Plugins for WordPress Sites
Part of what makes WordPress a great platform for websites and blogging are the plug ins available to personalize and optimize your site.
A quick search online reveals tons of best-of lists for plug ins. You can see the top 15 for 2011 from Site Sketch 101, the 30 best from Tripwire, or the 20 best by PC magazine, all of which were published this past year.
Plugins are helpful and essential.
But that doesn’t mean more is better, or that all plugins are equal. StateofSearch explains that the wrong plugin could hurt your ranking, using the example of a plugin that actually pulled a site out of Google search results.
Because WordPress is open source, not all plugins are maintained to the same level and some have code problems due to the developer’s lack of experience or knowledge. That said, WordPress works hard to select plugins that will best serve their users.
As NetWebLogic explains, there are a number of factors to take into consideration as you search for plugins. Look at the number of downloads and the ratings. If many people are using a plugin, then it’s probably a good choice. You should also be aware of which version of WordPress it supports, as well as when it was last updated.
All of these factors will help point to the quality of the plugin, as well as its compatibility with you site or theme.
Dan Crowther has put together a good video of plugins he recommends for use with WordPress. Check it out!
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