
- After that hit on the “Upload Plugin” button.
- Next, you should click on the “Choose File” button.
- Select the ZIP file that you previously downloaded on your computer.
- Install it by simply clicking on “Install Now”.
- Finally hit the “Activate” button.
- Your plugin is now ready to use.
How to Find the Best Plugins for Your Website?
Some WordPress plugins are created by professionals and are of high quality. However, others are developed without being taken care of, and might have poor quality. How can you differentiate the companies that provide effective services from those that provide low-quality services? You should be careful when selecting a plugin to answer this question honestly.
Further, the poor quality plugin can harm your website in the following ways:
- Slow down your website
- Crash your site or cause an error
- Expose your site to security vulnerabilities
- Establish a malicious code to your site
There’s nothing to worry about! We have the best plugins for your WordPress site. Take a look at a few of these factors that may help you decide on the perfect plugin.
1. Figuring Out the Need of Your Website
You need to figure out what is the ultimate goal of your website in order to decide on an SEO strategy.
You may find it difficult to install and use WordPress plugins without knowing what they do or how they fit into your website. Without a plan in advance, it is quite easy to waste a lot of time. Instead, focus on creating a list of the kinds of WordPress plugins your website needs to make it fully functional.
2. Search for the Plugins
You’re probably wondering what plugins you should use for your website. It can be tough to pick out the best one for your needs, but we’ll help you out with that!
Those who are done figuring out their website’s needs can simply search for the quality plugins on plugin stores like WordPress official plugin repository, WPEverest.com, CodeCanyon and more.
Want to add exciting features and interactive tools to your website? Don’t know where to start the search for the right plugin? Here’s a way out. Just type in what you want in the search bar and it’ll display related plugins. It really helps simplify finding one that suits your needs.
3. Check for Ratings, Reviews, and Active Installations
With the plugin industry evolving rapidly, it can be beneficial to take an extra step before you even find the right plugin. Just because it’s rated highly doesn’t mean it’ll also deliver a great experience for your website. Make sure that the plugin is popular and has high review counts, too.
You can find the ratings for free plugins at the sidebar of the WordPress repository. Each plugin has star ratings which range from 1 to 5, with a rating of 1 indicating the lowest and 5 indicating the highest. For instance, User Registration has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
User reviews can be helpful for determining a suitable plugin for your WordPress website. Instead of relying on trial and error, you simply need to check for reviews at the WordPress.org site below the download button.
There’s no way to know how many people use a tool like this until you go and check, which is why it’s important to do so. You can view the active installations of any plugin on the WordPress plugin directory under the description button.
We provide ratings, reviews and active installations to help you make well-informed decisions when it comes to selecting the right plugins for your WordPress website.
4. Updates and Compatibility
Most plugins should be regularly updated to ensure their compatibility with WordPress. If your particular version of WordPress doesn’t support the plugin, you might need to troubleshoot serious problems.
There’s no need to forget to check for updated plugins on their plugin platform. Simply log in or out of your WordPress account and manually update each plugin that you install from the WordPress.org website.
In Blogger Pro, you can see which WordPress versions a plugin works best in. You can also see whether it’s compatible with the current version of WordPress and if it has been tested up to.
It’s important to consider different factors before choosing a plugin for your website. User support is just one of those factors, so be sure to look for it in the plugin listing.
Support Forum of Everest Forms
If the developers are responsive, then your plugin should go without any problems. If not, then you might need to take necessary precautions before proceeding. Because if there’s anything wrong with it, you won’t get help from them.
Best Places for Finding WordPress Plugins
- WordPress official plugin repository
- WPEverest.com
- CodeCanyon
- iThemes
- WPMU DEV
- WooCommerce.com
- Mojo Marketplace
Some Essential WordPress Plugins for Every Website
1. Everest Forms
2. Easy Social Sharing
3. Yoast SEO
4. User Registration
5. Akismet
6. Wordfence Security
7. WP Rocket
8. UpdraftPlus
9. Elementor
10. WooCommerce
The Difference Between WordPress Plugins vs Themes
Just begun using wordpress? There are possibilities that you can get confussed with word press plugin and themes.
it is very simple to differ between WP Plugins and Themes.There is nothing difficult.
The plugin is a WordPress extension that adds new features and functionality to your website. The WordPress theme can change the look of your website.
You don’t have to worry about theming your website. You have some amazing templates and themes that showcase your website’s content in the way that you want it to look with infinite flexibility!
The best design themes available for WordPress are Zakra, ColorMag, Neve, Astra, etc. A few of the top plugins are included in our list with additional recommendations. So you might want to take a look at those too!
WordPress plugins and themes have important differences. Theme users can only run one website with a theme at a time, while WordPress plugin users are able to do many things simultaneously.
WordPress lets you choose a default theme for your website. But if you aren’t satisfied, you can find more premium and free themes. These themes are similar to WordPress plugins but have different features.
WordPress, the most popular and widely-used platform for websites, has thousands of themes to choose from. There’s a theme to match every type of website or blog.
FAQs
How many WordPress plugins can be installed for the site?
The number of plugins required for your site depends upon the specific purpose of your site itself. It also depends upon the functionality and size of other plugins you’re using. So, there isn’t any absolute pre-defined number mentioned for installing plugins.
There is one common saying “too many plugins slow down your site”. However, this isn’t the complete truth. The speed of the site is determined by the quality of the plugin and not the quantity of plugin.
But it’s always a good plan to have only those plugins that are truly required for your site. You don’t need to install WordPress plugins with similar functionality or the one that isn’t needed for your website.
Can we install WordPress plugins on WordPress.com?
One of the major downsides with WordPress.com is that you cannot use the WordPress plugins unless you buy their Business plan which costs $25/mo. It means that the majority of users on free, personal, and premium plans cannot install the plugins.
Whereas, self-hosted WordPress i.e. WordPress.org users are benefited from WordPress plugins.
