How to Choose the Best WordPress Plugins for Your Site?

If WordPress is your smartphone, consider plugins as the applications you use. In simple words, they extend the functionality of your website. No matter your needs, chances are that there is a plugin for you in the extensive plugin library of WordPress. If not, you can hire WordPress plugin developers to write one for yourself.

However, choosing the best for your needs isn’t as simple as it sounds. Let us go through a list of important factors to look out for. 

Pin-point Your Needs

A simple search for ‘security plugins’ in the library will yield hundreds of high-rated options. You need to know your exact requirements to filter them.

Dive deeper into what you want your plugin to do. Determine which features you are ready to forgo to get a plugin that works as you want.

Free Vs Paid

Not everyone has big bucks to spend on a plugin. This makes the cost of any plugin an issue to consider.

Developers follow different pricing models as:

• Free- These plugins are free of cost to use.

• Paid- You will have to purchase the plugin to use it.

• Freemium- These plugins are free to install and use to an extent. Elite features are hidden behind a paywall.

If you aren’t satisfied, hire WordPress plugin developers to get a quote for your bespoke requirements.

Description & Screenshots

Installing and uninstalling different plugins to test them is a substandard idea.

Use the description to fully understand what that plugin offers. Beneath the description, you can find other data like when it was written, by whom, its technical specifications, etc. You can also rely on screenshots of the plugin for further information about its interface and working.

Ratings & Reviews

It's easier to put your faith in something that is tried and loved by fellow users. That is the base of ratings and reviews.

Ratings show an average score (generally out of 5) that other users have given after using the plugin. Reviews delve deeper with an explanation of why the user gave that rating. The latter has more information that you can use to assess the plugin better. Instead of relying only on the plugin library, you can search on blogs and other websites for more detailed reviews.

Active Installations

Active installations show how many people have installed and are using this plugin at your time of viewing.

However, avoid using this number as your sole reason to trust the plugin. Many of the websites using this could be inactive or have given negative reviews.

Updates & Changelogs

Nothing is perfect as it is. Likewise, plugins need continuous updates to provide the best functioning. Go for plugins that are updated constantly and work on the latest version of WordPress. Not only does it keep their interface up to date, but it also improves security.

While you are at it, have a look at the changelog of the plugin. This shows features and changes that were added with each update. Comparing this with the reviews can give you an idea of how well the developer is responding to the problems of the community.

Support

A plugin could be perfect for you now but fare otherwise in the future. To future-proof the plugin, you need to shed some light on its support.

Often the quality of support goes low to high as you move from free to paid plugins, respectively. Look at the support section of the plugin to see the number of opened and resolved threads. Monitor whether the developer has provided support in the past few months or not.

Conclusion

Following these pointers will improve your chances of landing on the perfect plugin for your website.

Still didn’t find what you are looking for? Hire WordPress plugin developers from WordPress Website. Our team of experts develops extensions, offers customization, maintenance, etc.

Get in touch with us to know more.