Customising your WordPress website with plugins

If you’ve ever visited WordPress' plugin page, you might have felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of plugins to choose from and unsure how to choose ones that will add value to your site. To make life easier, we’ve compiled our top tips for what to consider when choosing a WordPress plugin.

Customising WordPress with plugins

WordPress plugins are packages of code that extend the functionality of your site. They are designed for a wide variety of purposes and created by different developers around the world. With over 50,000 free plugins and many premium options, there’s plenty to choose from. However, while plugins are helpful, it’s important to avoid overloading your site with too many plugins, especially ones that can accomplish the same thing. Using too many plugins is one of the most common reasons your site may be slow to load.

What to consider when choosing WordPress plugins

With so many plugins available on WordPress, you’ll want to choose one that’s right for the job and doesn’t cause issues for your site. Consider the following questions when you’re making your decision:

Are they secure?

Security is one of the most important considerations when choosing a WordPress plugin. Make sure that the plugin is well-tested and secure to reduce the risk of it harming your site.

What support do they offer?

You’ll want to know what kind of support a plugin offers in case you run into a problem. Check whether the plugin has an active support forum and pay particular attention to responses from the plugin’s creator. This will give you a good idea of whether the developer still supports the plugin.

Do they have a positive reputation?

If a plugin has plenty of positive reviews, that’s a good sign that it's good quality. However, that doesn’t mean that a plugin is bad if it has a few one-star reviews - paying attention to what the majority of people are saying about a plugin will give you a better idea of its quality.

Should I use plugins on my site?

Although WordPress plugins offer a lot of benefits, plugins that are poorly designed can leave your site vulnerable to hacks and some plugins can have compatibility issues when used with others. Plugins may also slow down page speed because they often require additional CSS and JavaScript files to be loaded on the page.

Despite the fact that it might seem daunting to choose the right plugins, you can reduce risks to your site by choosing a plugin that is reputable and testing it on a staging site. Utilising a staging site will allow you to check if the plugin works as you expected and check if there are any compatibility issues with your existing plugins.

Best practices for WordPress web development

Once you’re familiar with the basics of WordPress, you can learn how to make your site user-friendly and what you can do to help it stand out from the crowd. Although every website is unique, here are some helpful tips that apply to all types of sites.

Opt to make site updates in a test environment if possible

Making changes directly to your site live can be risky, especially if your site is heavy with traffic or the changes you’re making affect site-wide elements. It’s critical to avoid downtime, especially if your website is connected to your business as this may cause you to lose sales. Using a test environment such as a staging site will eliminate this risk. While this isn’t entirely necessary, it’s definitely encouraged for larger sites.

Make sure your themes and plugins are up to date

Going through your themes and plugins and making sure they’re all up to date is important to ensure your site is secure and running up to speed. Outdated versions may have vulnerabilities that can put your site at risk.

Make sure your sites are mobile-friendly

While you’re checking your themes and plugins, double-check that your site is mobile-friendly. If you’re using up-to-date themes and plugins, your site should perform well on smaller screens. However, if you’re using a custom web design, you may need to check more carefully whether your site is mobile-friendly.

Ensure your site is easily accessible

The more accessible your site is, the longer users are likely to stay. Make sure your site has a clear layout, high-quality content, and search options. Everything should be labelled clearly and your site should be easy to navigate.

Utilise WordPress’ online support

If you’re having issues with creating your website, chances are that someone else has had the same issue. Check out WordPress’ forums or get in contact with the WordPress team for help.

Not quite ready to jump into the world of web development or just want a hand to help your website shine? OMDIGI can help! Take a look at the web development services we offer or get in contact with us to find out more.