Three Tips for Using WordPress Plug-Ins
One of the coolest things about WordPress is the ability to add additional functionality and features to your website by simply installing plug-ins.
There are thousands of free plug-ins online for you to play with and these can really provide a great experience to both you as a webmaster and to the readers of your website.
As a new WordPress webmaster I went a little crazy with plug-ins.
It seemed that every time I went looking for something I'd come across a new one that offered a whole new feature that I'd never even thought about! I was installing these things all over the place and it quickly got a bit out of control.
Here are a few tips that might help you manage...
Tip#1) One at a time Most of the time when you are looking for a plug-in to do a specific thing you'll find several that do the same or similar function.
I've found it best to try them out one at a time until you find the one that works the best.
At times if you install several and try and play with them all at once you may get an error which is caused by what is known as "plug-in conflict.
" This can be annoying at the least and at worst will prevent you from realizing what the problem really is and you may miss out on the right plug-in.
Be sure to uninstall any you decide not to use as well.
Tip #2) DON'T PANIC If you haven't yet had this happen it probably will.
As mentioned above there will be a time when you install a cool new plug-in only to find that you get either an error, something is off with your website or your site might even crash.
Don't panic.
Most will come with a mini dashboard of their own (access from the Admin side) that requires some setting adjustment or information before they work properly.
If you can't find the problem check the WordPress Forums or the developers' website for a possible fix.
If you still can't get it working right deactivate it then uninstall.
Chances are there is another one out there that will do what you need without the problems.
Tip #3) Keep them up to date WordPress is always improving and changing.
As the core software changes there will be newer versions offered.
The same hold true for plug-ins.
Your site will alert you when one of your plug-ins has a new update or version available.
Make sure to do the upgrades! It's a very simple process usually consisting of just one click.
If you let these get out of date you are just asking for problems down the road.
Thanks for reading and hope this helps!
There are thousands of free plug-ins online for you to play with and these can really provide a great experience to both you as a webmaster and to the readers of your website.
As a new WordPress webmaster I went a little crazy with plug-ins.
It seemed that every time I went looking for something I'd come across a new one that offered a whole new feature that I'd never even thought about! I was installing these things all over the place and it quickly got a bit out of control.
Here are a few tips that might help you manage...
Tip#1) One at a time Most of the time when you are looking for a plug-in to do a specific thing you'll find several that do the same or similar function.
I've found it best to try them out one at a time until you find the one that works the best.
At times if you install several and try and play with them all at once you may get an error which is caused by what is known as "plug-in conflict.
" This can be annoying at the least and at worst will prevent you from realizing what the problem really is and you may miss out on the right plug-in.
Be sure to uninstall any you decide not to use as well.
Tip #2) DON'T PANIC If you haven't yet had this happen it probably will.
As mentioned above there will be a time when you install a cool new plug-in only to find that you get either an error, something is off with your website or your site might even crash.
Don't panic.
Most will come with a mini dashboard of their own (access from the Admin side) that requires some setting adjustment or information before they work properly.
If you can't find the problem check the WordPress Forums or the developers' website for a possible fix.
If you still can't get it working right deactivate it then uninstall.
Chances are there is another one out there that will do what you need without the problems.
Tip #3) Keep them up to date WordPress is always improving and changing.
As the core software changes there will be newer versions offered.
The same hold true for plug-ins.
Your site will alert you when one of your plug-ins has a new update or version available.
Make sure to do the upgrades! It's a very simple process usually consisting of just one click.
If you let these get out of date you are just asking for problems down the road.
Thanks for reading and hope this helps!
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