How To Choose A WordPress Plugin Which Can Satisfy You?
July 23rd, 2014 | by Ravi Chahar || 32 Comments |
You are all aware of the availability of thousand of plugins in WordPress directory. From all the WordPress plugins, it’s somehow difficult to choose a good plugin.
You may find more than one plugin for your query but to make sure before using is necessary as we all know that we should keep our path safe. How to choose a WordPress plugin?
It’s the main problem in the starting days of a blogger.
For beginners selecting a WordPress plugin from many plugins is not that much easy. They need to check some specific qualities of that particular plugin.
Before this, they need to know how to install a WordPress plugin? In this post, I am going to sum up all the points on the basis of which you can choose a good plugin from the WordPress directory.
Choose A Plugin On the Basis Of Some Details
There are many free and paid plugins which can be used for a WordPress blog. For both types of plugins, you need to check their reviews, support, rating and other features explained in detail below.
- Take a look at the support:- If a plugin is considered as good then support for that plugin must be good. Most of the plugin developers provide support for their plugin at the WordPress page where you find the plugin. To contact you need to log in and you can easily ask your doubts regarding that plugin. You may find any particular website of the developer where you can find the support and details of all plugins developed by that developer. There is a greater possibility that you may see replies to other users from which you can have an idea about the support.
- Check reviews of the plugin:- WordPress has given freedom to its users so that they can drop their experience in the form of review for the WordPress plugin. When you open the plugin’s page at WordPress.org you can check the reviews in which you can see reviews given by many users. There may by some negative reviews and some positive reviews. Having more positive reviews is the sign that the plugin is good to use at your website.
- You must see the last updated date:- At the plugin’s page, you can see details of it in which last updated date, month and year is mentioned. If you want to get good results then don’t choose a plugin which has not been updated since last two years. You know in a short interval of time WordPress launch it’s new version and some old plugins don’t give proper output with it.
- Compatibility must be checked:- As I have mentioned in the previous point that you can easily see the details of the plugin where you can check the compatibility of the plugin with your WordPress version. The developer of the plugin mentions the lowest version and highest version of WordPress at which the plugin can work properly. If you install any plugin which doesn’t have the compatibility with the WordPress version you use then it may not work at the extent at which it should work.
- Screenshots are also available:- For every WordPress plugin you can find screenshots which have taken after the installation by the developers. With their help, you can get an idea how does the plugin work at any website? It’s dependent at your theme how does the plugin work? Some plugins don’t work good on every theme. You may not have the same look of your website after the installation of the plugin which you see in screenshots.
- Downloads are there:- Below the detail of compatibility and last updated of the plugin you can check the number of times the WordPress plugin has downloaded by its users. More the number of downloads, more the value of trust. You can think about it yourself as if a plugin is not good then people will not download it and if it seems good then download number will increase day by day.
- Check the ratings:- WordPress plugins are provided with the ratings which can be seen by you when you open the page at WordPress.org. Rating is given by users. People give stars from five. Some people may give 4 stars other may give 3.5 stars and else. Rating is calculated as the average of the stars given by users. To choose a good plugin, you must check that the plugin should have the rating more than 4 stars. You may find other plugins which don’t even have 3 stars. You need to keep searching for the plugin with higher ratings.
- Don’t forget to read FAQ and Other Notes:- Most of the bloggers forget to read this section. You must know that in FAQ of any WordPress plugin developer provides you some essential information about how to use that plugin and much more. Many users complain about the working of any plugin without knowing it’s usage.
- Test the plugin:- It’s really important to test a plugin after its installation. There may be many plugins which are written in poor codes and don’t work fine in WordPress. To make sure about its quality you must check the speed of your website before and after the installation. You can easily find the difference if codes are poorly written. You can check the URL of your website at GTmetrix, Pingdom or any other site monitoring website.
Have You Selected A Better WordPress Plugin?
How to choose a WordPress plugin? I don’t think after checking all the details you need to ask this question again. Go for best is always the priority. No one wants to use any plugin which provides the worst facility.
There are many plugins which work as same.
You are free to use any but having the best is your right. So have to see any WordPress plugin with 5 rating? Are you using all plugins with best reviews? How about the working?
Are you using them in an appropriate way? Does speed of your website same? I would like to hear from you all.
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32 comments
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Hi Ravi
It is surprising to note how important to do home work before picking a plugin. Otherwise many bloggers imply select a plugin on others advice and don’t go into further details to check its viablity and quality.
You well covered all the main points which need to be considered before finally selecting a plugin. It makes your task easier and help you avoid any risk if the plugin fails to work at your blog or create any conflict with other plugins.
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful post.
Hi Muba,
It’s good to see you again.:)
You are absolutely right most of bloggers just search for the plugin and install it.
They forget to notice such critical point about plugins.
Thanks for visiting.
Hope you are having a great weekend.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
There is no doubt that many wordpress bloggers got sucked at this juncture and they end up complicating their blog issues with excess plugins which often increase their blog loading time. Going by rate and number of bloggers who are using the plugin is indeed a better way to come out with a better decision and most importantly taking into consideration other bloggers reviews concerning the plugin.
Hi Adesanmi,
Welcome to my blog.:)
Yes, you are right. In most of cases bloggers don’t check anything regarding the plugin they install.
They just need it to use at their website but forget to check if it’s suitable or not because many plugins increase page loading time of the website which is not a good sign.
People must check it to keep continue it’s use.
Thanks for your visit.
Have a great weekend ahead.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
I really do agree. Installing a plugin can’t be taken as a joke. They can make or unmake a blog.
I quite remember I once installed one plugin and after activation, saw a blank page on my blog. I really went through hell.
Checking the last time the plugin was maintained matters a lot and obviously users reviews.
I do hope you’re enjoying yourself. Thank You.
Hey Emmanuel,
It happens with everyone as one of the plugin may not give proper result and it’s only because people don’t check it’s detail.
May be plugin was poorly coded which you installed. There may be some reasons but from your side you must remain alert while installing any new plugin.
Off course I am enjoying this week. Thanks.:)
~Ravi
Ravi,
It really important to test a plugin at check whether its compatible or not with your theme. And making sure that it will surely help you is another thing that has to be kept in mind. Some just install new plugins just because they think it may be beneficial but instead they have to look before installing that how it works and how one can use it features. Good points to go for. Hope people will follow what you have mentioned here.
Hey Aditya,
Most of bloggers don’t even check the reviews of plugins.
They just go to the page and install the plugin to their website. Wrong installation tends to create problem and people blame developers for it.
Nice to see you again.
~Ravi
Yes absolutely Ravi, but when they install without seeing reviews and without any prior knowledge, its also somehow can be treated as testing. But the difference is they don’t know how to diagnose the errors that came up while installing it. Testing itself is diagnosing problems.
Hey Aditya,
May be they install it for testing but if they don’t know how to solve the problem arises due to that plugin then they have to face some crises.
For beginner it is always recommended that it’s good for them to use the plugins which are tested and reviewed by others.
~Ravi
Ravi,
I must thank you for writing this post. I know so many people who don’t do their homework before installing a WordPress Plugin and it always leads to disaster. One will sometimes work against the other, others will fail and so on.
The advice given here is something one must do BEFORE just grabbing a plugin and installing it.
It is imperative to look at the support, and check reviews. Compatibility is the most important of all!
I’m glad you mentioned to check out the FAQ’s because it’s so true, most people won’t even bother looking at it. And of course, testing! You don’t want to run into trouble down the line by not giving it a test run.
Thank you again!
-Donna
Hey Donna,
Nice to see you after long time.:)
Before choosing any plugin we all need to do our homework.
If we want positive results then some essential steps should be taken.
Thanks for being here.
I hope you are having great time.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
You hit all of these points nicely and I so agree with you.
Before I never paid attention to this at all. Someone would recommend a plugin and because they did I just would take their word and install it. I plead the 5th of not knowing any better or even what I was suppose to be looking for.
I think the longer you have a blog and have to deal with issues then you become more educated on this. I just wish that these developers would put down what themes they are not compatible with as well because while all of these other things are mentioned, theme compatibility can be a huge issue. I’m sure with how many there are out there that it would be hard but it sure would be helpful too.
Thank you for pointing this out Ravi because I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that were just like me, totally ignorant of what we should know.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
Developers give all the details including compatibility of WordPress version.
As you say that they should mention the themes with which plugin doesn’t give good results but there are thousands of themes and it’s not possible to test the plugin at all of them.
Everyday we see the launch of new themes so can it be possible to mention the compatibility of plugins?
But still if it can be possible then it will be helpful for everyone.
Nice to see you again.;)
Enjoy the day.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
As wordpress user sometimes I just don’t know how to pick the right plugins for my blog. Your guide here are great for bloggers like me. Indicators that a plugin already satisfy others is best sign it will satisfy us too.
Great post my friend. Wish you have a wonderful weekend
Hey Okto,
Nice to see you here again.:)
All the bloggers need to check details of plugins they want to use but unfortunately they don’t do their homework and face many problem while using those plugins.
Thanks for your visit.
You too enjoy the weekend.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Yes indeed, it’s very important to choose the right plugin for your blog and you mentioned the right ways to go about it too ?
Although we should use only those plugins we need and less is always better, but if and when one needs to instal plugins, it must be done following ways you mentioned.
I always check the star ratings, when it was last updates, what the users are saying about it and every little detail like the support system etc, before installing it, and I am glad I also quick to remove them if they don’t fit well with my theme or don’t work well.
Thanks for sharing. Happy weekend ?
Hey Harleena,
I am glad to see you here again.:)
Ratings, reviews and all other details of a plugin need to be checked before installation.
But you know for beginners finding a plugin for what they seek is a victory and they don’t try to find any other plugin which can be used for same purpose.
It’s great to know at least you check plugins before using them at your blog.
Thanks for your input.
Have an amazing week.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
I absolutely LOVE this post. I have to be honest with you, I am totally clueless when it comes to plugins so this was such a huge help to me. The only reason why I have plugins is from what other people have told me to use. So now I know how to choose one from your explanation. Thank you so much. Have an awesome weekend. Lisa
Hey Lisa,
I have noticed that most of bloggers get scared when it comes to any techy thing.
Plugins are just the starting step to use WordPress and many people do mistake while choosing them.
People need to have a look before installing any plugin to their blog.
You too enjoy your week ahead.:)
~Ravi
Hello Ravi,
Good and lovely article for beginners to choose a better wordpress plugin for their blog.
To be honest with you, i hardly use plugins and when i want to download one, i don’t looked at the above criteria that you mentioned here. Maybe because i like acting reckless ? . At a time, i have downloaded plugin that has not been updated for 2 years, but what kept me safe was, i re-coded it to satify my test.
Your tips for choosing a better wordpress is great and i recommend it ?
Thanks for the tips and do have a wonderful weekend
Hey Babanature,
It’s good if have knowledge about coding but most of bloggers don’t have any techy knowledge so need to check all the detail of plugins.
Thanks or being here.
You too enjoy your weekend.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Didn’t even know I have to check all these just to install a plugin. Thank you for pointing all this out for us. You know sometimes even when the compatibility is as high as 3.9.1 (i.e. W3 Total Cache)…still, I heard W3 Total Cache is *not* compatible with CommentLuv Premium.
Andy Bailey actually recommended to install the simple WP Super Cache instead. I used to use W3 Total Cache installed and never did have a problem with it but I heard some people encountered problems.
Sometimes you just gotta test it yourself.
Angela
Hi Angela,
W3 Total Cache is an amazing plugin to use and I am also using the same.
I never had any problem with the plugin. May be people who are using CommentLuv Premium may face any difficulty. It may be due to their Theme or any other reason.
A single plugin doesn’t work same for all.
You are absolutely right sometimes we need to test it our own.:)
Thanks for being here.
Enjoy the weekend.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
I am very much impressed with your post. Till now I am simply installing the plugins which are useful to me but never gone through all these things. Very informative post. I am facing problem with Akismet plugin. Its not been properly installed. can you help me.
Thanks
Hemanth
Hi Hemanth,
Akismet is a great plugin. I am also using it to block spam comments.
There shouldn’t be any problem regarding this plugin. You can install it very easily. It’s a free WordPress plugin.
May be it was broken while installation. You should try to delete it and re-install it.
I am sure there will not be any problem.
By the way may I know what kind problem you are facing?
Thanks for being here.:)
Have a wonderful day.
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
It is asking for a key. I have used key which is given by my friend but its of no use. I tried to create a new one. I think its not free now.
can you suggest something here.
Hey Hemanth,
Akismet is still free for personal use. If you want to use it for any commercial use then you have to pay for that.
When you try to get the key then you will be asked to choose your plan. You have to choose the plan from enterprise, pro and personal. Select personal and then you will be asked to sign up with a WordPress.com account. I hope you have your account there.;)
After the authentication you will asked to fill some personal details. Drag the price amount 0$ and will get your new API key.
You may have used an API key which has already used. Get your new one.
I hope this will help you in some positive sense.
Enjoy your day.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
There are thousands of plug-ins in WordPress dictionary. It is really difficult to choose the best one from them. I also heard that some plug-ins may slow down loading speed of blog. So, I always worried before selecting plug-ins for my blog.
But I think now I can opt the best one only because of your great tutorial. I really want to thank you for sharing this post with us. I believe that not only me , but many blogger will also get help from your post.
All the best and have a nice day ahead……………..
Hi Swapnadip,
Welcome to my blog.:)
off course there are many plugins which can slow down your speed if they have poor coding.
If you install any plugin which is not compatible with the WordPress version you use then it may not work so good.
Always try to take a look around the reviews so that you can have some idea about the feed of that plugin.
Thanks for your wonderful input.;)
You too enjoy your day.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi
I came across this post looking for a new plugin and haven’t been able to find it. I wanted to add something at end of every post to promote my new eBook. Any suggestions? There is one but it has not been updated in over 2 years and not tested with latest version of WordPress so I was quite leary.
Thanks for sharing tips how to know which to use and why.
Hi Lisa,
If you want to add something at the end of every post then you have to add a code in your single.php file of your theme.
Sorry, but I am learning about PHP but don’t know that much so you can search for the code which can do your job without plugin.
I hope you this may help you.
Thanks for your question Lisa. I must learn more.
Have a nice week.:)
~Ravi