WordPress Plugins represent small programs that can be used on your website a variety of different functions can be integrated. However, the extensions can not only add a function to the standard functionality of WordPress, but also change existing functions, so that new plugins should be selected carefully. The presence of thousands of plugins, which are now available for WordPress available, often makes it difficult to find the right plugin for individual needs. The following therefore explains how to search for the right plugin and what criteria should be used to select it.
Create an overview with the help of the search engine
You may have heard of one or the other plugin, but are not sure if you really need it. Maybe you know several plugins and want to compare them. In these cases, it is helpful to use a search engine, because this will give you the information you need about the range of functions of the respective extension. After entering their name in the search field, you will ideally find blog posts, ratings, tests and reports from users who exchange their experiences with exactly this plugin in forums. If you don't know a specific plugin, simply enter 'WordPress Plugin' and the desired function, such as 'Seo' or 'Security'.
WordPress plugin directory
In the plugin directory at wordpress.org you will find a number of plugin suggestions. You can also see which of the thousands of extensions available in the directory are currently in high demand. With the help of the search function you can now browse the huge assortment for suitable plugins. The search result can also be quite extensive. By clicking on a plugin you will get more information and a download is possible immediately. You can avoid the download process by installing the plugin directly. To do this, go to the backend of your WordPress installation and select 'Plugins' in the menu and then 'Install'. Under 'Search Plugins' you can also search for useful extensions. The search result is identical to the search result of the previously described procedure via the WordPress Plugin Directory. Here too, detailed information about the plugin itself and the installation process is available for each plugin. Screenshots give you an impression of what the respective user interface looks like and how the tool is integrated in the frontend. No less important is the information about customizations to the plugin as well as existing ratings.
The use of the WordPress Plugin Directory offers the advantage that only free extensions are guaranteed to be displayed, of which a premium version is often offered as well. On the other hand, if you want to use very cool plugins, you should look elsewhere for suitable tools.
Criteria for the selection of suitable plug-ins
In addition to the range of functions, it is of course essential that the Plugin meets your needs. If you are considering a plugin, make sure that the plugin is compatible with your version of WordPress. You should also be interested in the note 'Active installations', which informs you about the number of users or downloads of the respective plugin. Thus, a high number of users can be assumed to have basic functionality. In addition, the probability increases with increasing number of users that regularly Updates can be carried out. In the 'Statistics' tab, you can see the download history, the number of downloads per day and a breakdown of the versions used. A sudden drop in downloads or a frequent use of an older plugin version indicate possible problems. The date of the last update should also be considered. Here, the expansion of the range of functions is rather secondary. Rather, the preservation of the desired functions despite WordPress updates and especially the elimination of security vulnerabilities is important. In some cases, WordPress warns that the last update of the plugin was several years ago, for example. Should you decide to use such a plugin, it may happen that it becomes unusable when the WordPress version is updated later. Reading the reviews can sometimes be very informative and shed light on the actual quality of the extension. You can additionally get the most important information about the individual plugins in the overview after clicking on 'Plugins' in the backend menu. Here you can quickly and easily compare different extensions with each other.
