A Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Plugins

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Without a doubt one of the biggest advantages of using WordPress is the ability to extend its functionality with the use of plugins. You can practically do anything to better optimize the performance of your blog.

From adding a ‘Contact Form’ to creating a ‘Sitemap’ or any feature you can think of, chances are, due to WordPress large community, there are already plugins available if you search google hard enough. You’ll be surprised by the large choices available for you to choose from.

What is Plugin?

In the context of WordPress, plugin is an external code written to expand the functionality of WordPress from its purest form. With plugins, you can practically do almost anything you can imagine to your blog.

This is exactly one of the main reason why I switched from Blogger to WordPress. WordPress has a large community and it makes it more worthwhile for plugin developer to create one that perform a specific function or improve the existing one.

If you are new to WordPress or contemplating to switch side and are not technically-inclined to install plugin on your own, I just like to assure you that as long as you know how to use FTP to upload any file to your web server, everything else is relatively easy.

Where do you find plugins?

As I mention above the best place to find plugins is to google your need. Tips: Search with the keyword wp plugin. This method usually will land you to the developer’s site. Usually, it is where you can find a more detailed instructions.

If Google provides no results, WordPress Official Plugin Directory has a large database of all the WordPress plugins which are compatible to WordPress and are better categorized for ease of search. Depending on your specific need, there are literally thousands of plugins for your consideration.

How do you install plugin?

Nowadays the process to install plugin has been simplified into 3 steps. Everything should work out of the box with the exception of some plugins which may require you to make some specific configuration.

1. Download and unzip the plugin
2. Upload the folder (or file usually a php file) to your plugin directory /wp-content/plugins
3. Activate the plugin from your Admin > Plugins
4. If settings are required, go to Admin > Settings and follow the developer’s instructions.

In the event the plugin does not work, all you need to do is to repeat step #3 and deactivate it. It’s that easy. And with the latest WordPress 2.5, upgrading to the latest update to each plugin has been eased further with just one or two clicks.

Points to consider

It is good to note that since the choice plugin is vast and in most cases, there will be two or more plugins that perform the same function, I suggest that you choose a plugin that best serves your blogging need. You need not worry about it messing up the WordPress core code as the plugin normally works independently. If the plugin just doesn’t help you in anyway, just deactivate it or delete it completely.

Depending on the complexity of the plugins, some may require you to add additional line of code to your template file. If that’s the case, please read carefully the readme file that usually accompanies a plugin or go to the developer’s site for more detailed instructions. But before you do anything, please do Backup your template file. Just in case, something goes wrong.

I hope you will find this tutorial helpful and if you do have any question with regard to WordPress plugins, please leave yours on the comment section below. On the other hand, I’m open to any suggestion on how to make this guide a better guide. If you do have any feedbacks, please do let me know. Thank you.