To Use or Not to Use that Plugin

Guest post by Ryan R. Hughes

"There's a plugin for that." "Just download the plugin.” These are quotes that tend to haunt my dreams. Let me begin by stating that WordPress plugins are wonderful things that can make carrying out an extremely difficult task very simple. However, as with all good things in life moderation is the key!

Lots of Plugins = Lots of Waiting

 

Without getting too technical, adding many plugins adds a lot of bulky code that is required to be loaded with every page on your website. When these stack up, your website can slow to a crawl and push your readers away.

To solve this, always make sure you are only utilizing plugins for things you actually need to use them for. It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re not using two plugins to accomplish the same goal. For example, using two social media plugins when there’s one that accomplishes both goals.

Choosing the right Plugins

There are some general “rules of thumb” you can follow to ensure you’re selecting the right plugins for use on your WordPress website.

1. When was it last updated? - Plugins that aren’t updated regularly are more than likely not going to be good choices. WordPress is not a static platform and plugins must continually be updated to function properly. If you select a plugin that hasn’t been updated in a year, it’s likely the plugin won’t work at all on your website today. It’s also very possible that if it does work, any changes that cause issues in the future will go unresolved.
    
2. What are the WordPress version requirements? - While I recommend always running the most up-to-date version of WordPress, sometimes that’s not possible. Perhaps you have specific coding that is being updated or a plugin that won’t work on the new platform already. Whatever the case may be, ensure you won’t create any headaches by installing a plugin that requires a version later than you currently have deployed.
   
3. Number of Downloads and Ratings - It’s true that number of downloads and ratings aren’t an exact science, but it does allow you to draw some inferences. If something has been downloaded thousands, or even millions of times, and continues to hold a good rating, it’s probably a good plugin. Contrast that with a plugin that has low download numbers and low ratings.

What is your take on plugins? What are your favorites?

 About the Author: Ryan is an entrepreneur and partner at OodleTech, a southwest Ohio based digital
agency with a passion for design, technology, and user experience development. Ryan and his team work with innovative technologies to unlock their full potential.

 

 

Comments

[Carol Bryant]

Thanks for this post, Ryan. I am plagued with this thought and wonder how many is too many.

[Travis Birt]

The idea is to choose the right plugin for your website to easy search engine to crawl your sites.