How to Use WordPress Plugins on Your WordPress Website
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used for creating websites these days. It is a free tool and can be accessed via a web browser directly or using the WordPress app on mobile devices. This CMS is extremely user-friendly and can be easily extended by users with little to no technical background. This makes it a great choice for those who are looking to build a simple site for personal or business reasons.
Why Use WordPress Plugins On Your WordPress Website?
WordPress plugins are small software applications that can be added to your WordPress website to enhance its functionality. These plugins can do a range of things from displaying relevant content in your articles to providing a better user experience on your site. Some plugins may even allow you to monetize your content or automate certain tasks on your site.
As the owner of a WordPress website, you may be wondering why you would want to add plugins to your site. Here are a few good reasons:
To Extend The Life Of Your Site
Overusing plugins on your site may slow its performance and decrease its lifespan. Adding the right plugins can help to extend the life of your site and provide it with better functionality. For instance, if you are using Gutenberg, the latest version of WordPress’ default content editor, you may want to consider using the Classic Editor plugin to make some of the more basic aspects of content creation easier. However, if you are looking for an image optimization plugin, you should not use the Classic Editor plugin but the appropriate one for your WordPress version.
To Monetize Your Content
If you are using WordPress for hosting your blog, you may consider monetizing your content. You can do this with affiliate marketing, which earns you a commission when someone clicks a monetized link or buys a product that’s promoted on your blog. You can also use a WordPress plugin like WooCommerce to create an online store where you can sell and ship products to customers around the world. There are plenty of options for monetizing content on WordPress blogs.
To Personalize Your Experience
Customizing your experience on a WordPress site is a great way to go. You can use CSS to change the look and feel of your site and create a more personalized experience for your users. For example, you may want to use the WP Customizer to make your site look more like a blog or vise versa. If you have a single-purpose site like a portfolio or a museum, consider using a different CMS to make it more user-friendly.
To Automate Tasks On Your Site
Automating certain tasks on your site can help to increase its efficiency. You can use various WordPress plugins to achieve this. For example, the WP Easy Digital Signage Plugin can help you create a digital signage display on your site. This type of content usually consists of videos or animations which showcase products or services that you offer. Signage displays allow you to present information to your audience in an attractive and eye-catching way.
To Make Simple Navigation
Having a clean and simple WordPress site is great for user experience. You can use plugins like the Menu Switcher plugin to create a drop-down menu from any page in your site to any other page. This simple navigation allows for easier access to any content on your site and provides a better user experience for your visitors.
To Improve Search Engine Rankings
Having a properly configured WordPress site can increase your search engine rankings. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the content of a website so that it appears higher in the list of results when searched by a relevant key phrase. It is a crucial component of online marketing and the success of a digital marketing campaign. A clean and simple WordPress site with relevant content can boost your SEO significantly.
You may be wondering how you can make your WordPress site more SEO-friendly. There are various techniques you can use including adding new content frequently, keeping your site’s architecture clean and simple, and linking to other relevant websites and blogs. You should not underestimate the power of a simple yet informative website to gain popularity on the internet.
To Create Better User Onboarding
User onboarding is the process of getting new users to easily understand how to use your product or service. A well-executed onboarding process can increase your site’s retention rate and decrease the number of complaints from users who are having trouble using your product.
Why should you include user onboarding in your strategy? It is a great way to get new users to quickly understand how to make the most of your product and ensure they enjoy using it. If your product is complex or has a large number of features, it may be hard for users to understand how to navigate it effectively. This can result in a poor user experience which may turn away potential customers.
To Make Your Site More Resilient To Cyber Attacks
Protecting your site against cyber attacks is crucial if you want to keep your customers. The best way to do this is by having a WordPress security plugin like Sucuri to monitor and scan your site for dangerous code at the cloud level. This ensures that dangerous websites cannot compromise your site’s security even if they are technically able to do so. Using an established and reliable security plugin like Sucuri can also help you to detect and eliminate malware (i.e., viruses, spyware, and Trojan horses) from your site.
Malware compromises a user’s personal information (e.g., credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, etc.) and/or device (e.g., laptops, desktops, and mobile phones). If your site is hosted at WordPress.com, they can do all of this for you. However, if you are running your site from your own computer, you must do this yourself. Luckily, this process is made easier with the help of security plugins.
To Stay Organized
Keeping track of everything on your site can be difficult. You can use plugins like the WP Multi-User to manage multiple users and their access to your site. This plugin creates groups which you can then give permissions to. For example, you may want to create a group for your boss, family, and friends and give them read-only access to certain content on your site. This way, they can still view items but cannot make any changes.
To Have Fun
One of the great things about WordPress is that it is extremely easy to use and has a lot of fun features. You may be wondering why you would want to add additional software to your website when you can simply use WordPress itself. However, there are plenty of plugins that can make your site more fun and interactive. If gaming is something you enjoy, you can use plugins like the Easy Digital Downloads or WooCommerce Gaming to create a store where you can sell digital and physical games directly to your customers. Alternatively, you can use one of the many jQuery plugins that connect to social media platforms like Twitter to create a game where users can compete and win prizes by sharing articles, videos, or messages on social media.
WordPress is a free and open-source tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. It is extremely user-friendly and can be easily extended by users with little to no technical background. This makes it a great choice for those looking to build a simple site or blog for personal or business purposes.