WordPress plug-ins are an important aspect of building WordPress sites because they allow users to add additional functionality without touching a single line of code. Plug-ins help make WordPress the easy-to-use, flexible, and feature-rich content management system known today.
‘s basic knowledge of plug-ins is essential for every WordPress user, and we are ready to help you. You will learn what WordPress plug-ins are, how to use them, and what types of plug-ins are available.
- what is the WordPress plug-in? How does
- add a WordPress plug-in to your website? How does
- update the WordPress plug-in? How does
- remove or deactivate the WordPress plug-in? How does the
- WordPress plug-in affect website performance?
- What types of WordPress plug-ins are available?
- 1. Secure
- 2. Website optimization
- 3. Contact form plug-in
- 4. Cache plug-in
- 5. Booking plug-in
- 6. Google Analytics plug-in
- 7.SEO optimization plug-in
- 8. Pop-up plug-in
- 9. How does the image optimization plug-in
- get the WordPress plug-in?
? The
WordPress plug-in is some prepackaged code produced by developers in the WordPress community. They are essentially add-ons to extend the functionality of WordPress sites.
sees the WordPress core software as a brand new smartphone with factory settings. It is available, but most users install additional applications to enhance the daily use and overall functionality of their devices. These applications can be downloaded, installed, and uninstalled free of charge at any time. The
WordPress plug-in works similarly. More than 58000 plug-ins can be downloaded from the WordPress plug-ins directory. No matter what your site needs, there is probably a plug-in that can implement them.
has many free WordPress plug-ins available, but you can also get advanced or paid options. Free plug-ins provide basic functionality, while paid options provide additional value, such as advanced features and developer-specific support. How does
add a WordPress plug-in to your website?
has several ways to install the WordPress plug-in, depending on where you get it. The first is the automatic method of
, which allows you to install plug-ins directly from the WordPress administration background. The plug-in directory is built into each WordPress core software for immediate access.
- on your administration screen, go to theplug-inMurray install; install the plug-in. You will find plug-in libraries that can be installed on the WordPress website. Use the search bar to easily find specific plug-ins. After
- finds the one you want to install, select the install button now. For example, we’ll show you how to install Akismet, an anti-spam WordPress plug-in with more than 5 million active installations. When the
- installation is complete, click enable to open the new WordPress plug-in.
you can also manually install WordPress plug-ins that you download from other third-party sources. WordPress allows you to upload, install, and activate plug-ins in ZIP format.
, however, be careful, as many network attackers use plug-ins to attach malicious code to websites. Always make sure that the plug-in source is reliable before installing the WordPress plug-in.
- downloads the plug-in’s ZIP file from a trusted source.
- goes to plug-ins-& gt; installs plug-ins.
- chose to upload the plug-in.
- drag and drop or select the ZIP file you downloaded on your computer.
- clicks the install now button and waits for the upload to complete.
- chose to enable the plug-in. How does
update the WordPress plug-in? It’s important that
keep your WordPress site up to date. This includes updates to the latest version of WordPress as well as your themes and plug-ins. Updating the WordPress plug-in by
is not just about adding new functionality. This is also one of the main ways to maintain website security. There may be vulnerabilities in previous versions of the WordPress plug-in, which will be resolved and fixed in later versions.
provides a wide range of flexibility for its users when it comes to updating plug-ins. Users can decide which plug-ins should be updated automatically.
is in your WordPress management area, go to theplug-inMurray plugin; install the plug-in. You will see a table detailing the plug-ins you installed on the site.
to update individual plug-ins manually, select Update now in the yellow notification box.
wants to update multiple plug-ins manually, select the plug-ins to update by selecting their respective check boxes. Then, select Update from the bulk Action drop-down menu and click apply.
to switch automatic updates, click enable automatic updates under the automatic update column for each plug-in. Setting all plug-ins to update automatically by
will save you the hassle of regularly checking and updating plug-ins on your own time.
, however, in some cases you may prefer manual updates. Although security updates should be installed immediately, feature updates are not that important. Sometimes, plug-ins that have recently added new features may have problems and even slow down your site.
if you want to be extra careful, switch automatic updates only for plug-in developers you fully trust. This means that you must carefully check for updates to other plug-ins. How does
remove or deactivate the WordPress plug-in?
sometimes you want to uninstall one or two plug-ins-for example, some free WordPress plug-ins may not be updated regularly, thus posing a security risk to your site. Others may slow down your site, or you may think your site no longer needs them.
There are two ways to remove the WordPress plug-in-automatic and manual. The
automatic method uses WordPress to manage the settings available in the background.
1. Under the administration screen menu, navigate to theplug-inMurray plugin; install the plugin.
2. In the plug-in table, locate the plug-in that you want to deactivate or delete.
3. Choose to deactivate. This action will only close the plug-in and will not remove it from your site. If you only want to disable the plug-in temporarily, skip the next step.
4. Select remove to completely remove the plug-in from your site. The
manual method involves editing files for your site through the File Manager. Although it is not an immediate automatic method, it is best to know this method if you do not have access to your WordPress administrative background for some reason.
in this guide, we will use the Pagoda File Manager as an example. However, no matter which managed service provider you use, these steps should be similar.
1. Open the pagoda panel and select the file menu. Then go to the root directory of the corresponding website.
2. Go to yourdoamain-& gt; wp-content-& gt; plugins. You will find a subfolder named after the plug-in installed on your site.
3. To deactivate all plug-ins, rename the parent plugins folder to plugins_disable. To deactivate a single plug-in, do the same for all other subfolders, such as akismet_disable. If you want to reactivate the plug-in, revert to the default name.
4. To delete a plug-in, skip the previous step and delete its subfolders. How does the
WordPress plug-in affect website performance?
‘s use of the WordPress plug-in does put additional pressure on your web-managed resources to some extent. As a result, many people think that installing too many plug-ins will slow down their websites.
, however, in fact, the quality and efficiency of WordPress plug-ins have a greater impact on the performance of your site than the number of plug-ins you install.
high-quality plug-ins are designed to be efficient because they consume the least resources. In contrast, low-quality plug-ins tend to take up resources they don’t need, which can have a negative impact on site performance.
you can install dozens of high-quality plug-ins without problems. On the other hand, you can install one or two low-quality plug-ins and see a sharp drop in your loading speed. To maintain good website performance, use plug-ins that have been proven to be effective. A good rule of thumb for
is to check the speed of your site every time you install a new WordPress plug-in. Use a tool such as PageSpeed to determine if there is a difference in website performance before and after installing the plug-in.
, please note that other issues unrelated to plug-ins can lead to poor performance of the site.
takes the virtual host you are using as an example. Your provider may not implement good optimization practices, or you may be using an entry-level hosting program with limited specifications. Another common culprit in
is the bloated theme. Themes that provide too much functionality and the code is not optimized usually slow down the site. When choosing a theme, it is always a good idea to choose a relatively lightweight theme. What types of WordPress plug-ins are available for
?
now that you know what WordPress plug-ins are and how they work, it’s time to learn about the types of plug-ins available. Let’s outline some plug-in categories, what some of the best WordPress plug-ins are, and find out how each plug-in is good for your site.
1. In addition to having secure WordPress hosting for secure
, site-level protection is also important. Insecure websites are vulnerable to data theft, malware and money loss.
WordPress website attacks are so common that the popular security plug-in Wordfence reported 4.3 billion attack attempts in 2020 alone. The
WordPress security plug-in is designed to block these incoming attacks. Many of them include features such as proactive monitoring, firewalls and malicious IP blacklists.
2. Website optimization
according to Pingdom, 34% of visitors leave sites that load for more than 3 seconds. This is why it is important to keep your site well optimized. The
site Optimization plug-in is used to clean up your site’s code and databases, which will greatly improve performance.
3. The contact form plug-in
contact form allows your visitors to contact you quickly and easily without having to search the website for your email address or other communication channels. This can significantly improve the user experience on your site.
if you choose a topic that does not provide such a table, then there are a large number of contact form plug-ins available for WordPress sites. Their features cover a variety of customization and management options, giving you complete control over the form.
4. The cache plug-in
cache plug-in creates a static copy of the web page displayed to the visitor. This process reduces the amount of data transferred between the browser the WordPress database and the server and significantly improves the speed of the site. Many
site optimization plug-ins include caching, but some plug-ins are only used for caching.
knows how to use the LiteSpeed caching plug-in to optimize your WordPress site to 100% on PageSpeed and GTmetrix.
5. Subscription plug-in
subscription plug-in provides convenient functions for specific types of online business. It allows your visitors to make an appointment with you or book your service immediately. Online businesses that
may benefit from booking plug-ins or related topics include rental services, restaurants, ticketing services, professional practice and free creativity.
6. Google Analytics plug-in
Google Analytics is a great tool for tracking the performance of websites. It provides useful information to help you solve problems and improve the overall performance of your site.
has several ways to integrate Google Analytics functionality into WordPress, but installing the Google Analytics plug-in is the easiest way.
7. The SEO optimization plug-in
search engine Optimization (SEO) is a way to improve a site and its content to rank higher in search results. If you own an online business site, search engine optimization is essential to increase the natural traffic and sales of the site.
SEO may take years to master. Fortunately, the SEO plug-in can help you apply its best practices. For example, the SEO plug-in that focuses on blog content can analyze and provide suggestions directly from your article editor.
8. The pop-up plug-in
pop-up window is a window or form that appears on the site. The pop-up plug-in allows you to easily add pop-up windows to your web page without any coding knowledge.
they can be a great way to connect with your visitors and the things they care about. They can also help you expand your mailing list, which is critical to building followers.
9. When the image optimization plug-in
is properly optimized, images can be a great way to make your content more attractive. Poor image optimization can lead to slower load times, bloated storage, and poor SEO. The
WordPress Image Optimization plug-in helps you compress the file size of an image without sacrificing quality. The nine categories of
cover only a fraction of all available plug-ins.
for example, the Page Builder plug-in provides drag-and-drop site builders, backup plug-ins help protect your site’s data, and social media plug-ins allow you to integrate social subscription feeds and display social media buttons.
We recommend identifying your site’s needs and taking the time to study plug-in options that meet those needs. How does
get the WordPress plug-in?
recommends that you obtain advanced plug-ins and free plug-ins from trusted sources. Most trusted sources have security measures and quality control over plug-ins in their libraries.
in addition to the WordPress plug-in directory, there are some third-party resources that allow you to get free and advanced plug-ins with minimal risk:
- CodeCanyon
- PremiumWP
- Envato Elements
- and, of course, us-developed WordPress plug-ins
, however, be wary of third-party resources that offer pirated advanced plug-ins that allow users to download paid plug-ins for free. While it may be tempting to get advanced plug-ins without spending a penny, they are not worth the risk. It is illegal for
to steal from developers who are trying to develop plug-ins. In addition, these types of free plug-ins often contain malicious content in their code that can steal private information or damage your website.
concluded that one of the many benefits of
‘s use of WordPress is its flexibility and the ability to install a large number of paid and free plug-ins. This is why every WordPress beginner needs to know what plug-ins are, how they work, and how to manage them.
in this article, we introduced all the basics of the WordPress plug-in. Now that you know what a WordPress plug-in is, the next step is to find the best plug-in to help you achieve your goals for the WordPress site. We also have a rich library of WordPress guides to help you make the most of your website.
