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WordPress Plugins

WordPress Plugins are like “apps” for your WordPress site. In other words Plugins are part of what make WordPress Great

WordPress plugins are programs written in PHP scripting language that extends the functionality or add some new features to our WordPress site. They provide additional functions to an application.

Users can add some more functions in their site without any coding skills by adding plugins. There are thousands of freely and commercially plugins available. For each and every function there is a plugin available in the WordPress.

How Do Plugins Work?

Generally, to start using WordPress plugins on your site, you’ll need to:

  • Find a WordPress plugin that you’re interested in
  • Install that plugin on your WordPress site
  • Configure the plugin inside your WordPress dashboard

You cannot use WordPress plugins at WordPress.com – plugins are something that only people who use self-hosted WordPress, AKA WordPress.org, can benefit from.

Best places to find WordPress plugins:

  • WordPress.org – the official WordPress plugin directory and one of the best places to find free WordPress plugins.
  • Code Canyon – a large directory of exclusively premium WordPress plugins.
  • Third-party developers – plenty of developers only sell plugins through their own sites, so using Google is often a good way to find plugins.

Because the vast majority of plugins are free, it is important to note that they usually do not come with tech support. For this reason it is important to be careful when choosing which ones you want to install on your site.

How to Choose a Plugin

  • Make a list of your Requirements : First , you need to know what you want in your site. Make a list of all the features you want to implement in your site.
  • Search Plugins : It is recommended to search plugins through Google search rather than WordPress directory. wordpress.org search is not that much helpful.
  • Compare the Plugins : Choose four or five plugins and compare them by reading their description. Description contains information about that plugin, why it is used, what are its functions, supported versions, etc.
  • Check Reviews : Check the rating and review of the plugin
  • Support Overview : Support gives an overview of number of support threads opened for last 2 months. It also tells how many support threads have been resolved.
  • Compatibility : Compatibility displays the latest version of WordPress with version of plugin. Check number of people say it works then the number of people saying it is broken then this combination will work.
  • Screenshots : Frequently Asked Questions help in a lot of way. Before start using a plugin in your website, go through all these questions.
Plugins are developed by coders of varying experience. Sometimes a plugin can clash with another one giving unexpected results. You have to check reviews before installing them.
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