Choosing and Managing WordPress Plugins

With 54,843 plugins in the WordPress repository, and countless options from other sources, choosing the best plugin for the job at hand can be a serious challenge. We'll talk about some methods for navigating the repository, and how to choose the right plugin for your site (if you've got favorites of your own, we'll make sure you get a chance to share them!).

We'll also speak to the developers in the room--whether you already have a plugin published in the repository, or are looking to add one, what can you do to show that your plugin is reputable, trustworthy, and effective?

Transcript

1. Choosing and Managing WordPress Plugins #wpchattanooga
2. 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
3. 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
4. Finding Plugins wordpress.org/plugins
5. 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.
6. Picking Plugins Popularity Support Documentation Reliability Focus
7. Popularity
8. Support ▪ Last updated ▪ Tested up to ▪ Issues resolved in last two months ▪ Support forums
9. Documentation ▪ Description ▪ FAQ, if needed ▪ Plugin website, if it exists
10. Reliability Reputation ▪ Ratings ▪ Last updated ▪ Tested up to ▪ Issues resolved in last two months
11. Focus
12. Things to Check
14. Ratings and Support
16. 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
19. 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
20. Plugins You Never Knew You Needed ▪ Regenerate Thumbnails ▪ Members ▪ Imsanity ▪ Query Monitor (for local development)
21. 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
22. Questions Thank you! @robincornett (twitter) robincornett.com (web)