Plugins Grow Powerful
It used to be that the theme brought special functions to a WordPress platform, but increasingly the power has shifted from both the core installation of the WordPress software and from the theme to an array of plugins.Plugins are the preferred way to expand function. This pullquote is by way of a shortcode plugin.
A plugin makes it easy to add the code necessary to do something either very simple like make a list of recent posts, to something very complex like adding a community system (i.e. “Buddypress”).
The WP team has increasingly decided to make features reside in something outside the core.Remember
Too many plugins can cause “bloat” and slow down your site. Try to limit to your “most needed and wanted”.Problems With Plugins
Most of the problems that arise with plugins revolve around “conflicts” with other functions or plugins, and “vulnerabilities”, or ways that hackers can get into your site through the code of the plugin. With all problems from this source it is important that the plugins be updated. If you have updates in your wordpress installation, don’t delay implementing them. WordPress platform has made that easy. What is more difficult is when you don’t know something is vulnerable or it needs updating when bundled into a theme. Best practices that are now advocated by developers is that plugins handle many functions and that they “stand alone” instead of being introduced on the inside of a theme. Recently, a well known, much used photo slider had been compromised in a very dangerous way. It was inside many themes, and alerts were put out, but there are many, many sites that probably go on without correction of the problem. Read about this here. This isn’t to strike fear into your heart, but to educate you. Be aware of what to watch out for in a WordPress installation.Things To Watch
Watch for conflicts between plugins or with your theme. If something isn’t working turn off all and then turn on one at a time to see if that is the problem.
How To Add A WordPress Plugin To Your Blog
Which Choices Out Of Thousands?
There are the basics, the features, and those for specific tasks. Akismet is one of the basics. It prevents spam. Although I changed around a bit, I use Yarpp (Yet Another Related Post Plugin) which brings up related posts for further discovery of your posts. This is an example of a feature: something your blog will really benefit from, but not a basic concern. The third example of plugins that I like are those which add a function or feature that I need for a specific purpose. an example of that is one for recipes, or reviews. Adding social icons, or my favorite, an editorial organizer like “WordPress Editorial Calendar”. Specialty Purposes For recipes I like “Easy Recipe“, although there are others that probably would work as well. If I were a food blogger, I would want to research what worked best for my needs, and possibly buy a premium version. Book blogging also has a choice of a number of special plugins for reviews. I like “Book Review Library” by Chris Reynolds the best. Book Review Library Adsense Publisher Plugin has worked well for me. I’ve tried a number of Adsense ones, but they had issues, so I’m now using Google Publisher for Adsense. It sometimes has problems with my theme, but is better than other ones I used previously. The amount of this type is huge, and the best way to find what you want is to read reviews and find the recommendations of the users who test them. I like reading WPTavern blog for ideas about new ones.Plugin | Feature | Price |
|---|---|---|
YARPP | adds a group of related posts to keep readers interested in your content | free |
Yoasts SEO | Powerful functions to help your SEO | free |
BruteProtect | Secures against security attack | free |
