The large number of plugins is a common reason why website owners choose WordPress. Plugins can be used to extend functionality on your WordPress site or add new functionality.
To say they’re popular would be an understatement. WordPress plugins were downloaded over 1 billion times. The number of plugins available and their widespread use indicate that they offer significant benefits for website owners.
Plugins are popular with website hobbyists as well as online entrepreneurs and businesses. There are both free and premium plugins to suit any budget. WordPress’s community of developers, companies, and other firms provides premium plugins like Bookly.
WordPress was originally designed as a blogging tool, but over time, it has evolved into a content management system that can be used to create virtually any kind of website. Online stores, affiliate sites, membership websites, and media publications now use WordPress. The plugins are essential for delivering the functionality required by these different types of websites.
There is almost always a plugin that will enable you to accomplish whatever you need your website to be able to do. We’ll examine some of the benefits plugins can provide to your WordPress website.
1. There’s a plugin to suit almost every need.
WordPress is a great CMS because an enormous community of talented developers supports it. There is now a huge range of WordPress plugins for website owners to choose from. More than 54,000 plugins are listed in the official WordPress directory.
There is a plugin for every need. WordPress plugins allow you to:
- Add contact forms
- Optimize your website content for SEO
- Email marketing integrated with automated integration
- Backup your website regularly
- Create Membership Areas
- Add live chat
These are only a few of the many possibilities offered by WordPress plugins.
Most other website builders limit your choices. You will often have the functionality that has been built into the website. You will need to hire an additional developer to add functionality beyond what is already built into the website. The addition of safe and secure online payment to a site can be very expensive. You have to be extremely careful when developing a solution because of the security implications. This is not the case with plugins. Bookly can integrate with WordPress ecommerce plugins like WooCommerce to provide safe and secure online purchasing on your website.
2. Meet your changing needs.
When you have your website designed, it is hard to predict all your future requirements. Over time, the needs of businesses will change. You may not have the resources to launch a website with an email marketing campaign. You may decide to add an email newsletter to your website later on. You can find an email marketing plugin to use instead of hiring a developer.
WordPress plugins allow you to add new features whenever necessary. WordPress plugins allow you to add functionality to your website without having to overhaul it. WordPress plugins allow you to make major changes to your site, such as adding a membership section.
This new functionality can easily be implemented at a low cost and in a short time. Plugins are very useful for companies who want to introduce new products or pivot quickly.
3. Options available for free and at low cost
If you wish to add functionality to your website, you’ll need to hire a web developer. Hiring a developer can be expensive, as most website owners know.
WordPress plugins are almost always free and can help you achieve the desired result. There is usually a basic free version of premium plugins. This free version should meet your initial needs. The free version can also be used to test if the plugin will provide you with the functionality that you need. If you’re satisfied that the plugin is working as you expect, you can upgrade to the paid version.
WordPress plugins are usually a relatively cheap option, even if there isn’t an entirely free version. All buyers share the costs of developing a plugin. If you hire a programmer to create the functionality you want, you will be responsible for the entire cost.
4. Information about the plugin that is publicly available
It can be difficult to predict what results will be obtained when you hire a developer to expand the functionality of your site. Many developers are talented, but there are also many less-skilled ones. It can be not easy to decide who to hire to create the solution that you need.
The large amount of available information makes it easier to evaluate WordPress plugins. The number of active plugin installations in the WordPress directory is one way to gauge the popularity of a particular plugin. It is less likely that a plugin with hundreds or thousands of active installations will cause issues than a plugin with fewer. Tens of thousands of users will usually have already identified any problems with a plugin.
It is also possible to see the last time a plugin has been updated. Regularly updated plugins are more reliable than those that haven’t been uploaded in years. You can check the WordPress directory to see which version of WordPress a plugin has been tested on. It is helpful if you have a more recent version of WordPress installed and are worried about possible conflicts.
5. Add this plugin to your WordPress site easily.
WordPress has been designed in such a way that any developer can add their code to it. The WordPress plugin has hooks and filters that allow developers to add functionality. The database is updated when a WordPress plugin is added to a website. You can choose whether to activate or disable the plugin from the admin panel.
It is very easy to find and add plugins to your WordPress site. You can do this in two ways. First, you can do it from your WordPress dashboard by selecting Plugins and then clicking Add New. You can find plugins by using the search box. If you were looking for a plugin to allow you to add a form of contact, you could search “contact forms.” Then, you will be shown a list of plugins that will enable you to add a contact form to your website.
Install the plugin once you’ve found one you like. The plugin is downloaded and installed behind the scenes. Once the download is complete, you can activate it. You can download plugins directly from the WordPress directory, or the website of the seller if it is a premium plugin. The WordPress plugin is a zip file that can be uploaded and activated on your website.
This means you can add any functionality to your website in just a few moments without needing to know how to code.
How to prevent plugin bloat
Although plugins offer a wide range of benefits, they should be used with caution. It’s important to monitor if a newly installed plugin has an adverse impact on your website. You may wish to deactivate the plugin if you notice the performance of your site has decreased after adding it.
Some website owners may add unneeded plugins because of the ease with which they can be added. This can result in plugin bloat. To avoid this, choose plugins developed by well-recognized developers. Also, consider carefully whether a new plugin will be necessary to achieve the functionality you desire. You should avoid adding multiple plugins that accomplish the same functionality.
The conclusion of the article is:
WordPress plugins revolutionized how people create websites. The plugins allow non-coders the ability to get exactly what they want from their websites. These features can be quickly added at a low cost. The flexibility plugins offer is essential for businesses that operate in an environment where business changes rapidly.
