Unlocking the Power of Plugins: A Deep Dive into Their Functionality

WordPress needs no introduction as it is the world’s most popular CMS that is used by everyone.

Well,

WordPress comes with many benefits that we all are aware of, right?

Similarly, PLUGIN is one of the main features that play an essential role in maintaining the WordPress website or blog. If anyone asked you what you know about plugins. Then, your answer will be we use it for the functioning of the website.

Like plugins for security, performance, layouts, content management, and endless purposes. So, let’s not underestimate the power of a plugin just because it appears small; it can create waves like an ocean in your digital world.   

It’s time to unlock the secrets of plugins in this must-read article! Dive deep into all you need to know and stay ahead with valuable insights.

What is Plugin?

In computing, a plugin (also called an add-on or extension) is a software component that adds specific functionality to an existing program. It’s like adding extra tools to your toolbox!

Below written are some key points about plugins:

• Extends capabilities: They allow you to do more with the program you already have. For instance, you might need a plugin to play videos on a website, or to add special effects to photos in an editing program.
• Customization: Plugins let you tailor the program to your specific needs. There are many different plugins available, so you can find ones that add the features you use the most.
• Easy to install: Typically, plugins are easy to install and use. You can usually find them on the official website of the program you’re using, or from a trusted third-party source.

Some common examples of plugins include:

Web browser plugins: These allow you to play videos, listen to music, or view certain types of content on websites.

Photo editing plugins: These add special effects or filters to your photos.

Media player plugins: These allow you to play different audio or video formats.

What is a WordPress plugin?

A WordPress plugin is similar to a regular software plugin, but specifically designed for WordPress websites. They act like little Lego bricks that you can add to your website or blog to give it new features and functionalities.

Go through the working of WordPress plugins below:

• Adding Features: Imagine WordPress as a basic framework for building a house. Plugins are like extensions that add functionalities like plumbing (contact forms), electricity (analytics), or a fancy doorbell (social media sharing).
• Expanding Potential: With enough plugins, you can transform your WordPress site from a simple blog to a full-fledged online store, a membership community, or even a complex appointment booking system.
• No Coding Required: Most plugins are designed to be user-friendly, so you can install and activate them without needing to write any code. There are thousands of free and paid plugins available to suit almost any need.

In essence, WordPress plugins make it easy for anyone to build powerful and customized websites, even without coding knowledge.

Working of plugins

Plugins are small software that boosts the function of existing applications or websites. The working of the plugin takes place by extending the features and capabilities of the platform installed. The moment it gets activated plugin integrates easily with the application’s codebase, supporting users to access new tools, features, or services.

Normally, plugins follow the developer’s particular set of instructions. These instructions indicate the working of plugins with the core system and the changes it’s going to make. The plugin installed and configured plugins can alter the various aspects of an application or website, like inserting a new function and altering the user interfaces, known as application programming interfaces (APIs) or external services and more.

Plugins serve as modular add-ons that help developers to modify and optimize their applications without having to rewrite the code from scratch.

List of famous plugins of WordPress

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Yoast SEO is a very old name in the WordPress world. It helps to optimize your website content for search engines, improve readability, and provide valuable insights to improve your site’s overall SEO.

All in One SEO Pack is another popular SEO plugin that offers a comprehensive set of tools to optimize your website for search engines.

Security

Jetpack offers a variety of features, including security protection, backups, speed optimization, and content tools

Wordfence Security is a powerful security plugin that protects your website from malware, hacking attempts, and other threats.

Performance

WP Rocket is a premium plugin that helps you improve the speed and performance of your WordPress website.

W3 Total Cache is a popular caching plugin that helps to improve the speed of your WordPress website.

E-commerce

WooCommerce is a well-known e-commerce plugin in the IT industry. It allows you to easily create an online store and sell products online.

Easy Digital Downloads is a popular plugin for selling digital products such as ebooks, PDFs, and audio files.

Form Builders

WPForms is a user-friendly plugin that allows you to create contact forms, order forms, and other types of forms for your WordPress website.

Contact Form 7 is a popular free plugin that allows you to create simple contact forms for your WordPress website.

Backup

UpdraftPlus is a popular plugin that allows you to easily back up your WordPress website to the cloud.

VaultPress by Jetpack is another popular backup plugin that offers automatic backups and easy restoration.

Page Builders

Elementor is yet another well-known drag-and-drop page builder plugin that helps users to develop easy custom layouts for their website.

Beaver Builder is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin that offers a variety of features for creating custom layouts.

Read: List of Top 20 WordPress Plugins for Bloggers: Updated

How to Add WordPress Plugins to Your Website?

There are two main ways to add plugins to your WordPress website:

Using the WordPress Plugin Directory:

Log in to your WordPress dashboard: This is the admin area where you manage your website. Typically, you can access it by going to http://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin (replace yourwebsite.com with your actual domain name).

Navigate to the Plugins menu: In the left-hand sidebar menu, hover over “Plugins” and click “Add New”.

Find your desired plugin: You can browse the extensive library of plugins available or use the search bar to find a specific plugin by name or functionality.

Install and Activate: Once you’ve found the plugin you want, click “Install Now” and then “Activate” to start using it.

Uploading a Manual Plugin:

Download the plugin file: Make sure you download the plugin from a trusted source, such as the WordPress plugin directory or the developer’s website. The file is available in a .zip format.

Go to the Plugins menu: Navigate to “Plugins” and then “Add New” as mentioned in the previous method.

Upload the plugin: Click the “Upload Plugin” button at the top of the page. Click “Choose File” and select the downloaded plugin zip file from your computer.

Install and Activate: Click “Install Now” and then “Activate” to use the plugin.

Read: The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Maintenance: Tips and Tricks

How to Update a WordPress Plugin?

Updating your WordPress plugins is crucial for maintaining the website’s security, performance, and compatibility. There are two main ways to update plugins:

Using the WordPress Dashboard:

Log in to your WordPress dashboard: Access the admin area where you manage your website (usually http://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin).

Navigate to the Updates menu: In the left-hand sidebar menu, go to “Plugins” and then “Updates”.

Review available updates: This page will show you a list of plugins that have updates available.

Update individual plugins: For each plugin you want to update, click the “Update Now” button next to its name. The plugin gets downloaded and installed quickly.

Bulk update plugins (optional): If you have multiple plugins to update, you can choose to update them all at once. At the top of the list, click the checkbox next to “Plugin.” Then, from the dropdown menu under “Bulk Actions,” choose “Update” and click “Apply.”

Additional Tips:

• Backup your website: It’s highly recommended to create a backup of your website before updating plugins, especially if you’re updating multiple plugins simultaneously. This helps you to take a backup of your website data if any issue occurs during the update process.
• Update one at a time (optional): While bulk updates are convenient, consider updating plugins one by one, especially for critical plugins. This way, if an update causes any problems, it’s easier to identify the culprit.
• Review update details (optional): Some updates might involve significant changes. If available, you can take a moment to skim the update details or changelog on the plugin’s website to understand what’s included in the update.

Alternative Method: Manual Update via FTP (for Advanced Users):

This method is less common and recommended for advanced users comfortable with FTP (File Transfer Protocol) clients. It involves downloading the updated plugin file, uploading it to your website’s server, and potentially deleting the old plugin folder. However, using the WordPress dashboard is generally the safer and more convenient approach.

By following these methods and keeping your plugins updated, you’ll ensure your WordPress website remains secure, performs well, and benefits from the latest features and bug fixes offered by the plugin developers.

Read: How to Reset Root Password in CentOS?

How to Remove or Deactivate WordPress Plugins?

There are two main ways to deal with WordPress plugins: deactivation and deletion (uninstallation).

Deactivating a Plugin

This is a temporary measure that disables the plugin without removing it from your site. You can reactivate it later if needed, and all its settings will be preserved.

Steps to deactivate a plugin through your WordPress dashboard:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
3. Find the plugin which you want to deactivate in the list.
4. Just click Deactivate below the plugin name.

Deleting (Uninstalling) a Plugin

This completely removes the plugin from your website or blog. Its files and settings will be deleted. Make sure you don’t need the plugin anymore before deleting it.

To uninstall a plugin:

Follow steps 1 and 2 to deactivate a plugin (go to Plugins > Installed Plugins).

Click Deactivate for the plugin you want to remove.

Once deactivated, the plugin will Delete the link next to it. You have to click Delete.

Confirm the deletion by clicking OK in the pop-up window.

Learn how Plugin affect the website performance

Using WordPress plugins puts an extra strain on your web hosting resources to some extent. Thus, various people believe that installing too many plugins will let their website/blog slow down. A fact of the matter is WordPress plugin quality and efficiency have a larger impact on website performance than the number of plugins installed.

High-quality plugins are developed efficiently as they take up minimal resources. Whereas low-quality plugins tend to take up resources they don’t need, it can also affect the performance in a negative way.  

You can install dozens of high-quality and low-quality plugins to monitor the speeds dramatically. In order to maintain the website’s performance, you can opt for using the plugins that are proven to work efficiently.

To check the speed of the website all the time you need to install a new WordPress plugin called PageSpeed to know if any difference in the website performance before and after you install the plugins.

Read: Migrate In 2024: Our Comprehensive Website Migration Manual to the Next Level

FAQ’s

How many plugins we are allowed to use in WordPress?

Well, there is not an ideal answer to this question. But on average, you are allowed to add 30 plugins.

Can I use 2 SEO plugins in WordPress?

You don’t. In such case, two plugins will conflict with each other and this leads to cause an error in your WordPress installation. It’s suggested to use a single SEO plugin at a time.