A plugin is a tool (small program) used to extend the functionality of your WordPress website or add fun parts to it.
Like WordPress, plugins are open source and maintained by the WordPress community. Open source programs are freely available and may be redistributed and modified.
There are thousands of free plugins available, as well as paid options.
What can you do with plugins?
With plugins you can for example:
- Display a pretty photo gallery
- Display YouTube videos
- Display emojis 😉
- Secure your site from spammers or hackers
- Add ecommerce capability so you can sell your products
Which basic plugins should you install?
| Plugin Type | Function | Example(s) |
| Antispam | Blocks spam comments | Antispam for all fields |
| Back up | Emails or downloads a backup of your site’s pages & posts | WP (WordPress) Database Backup |
| Security | Protects your site from hackers | Wordfence Security, Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall |
| Sitemaps | Helps Google index your site properly | Google XML Sitemaps |
| Analytics | Shows traffic flow to your site | Slimstat Analytics, Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights |
| Cache | Speeds up your site by caching (save a version of) your pages and posts | W3 Total Cache |
| SEO | Uses keywords people use in search engines to find what your site offers and also helps Google to find relevant info | Yoast SEO |
| Revision control | Controls page and post versions of your site that are saved to help speed up your site | WP Revisions Control |
| Photo gallery | Displays your beautiful photos in a gallery | WordPress Gallery Plugin |
| Smush it | Reduces the size of photos added to your site and also helps to speed up load time of your site | Smush Image Compression and Optimization |
| Video plugin | Easily shows off videos from YouTube or Vimeo by pasting the link | Smart Youtube PRO |
Want to know more?
If you want to know more about plugins like how they can improve your website, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll be happy to help you!
What is a Plugin?