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Choosing and Managing
WordPress Plugins
#wpchattanooga
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What is a
Plugin?
A plugin is a piece of software containing a
group of functions that can be added to a
WordPress website. They can extend
functionality or add new features to your
WordPress websites.
--wpbeginner.com/glossary/plugin
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Plugins vs.
Themes
PLUGINS
▪ Add or modify site functionality, features
▪ May modify site appearance
▪ Often receive updates
▪ Can often be “swapped” for an alternative fairly easily
THEMES
▪ Manage site appearance, layout
▪ May add functionality
▪ May or may not receive updates
▪ Will probably require a bit more work to swap out
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Finding Plugins
wordpress.org/plugins
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Disclaimer
Yes, plugins can be found places other than the repository.
Any plugins named in this presentation are used for example purposes only, not as a
recommendation, even if they’re awesome.
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Picking
Plugins
Popularity
Support
Documentation
Reliability
Focus
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Popularity
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Support
▪ Last updated
▪ Tested up to
▪ Issues resolved in last two months
▪ Support forums
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Documentation
▪ Description
▪ FAQ, if needed
▪ Plugin website, if it exists
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Reliability
Reputation
▪ Ratings
▪ Last updated
▪ Tested up to
▪ Issues resolved in last two months
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Focus
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Things to Check
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Ratings and
Support
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WordPress
Information
▪https://ithemes.com/category/wordp
ress-security/
▪https://www.wordfence.com/blog/cat
egory/vulnerabilities/
▪https://sitecheck.sucuri.net/
▪https://wptavern.com/category/plugi
ns
plugins, security, general news
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Plugins Every
Site Should
Have
DEFINITELY MUST HAVE
▪ A security plugin
▪ A good forms plugin
▪ An anti-spam plugin
▪ A backup plugin
NICE TO HAVE, MAYBE
▪ Analytics
▪ A social sharing plugin
▪ E-commerce
▪ Featured posts widget/block
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Plugins You
Never Knew
You Needed
▪ Regenerate Thumbnails
▪ Members
▪ Imsanity
▪ Query Monitor (for local development)
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Repository
Tips for
Developers
▪ Read https://wordpress.org/plugins/developers/
▪ Answer support tickets, or make support channels clear, if
you don’t want to use the WordPress forums
▪ Test your plugin(s) with trunk, beta
▪ At the least, update the “Tested up to:” information in
your readme.txt when a new major version of WordPress
is released
▪ Feel free to update the minimum WordPress version
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Questions
Thank you!
@robincornett (twitter) robincornett.com (web)