Plugins on a WordPress site are like organs in a human body. While the WordPress core is just a framework, if you need more features and wish to make your website do certain functions in a certain way, you need to install plugins. In fact, no WordPress site is complete without plugins.
But with more than 40,000 plugins on WordPress.org alone, how are you going to select the ones that you need for your website? Whether you should go for default plugins that come up with your WordPress installation or add most of the free plugins you think you need or selectively look for certain premium plugins?
While running a website, we are always tempted to add as many plugins as possible to enhance the website functions or offer new features to your users or wanting to compete with other websites. However, as your site grows, using plugins becomes a selective process. You will soon realize that it is not the right idea to use every free plugin you come across as useful nor it is worth purchasing dozens premium plugins available in the market. There are a number of factors that will determine the right selection of plugin to ensure the optimal performance of your website.
The biggest problem with plugins is that they keep conflicting with each other or with the theme of your WordPress site. In most cases, you will not come to know of the conflict until you install and activate the plugin. When the site crashes, you realize that the plugin you just installed is the most hated thing of the moment. To make sure that the plugin you are installing does not cause conflict in your WordPress environment, make sure that it is updated at least once during the last one year. The best coded plugins are updated frequently and they perform well for your website.
The other factor in selecting a plugin is the number of downloads it has got. WordPress.org displays the number of active downloads for every plugin it has got. Most popular plugins with 50,000 downloads or 100,000 downloads and more are definitely worth installing on your website because they have been tried, tested and rated on WordPress.org.
Also make sure that the plugin author has developed other plugins on WordPress.org and he or she is still active part of the WordPress community. You can also check out the support forum of that plugin. Of course, free plugin developers may not be willing to spend time in providing all the support for free users but if they have responded to basic questions in the support forum, it means it is a serious plugin.
Usually, well-coded and popular plugins also have a premium version available and their link displayed on WordPress.org. If that premium version suits your budget, then you should go ahead purchasing and installing it. Premium version ensures that your plugin is regularly updated, free of bugs and you get the support from the developer when you demand for it.
When selecting premium plugins, before your purchase, make sure you google their reviews from other users. Not all plugins will be 100% positive but user reviews will help you understand if the plugin is offering what you need. Plus check out if the plugin developer is offering a money back guarantee so that if your plugin fails to match up the expectations of your site, you can claim a refund.
