Plugins in WordPress:
In our day-to-day life, we use the website for almost all kinds of activities. Whether it is for marketing, writing a blog, promoting a business, advertising, or something else, the first thing that comes to our mind is websites.
We love using websites, but the problem is that not all of us know how to use them. Many of us do not even know how to do the basic stuff on a website like inserting content, changing content, inserting pictures, keeping forms, etc.
And, this may be the main reason that is holding you from actually using a website. But, if this is true for you, then worry not, my friend, we have a solution. And, the name of that solution is plugins.
What is a plugin?
If you are new to the world of websites, chances are you have never heard about plugins, so let us take a moment and understand what a plugin is. Simply speaking, plugins are snippets of code that let you perform your desired function in WordPress.
The best part about them is you don’t need to know any code to use them, and there is a plugin for just about anything that you can think of. There are more than 55000 plugins to choose from, not including the third-party plugins.
Therefore all you need is a little bit of information about installing them and a little more interest. In terms of interest, we don’t think we need to help you because, let’s face it, if you were not interested, you wouldn’t have made it this far. So, in regards to information, this article is here to help you.
Steps for using WordPress plugins
Step 1: Installing WordPress:
Since plugins are the features of WordPress, the first step is to install WordPress if you have not done it already. If you are new to WordPress, then worry not; you can follow the link, and within few minutes, you will install and use WordPress. Starting to get concerned, well chill cause WordPress is a platform designed so that you can easily use it even without prior knowledge of coding.
Step 2: Installing a WordPress plugin:
The following job is to install a plugin, and there are multiple ways to choose from. You can select one of the following options based on your liking and preference:
Using WordPress Plugin search:
The easiest way when it comes to installing the WordPress plugin is using the plugin search. All you need to do is go to the WordPress dashboard and select the plugin section. Next, you need to select the add new section and type the plugin you want in the plugin search option.
From the list of displayed plugins, you can select the ones you like. Then, click the install now button and wait for it to download and install. For our example, let us install the classic editor.
Once your installation is completed, you will get the ‘Activate’ button where the ‘Install now’ button was previously present. Click on it, and your work is done. All you need to do now is enjoy using your plugin.
However, the method is only applicable for free plugins. A third-party plugin cannot be installed using this method. If you want to use third-party plugins, we recommend you follow the instructions in Step 3.
Installing a plugin by manual upload:
Another method that is suitable for installing WordPress plugins is using the manual upload method. In this method, you first have to download the plugin you want to upload from the respective website of the developer.
Once you have downloaded the plugin, the file will be in a zip format. Please do make sure the zip file is not unzipped as it needs to be uploaded as it is. The next step is to open the WordPress dashboard, and like the previous step, you need to go to the plugin section and select the ‘add new’ option. You will see an ‘upload plugin’ button at the top of the page. Click that button.
Next, you will see a ‘choose file’ button. Click on it and select the plugin file (the zip file you downloaded before) from its respective location.
After doing so, click the ‘Install now’ button, and your plugin will start installing. As soon as the ‘Activate’ button appears, click on it, and your plugin is ready to use.
If you reached this far, then congratulation. You have the required knowledge to use plugins, and it’s time that you experience the beauty of plugins if you haven’t already. But are you still having doubts and have questions? Don’t worry. Considering the problems first-time bloggers s face, we have prepared a list of FAQs just for you.
Frequently Asked Questions:
There are usually a lot of question beginners asks when they are using plugins. In this section, we will try to answer them as simply as possible:
Question no. 1: How to find the best WordPress plugin for my website?
Well, this mainly comes down to personal preference as need of each person varies from one another. So, we suggest that you go through the 55000+ plugins that WordPress provides and experiment with them to find your taste. Of course, there are always options to use a third-party plugin, but it might cost you a bit. Honestly, though, paying a little charge to get the best of what the premium plugin can offer is totally worth it, in our opinion.
Question no. 2: What is an inactive plugin?
The beauty of using WordPress plugins enables you only to use those plugins you want and keep the other plugins in reserve for future use. These plugins which are installed in your WordPress site but not activated are known as inactive plugins.
Question no. 3: Should I keep an inactive plugin?
Truthfully, that is your choice to make. If you have space on your website and do not mind extra plugins taking that space, sure go forward with it. But if you have space limitations, keeping only the plugins you use would be the safe option.
Question no. 4: Is there is a limit to the number of plugins I can install?
There is no limitation to the number of plugins you can install. But depending upon your website host and the nature of plugins, installing too many plugins can affect your website’s performance.
Question no. 5: How can I delete a WordPress plugin?
It is pretty simple, actually. All you need to do is go to the plugin section, click on the installed plugin in the WordPress admin dashboard, and click the ‘delete button.
