How To Use WordPress Plugins

One of the best and most important things about WordPress is the ability to use plugins! Plugins are very special additions or add-ons to WordPress that let it go from an old fashion static site to something spectacular and impressive in a very short amount of time. A plugin can take you from passive to interactive, from nothing to special to spectacular! It is essentially software or an app that you add to your instance of WordPress to make it do something you want, or behave in a certain way. One plugin could be adding a contact form, another clickable social media icons, another a discussion forum, or even a shopping cart. Honestly, plugins for WordPress don’t have enough space to explain them all. This is what makes WordPress so special. Instead of buying or using heavy software, you can customize your WordPress instance to do exactly what you want and need it to do.

So what plugins should you install?

You don’t actually need to install any plugins to get going. However, once you become more familiar with WordPress, adding new plugins will definitely help create a better site. Most people use some form of the following plugins on their site: SEO: A plugin that allows the site owner to make their WordPress more SEO friendly. Contact Form: A plugin that allows you to insert a contact form on any page you want. Backup: A plugin that helps you automatically back up your website or blog so you’ll have it if something goes wrong. Social Media: Most people have “Like” buttons, “Tweet” buttons and more on their blogs and websites today, and plugins make it easy to add them without knowing any code. Security: Always add some form of security to your blog or website to ensure safety from hackers. You might think that no one cares about your little blog, but these hackers are often not even people, they are computer programs designed to find security holes and this can happen to the most obscure blog or website.

How to Install a Free WordPress Plugin Through WordPress

Most of the free plugins you hear people talking about will be available to download right from within their WordPress dashboard, they are available from what is known as the WordPress Repository. To find one, click Add New on the WordPress Plugins menu. Now you can enter your search term into the box before pressing Search Plugins. For this tutorial, we will be searching for and activating a contact form plugin. You can search for anything, whether it is the exact name of a plugin someone told you about, or a type of plugin you need. A Facebook posting plugin, an SEO plugin etc.

You will now see your search results. Simply read the name and description in the list and click Install Now for the plugin you want to install and use. You will be asked if you are sure you want to install the plugin, click OK.

Alternatively you can click Details to see more information about any plugin before choosing to install it. You can then either press the X button to return to the search results, or click Install Now. After installing a plugin, you will see a screen like this. You will not be able to use your plugin until you click Activate Plugin.

Now that your plugin is installed and activated, you can go ahead and use it, or you can repeat the process to install further plugins. Note that each plugin is designed differently. Many of them will add an option to the WordPress Settings menu. Many, however, will add their own Options link. If you can’t find a settings page for the particular plugin you installed, click Install Plugins from the WordPress Plugins menu, and scroll down the list of plugins until you find a documentation link for the one you’re interested in. For the Contact Form plugin for example, you can install it now and see it appear in our plugins list. Within that list are also links to plugin FAQs and support sites for more information.

Some plugins are not available through the WordPress dashboard. This is true with paid plugins and some free plugins. Not to worry, installing them is still easy! Simply download the plugin zip file from the developer and then click Add New in the WordPress Plugins menu, as you did before. When you get to the search screen, click Upload instead of searching for the plugin. Next, choose the File button, and select the plugin file from its location on your hard drive.

As you did in the steps above, be sure to click Activate Plugin once you’ve uploaded your plugin zip file. Easy, right?! Now all you need to do is use your plugin like any other plugin. Some paid plugins may require you to enter a product key, so be sure to refer to their own documentation. Note: It’s important to pay attention to your installation of any plugins and read the write-up on each plugin you want to use. Some plugins don’t play nice with each other, so you’ll need to pick and choose based on your theme and compatibility issues.

Updating Your WordPress Plugins

Keep in mind that things on the internet are always changing and getting better. WordPress plugins are no different, which is why you need to watch out for plugin updates. When an update is offered for your plugin, it’s very important that you go ahead and upgrade as soon as possible. Read all the instructions and issues first, and get help if you need it, but most updates involve fixing security flaws as well as adding functionality. You’ll know if your plugin needs to be updated by looking in your dashboard. In the example, there is a number “4” next to the Updates section. This shows that there are 4 updates available – this total number includes plugins, themes, and your WordPress installation. Click the Updates button to see more.

You’ll now see what needs to be updated on your WordPress installation. On the example website, you can see that there are only two themes that need to be updated. You can click the blue links, highlighted above, to see more about these updates and check for any compatibility issues or security vulnerabilities.

You can now choose which plugins you want to update. Important note: Make sure you backup your WordPress installation before updating any of your plugins! It’s a good idea to backup before making any major changes to your site, as things can go wrong. To update, select the checkbox next to the plugin name, and click the Update Plugins button. In this example, I’m updating the Jetpack plugin.

You’ll now see a page while the update is in progress. It’s very important that you don’t close this page or click away until you see the Update Complete message, as shown above. Your plugin is now updated – easy! You can go back and repeat this progress whenever you need to.

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