WordPress Plugin Tips and Tricks

Millions of websites are relying on software to run their backend. While there are some people that may still work with customized content management systems, others prefer a simpler methodology. One of the easiest ways to get this accomplished is through the use of WordPress. This is a solution that focuses on ease of use, and updates within a database, all without doing the heavy coding. It is the premier software that is free to install, and use, and it’s updated on the regular. If you have WordPress, then you don’t need an introduction as to how this works, but rather a few tips on how to maintain it moving forward. Your web hosting company may already update your WordPress install often, as new updates are released, but outside of that, you’ll need to do some management of your own. Don’t worry, it’s not that difficult.

When it comes to plugins there is one general rule of thumb:  The less Plugins you use the faster your site will be!

Plugins Galore

The first thing that you will notice about the latest crop of WordPress installations is that you’ll have a few plugins up front. When you go to the plugins menu in WordPress, you’ll find that there are a few options to consider overall. There will be some variant of protection for you, there will be an update option and perhaps a secondary spam filter. Aside from that, you are free to download and install any plugin you may find online. But here’s the kicker, not all of them are going to be great. It’s for that reason that a few tips should be taken into consideration as you move forward with your website today.

Consider The Last Update

You’ve done it! You’ve found an amazing plugin for your WordPress install, and you’re ready to go with it. That’s great, it happens to everyone. You go ahead and set it up, activate it, and your whole site goes down or you see major problems. What happened? Well, here’s a quick tip in regards to plugins that most don’t tell you, and it’s simple, consider the last time it was updated. Seriously, consider the last time the plugin you’re using was updated, and you’ll notice a big difference in what you’re doing. As much as people build and distribute WordPress plugins, they also set them, and forget them. Even the most popular options you see online may not have been updated recently. That means that they may succumb to issues, including malicious scripting, and more. Look for options that have been updated recently or are being updated often.

The Over Promising Plugin

When you look into plugins, don’t just go with something that promises you the world. There are many options that promise to make your website amazing, and increase the speed, the API pulls, and even turn your site into a turnkey e-commerce website. There’s so much floating around that you can easily fall for an over reaching option that doesn’t work at all. You have to be very careful as to what a WordPress plugin is promising you, and how you should navigate it overall.

Paying For Plugins

There is a fine line between free and pay in regards to WordPress plugins. Be careful as to whom you give your money and for what reason. There’s a lot of affiliate marketers out there that will easily take all your money and leave you with nothing as a result. You have to look at what the plugin promises to do, and then see if it’s worth your time. You have to read the fine print on these, the TOS, and see if it will fit within your website’s installation, and process. Don’t just trust any website or plugin that you see, it’s just not that good. Always make sure to question who is selling you the plugin and for what purposes, so that you are able to gauge the outcome ahead of schedule.

Explore Options, But Not Too Many

Too many plugins can cripple your WordPress installation. This is something that you want to learn fast. Many people assume that the more plugins that they have in their site, the better things are going to be. That’s not the case. Think of plugins like decorations on a Christmas tree. The more you put on, the fuller the tree gets, and the heavier things are on the branches. Your site is similar, and too many scripts running from plugins will cause slow down and eventually failure.

There you have it, some quick tips that will help your WordPress run better. Plugins are great, but be careful as to how you approach them and download them.