{"id":6415,"date":"2024-08-14T11:42:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T09:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/?post_type=news_pt&p=6415"},"modified":"2024-08-14T16:04:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T14:04:06","slug":"what-is-a-wordpress-plugin","status":"publish","type":"news_pt","link":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/knowledge-center\/what-is-a-wordpress-plugin","title":{"rendered":"What is a WordPress plugin?"},"content":{"rendered":"

WordPress allows you to create<\/a> state-of-the-art, functional websites<\/a>.
\nBasically, these websites meet many important criteria.
\nBut to make WordPress websites even more advanced, you can provide them with all kinds of extra functionalities.
\nTo make that happen, you can use plugins. <\/p>\n

What is a WordPress plugin for?<\/h2>\n

WordPress has nearly 60,000 plugins. Some plugins deliver more than others, but all have their own added value. A plugin allows you to add additional features to a website. As an example, let’s take one of the most downloaded plugins: Gravity Forms.<\/p>\n

Gravity Forms is a popular plugin that allows you to easily create contact forms for your website.
\nThis makes it easy for visitors to contact you, such as to purchase products or services.
\nUsing a plugin like Gravity Forms has several advantages over manually coding and building forms.
\nPlugins are designed to integrate seamlessly with your WordPress website.
\nThey offer simple drag-and-drop interfaces that allow you to create and customize forms without technical knowledge.
\nIn addition, many contact form plugins offer extensive features such as spam protection, integration with email marketing tools, file uploads and more.
\nThese features are often more difficult to implement when building forms manually. <\/p>\n

\"premium\"<\/figure>\n

We distinguish two types<\/h2>\n

Surely all the thousands of different plugins can be easily divided into two categories: Free<\/strong> and Premium<\/strong> plugins.
\nAs the name suggests, free plugins are free to download and use.
\nPremium plugins require a one-time payment or subscription. <\/p>\n

Although many free plugins are of high quality, they often offer only basic functionality. Premium plugins usually have additional features that are not available for the free version. In addition, premium plugins also tend to be better tested and maintained because they are supported by commercial companies that want to keep their reputation high. <\/p>\n

How do you add a plugin?<\/h2>\n

To add a plugin to your WordPress website, you have two options: you can install a plugin from the library or you can upload a plugin yourself. Below we explain to you step by step how to do this.<\/p>\n

Choosing from the library<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n
  2. On the left menu, navigate to “Plugins” and select “New plugin.<\/li>\n
  3. You now enter the plugin library, where thousands of free plugins are available.<\/li>\n
  4. Use the search bar to find a specific plugin.<\/li>\n
  5. Have you found the plugin you want?
    \nThen click the “Install Now” button. <\/li>\n
  6. After installation, click ‘Activate’ to enable the plugin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Upload yourself as a .zip file<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    If you downloaded a plugin from an external source, such as a premium plugin or a custom plugin, you can upload it manually:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Plugins” and then “New plugin.<\/li>\n
    2. At the top of the page, click the “Upload Plugin” button.<\/li>\n
    3. Click ‘Choose File’ and select the .zip file of the plugin on your computer.<\/li>\n
    4. Then click “Install Now.<\/li>\n
    5. After installation, click ‘Activate’ to start using the plugin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      4 tips from 2manydots<\/h2>\n

      1. Choose reliability<\/h3>\n

      With nearly 60,000 plugins in the database, unfortunately there are rotten apples among them.
      \nTherefore, always choose reliable plugins.
      \nScour the Internet for information about the plugin in question or scroll through reviews.
      \nThis will give you a clear picture of the plugin you want to install.
      \nSafety always comes first. <\/p>\n

      2. Limit the number<\/h3>\n

      We strongly advise against installing too many unnecessary plugins on a website.
      \nThe more plugins, the slower your website can become and the more security issues can arise.
      \nOften we can also build the functionalities of plugins into the theme.
      \nThis offers more flexibility in the future and allows us to make the website significantly faster.
      \nThe main advantage of this is that less code is added to the backend of the website. <\/p>\n

      Google likes to dish out the best websites to their visitors.
      \nSpeed is an important criterion.
      \nIf your website is slow, Google prefers not to show it in the search results.
      \nAnd that, of course, is disastrous for your findability.
      \nTherefore, only install plugins that really add value to your website. <\/p>\n

      3. Make sure everything is up to date<\/h3>\n

      The creators behind the plugins often go to great lengths to create the best versions of the plugin. Compare it to apps on your phone. You need to update those every so often to take advantage of the latest features. The same goes for WordPress plugins. Keep an eye on the updates and don’t wait too long for this. This way you limit security issues and get the most out of your plugins!<\/p>\n

      4. Always make backups<\/h3>\n

      Not every plugin is a hit.
      \nSometimes new plugins may not work well with your current theme or other installed plugins.
      \nThis can lead to errors or a non-functioning website.
      \nA backup allows you to restore your site to the previous version. <\/p>\n

      \"free<\/figure>\n

      Which plugins do we recommend?<\/h2>\n

      We also use several plugins ourselves to provide our websites with the necessary upgrades.
      \nWe would like to share a selection of our favorite plugins with you, so you can be sure that you are using reliable and effective plugins. <\/p>\n

      Redirection<\/h3>\n

      Redirection is a powerful plugin for managing 301 redirects and tracking 404 errors on your website.
      \nThis plugin is especially useful if you are changing pages or URLs because it prevents visitors from landing on dead links.
      \nThis keeps your website user-friendly and maintains your SEO ranking.
      \nIt is highly recommended for anyone who regularly makes changes to the structure of their website. <\/p>\n

      Filebird<\/h3>\n

      FileBird is a plugin that makes managing media files in the WordPress library easy.
      \nIt allows you to create folders and better organize your files, which is especially useful if you have a lot of images, videos or documents on your website.
      \nBy keeping your media organized, you save time and improve workflow when working with your website. <\/p>\n

      Relevanssi<\/h3>\n

      Relevanssi is an advanced search plugin that replaces and significantly improves the default WordPress search function.
      \nWith Relevanssi, search results become more relevant and specific, as the plugin searches entire texts, tags, categories and even custom fields.
      \nThis leads to a better user experience, as visitors can more easily find the content they are looking for.
      \nIt is especially recommended for websites with a lot of content or complex structures. <\/p>\n

      Advanced Custom Fields<\/h3>\n

      Advanced Custom Fields(ACF<\/a>) is a versatile WordPress plugin that allows you to easily add custom fields to posts, pages, users and other content types.
      \nWith ACF, you can create different types of fields such as text, images, check boxes and more to add additional information to your content.
      \nIn short, ACF gives your WordPress website just a little more depth. <\/p>\n

      Rank Math<\/h3>\n

      Are you interested in SEO<\/a>?
      \nThen RankMath is a plugin you must have.
      \nRankMath is a plugin that allows you to optimize your content to rank higher in the search engines.
      \nThis plugin analyzes your content and gives clear suggestions of how to do it better.
      \nThere is a free and paid version of it.
      \nWant to know everything about RankMath?
      \nWe have written an       extensive manual<\/a> for it. <\/p>\n

      Gravity Forms<\/h3>\n

      We’ve mentioned it before, but there are more WordPress plugins that create contact forms for your website.
      \nContact Form 7 is another such plugin.
      \nThis plugin is certainly reliable, but we don’t actually prefer it.
      \nIn fact, Gravity Forms has more features than other contact form plugins and it also looks professional. <\/p>\n

      Check out our whitelist!<\/h2>\n

      Want to make sure a plugin meets the highest security standards?
      \nWe have created a       whitelist<\/a> of plugins that meet our quality and security standards.
      \nThis does not mean that missing plugins are unsafe.
      \nBe sure to check the reviews and do your own research before installing a plugin! <\/p>\n

      Have questions? Get in touch with us!<\/h2>\n

      Have questions about plugins, WordPress websites or everything in between? Get in touch with us! We are happy to help you with all your pressing questions.<\/p>\n

      \n
      Contact<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":6406,"template":"","tags":[186,184],"type_news_pt":[193],"theme_news_pt":[],"class_list":["post-6415","news_pt","type-news_pt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-online-tools-en","tag-wordpress-en","type_news_pt-blogs-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_pt\/6415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_pt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news_pt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6415"},{"taxonomy":"type_news_pt","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_news_pt?post=6415"},{"taxonomy":"theme_news_pt","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2manydots.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/theme_news_pt?post=6415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}