When this article was written there are around 59K free plugins available in WordPress repository. Besides these free plugins, there are hundreds of thousands of free and premium plugins offered through third-party websites. For example, one of the popular marketplaces – Codecanyon has over 6600 plugins under WordPress plugins category. When there are too many choices for every single need, it is a daunting task for site owners to look for the good plugins. In this article, we will discuss important points you should consider before installing and activating plugins on your WordPress site.
Why Do You Need a Plugin?
If your theme (custom or free) as such includes the specific needs like social sharing, there will be no need of installing plugins or at least you need very less plugins. Since WordPress shares functions between theme and plugin development, it leads developers to consider certain functions as a plugin and and not part of a theme. In addition to this factor, themes are built for general purposes while most of the plugins are developed for specific needs. In a nutshell, whatsoever the costly theme you buy, there will be need of plugins to run a WordPress site with the complete features as you wish.
Preparing the List – General Vs Specific Need
You may need two types of plugins to support your WordPress site – general and specific. General purpose plugins are needed for one of the followings:
- Search engine optimization including webmaster tools related stuffs.
- Social sharing icons and follow profiles.
- Security plugins for stopping multiple logins, IP ban and protect from brute force attack.
- Spam protection for comments and contact form submission.
- Backup plugins for backup or cloning your site.
- Setting redirection for modified posts and for migrated posts with different extension.
Specific purpose plugins depends on the specific needs of an individual site owner and some of the examples are as below:
- Creating custom post types like glossary, eBook or deals.
- Adding customized tables on your site.
- Plugins needed for displaying advertisements and affiliate links.
While it is easy to find a quality general purpose plugins, it is really difficult to find the one for your custom needs. So, it is a good idea to list down all your plugin requirements and classify them as generic or specific along with the options you prefer.
| Purpose | Type | Preference | Where to Get | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | General | Yoast SEO, All in One SEO | WordPress Repository | Free |
| Social Sharing | General | Easy Social Sharing Buttons | Codecanyon | $19 |
| Affiliate | Specific | WP Affiliate, Thirsty Affiliate | Third party site | $49 |
The idea of preparing such a list is – in case of an issue you already know the alternatives, where to get it and the budget. Almost all the free plugins offer limited functions and ask you to upgrade for a premium version. Though the limited version may be sufficient for your need, generally the free versions lag support. Based on our experience, it is always better to choose a premium plugin especially for specific needs.
Searching for a Good Plugin
When you are inside the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to “Plugins > Add Plugin” section. You can view “Featured”, “Popular”, “Recommended” and “Favorites” sections along with an option to search based keyword(s). We do not recommend searching here because the results will not guide you to choose the best plugin. Rather you can use Google search or select the plugins under favorites/popular sections. Let us take an example of creating a table in WordPress, searching the keyword “Table” will show the below results on WordPress.org site:
You will get the results something like below, when searching on Google for “WordPress table plugins” (ignore AI recommendations and view other results or go to “Web” tab).
First, you will get options from WordPress.org or from developer’s sites. After that, you can find the sites offering comparison of best plugins for creating tables. Let us pick up the one of the results – “TablePress”, which is a free plugin and check the plugin’s page on WordPress.org site.
There are useful information on the plugin’s page you can check before choosing it. Read carefully about the functionality explained on the page and check out the demo and additional details on the external plugin page if provided. Click the “Advanced View” link on the sidebar to check the statistics daily download status which is an indication of the usage.
Unlike free plugins, getting all related details of an unknown plugin is very difficult. We recommend buying premium plugins from third-parties only if they have a presence in WordPress.org site or from reputed a developer like Perfmatters or WP Rocket. Also, marketplaces like Codecanyon help to find a decent plugin for specific needs. Though the review and ratings details can be found on the plugin’s home page, you need to be careful since the information provided may be fake.
Factors for Choosing a Best Plugin
Now that you have a list of plugins needed for your site and know where to find the plugin’s details, here the factors you should consider before purchasing or installing a plugin on your live site.
1. Check Plugin Source
The reliability of a plugin starts with its source. Always download plugins from trusted platforms like the WordPress Plugin Repository, official websites of developers, or well-known third-party marketplaces such as CodeCanyon. Avoid downloading plugins from unverified or suspicious websites, as they may contain malicious code or outdated versions.
2. Read User Reviews
User reviews can provide valuable insights into a plugin’s performance and reliability. Look for plugins with a high average rating (preferably 4 stars or higher) and read through the reviews to understand common issues or problems users have encountered. Pay close attention to negative reviews, as they often highlight potential red flags.
3. Check the Update Frequency
A plugin that is regularly updated (check the last updated date on the plugin page) is a sign of active development and maintenance. Frequent updates ensure that the plugin stays compatible with the latest version of WordPress and remains secure. Avoid plugins that haven’t been updated in several months or years, as these may pose compatibility issues or vulnerabilities. WordPress.org site will also show a warning if a plugin is not tested for the last three major WordPress versions. You can simply avoid those plugins as they can easily create conflicts due to the outdated code.
4. Verify Compatibility
Before installing a plugin, check its compatibility with your current WordPress version and other installed plugins. Check the “Tested up to” tag in the WordPress plugin repository, which indicates the latest WordPress version it supports. Ensure that the plugin is being updated regularly; also you can check the “Change Log” for more details on each update.
5. Check the Features (Free and Premium)
Ensure the plugin meets your specific needs by carefully reviewing its description and list of features. A clear, comprehensive description often indicates a professional developer who understands user requirements. If the features align with your requirements, it’s a good sign the plugin is worth considering.
6. Examine Support Availability
Support is crucial if you encounter issues or have questions about using the plugin. Check if the plugin developer offers active support through forums, email, or a ticketing system. Check the “Support” status on the WordPress plugin page where you can see how quickly developers respond to queries. The summary will show the number of issues reported and resolved in past two months. Again, we recommend opening the forum and read the issues to ensure the type of issues reported.
8. Look at Installation Numbers or Sales
The number of active installations is a good indicator of a plugin’s popularity and reliability. Plugins with thousands or even millions of active installations are likely to be well-tested and widely trusted. However, don’t disregard newer plugins that may have fewer installations but excellent reviews and active support. For a premium plugin, you can get an overall idea based on the number of sales.
9. Analyze Plugin Size and Performance Impact
Some plugins can significantly slow down your website due to bloated code or inefficient execution. Before installing, check the plugin’s size and read user reviews to see if there are complaints about website performance. You can also install the plugin on your staging site or local server setup to check everything is working fine without issues.
10. Scan for Security Risks
Security should be a top priority when selecting a plugin. Research to ensure the plugin doesn’t have a history of vulnerabilities or exploits. Tools like WPScan or online forums can help you identify plugins with potential risks. Avoid using “nulled” or pirated versions of premium plugins at any cost, as these often contain malware.
11. Supported Languages
If you are looking for plugins supporting other languages (than English), then check the “Languages” link on the plugin’s page sidebar. This will show the current list of supported languages. If your language is not listed or you are not able to find this information for a premium plugin, asl the developer to confirm.
Testing and Updating
Once you have installed the required plugins, follow the strict guidelines in order not to affect the live site.
- Always update the plugins or try out new plugins on a localhost or staging site. Never try updating or installing new plugins on a live site (especially major plugins like WooCommerce).
- Unless there is a security update, follow your own cycle for updating plugins – may be once in a week or month is a good idea based on your content publishing schedule.
- Always keep the backup of your entire site (including database) before updating the major plugins like WooCommerce.
- You can always downgrade the plugin to lower version if you notice any compatibility issue with your site. Learn more on how to revert WordPress plugins to lower version.
- Avoid updating plugins instantaneously; always wait for a week to see any issues are reported regarding the upgrade. If there are no issues, then go for the update as per your schedule.
Conclusion
It is necessary to understand that a single plugin with not much importance can break the complete site. Also, it is a difficult task for single site owners to keep track of all updates related to WordPress, theme and all plugins on the site. Keeping the cost, maintenance and time in mind, it is highly recommended to keep your requirements clear and ready with your budget before looking for a plugin. Be open to buy premium plugins instead of always looking for the free stuffs. Carefully choosing the plugin and keeping the plugins up to date will ensure your site is safe and loads faster.
