With over 15 years of experience using WordPress, I‘m going to walk you through everything you need to know about the WordPress Plugin Directory. This invaluable resource contains over 60,000 free plugins to supercharge your site.
Contents
What are WordPress Plugins Exactly?
Plugins are bits of software that extend and expand what WordPress can do. They work like apps on your smartphone. With the right plugins, you can add things like:
- Contact forms
- Shopping carts
- User registration
- SEO tools
- Social media integration
- Forums
- Galleries
- Analytics
And much more! There‘s a popular mantra in the WordPress community – "There‘s a plugin for that."
Introducing the Official Plugin Directory
The WordPress Plugin Directory at wordpress.org/plugins is the official source for all free WordPress plugins. With over 60,000+ plugins and counting, it‘s an invaluable resource.
Over the years, the directory has grown enormously:
| Year | Number of Plugins |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Less than 1,000 |
| 2012 | Over 20,000 |
| 2021 | Over 55,000 |
No matter what features you want to add to your site, there is likely a plugin available in the directory to make it happen.
How Plugins Can Help Your Website
Plugins are like a toolbox that give you everything you need to build a powerful website. Here are just some of the ways they can help:
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Contact forms – Plugins like WPForms allow visitors to easily contact you from your site. This helps convert more leads into customers.
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Ecommerce – Plugins like WooCommerce transform your site into a full-featured online store so you can sell products and services.
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SEO – Optimization plugins like Yoast SEO help you improve search engine rankings so more people find your site.
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Security – Security plugins like Wordfence provide firewall protection and malware scanning to keep your site safe.
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Backups – Backup plugins automatically backup your site so you never lose data. UpdraftPlus is a popular option.
And much more! The possibilities are endless with what you can do with plugins.
Installing Plugins Securely
Installing plugins from the directory only takes a few clicks. From your WP admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
You can browse or search for plugins, then click Install Now when you find one you want. After installation completes, click Activate to start using the plugin.
However, it‘s important to be selective about what plugins you install. Here are some tips:
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Only install reputable plugins with a good user rating and active support. Check the support forums.
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Limit the number of plugins you use to only what‘s essential. Too many can slow down your site.
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Always keep plugins updated to the latest version for security and compatibility.
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Maintain regular backups in case a plugin causes issues.
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Isolate custom code into a separate child theme rather than modifying plugin code directly.
Following these best practices will help keep your site running smoothly and securely.
Reviews, Ratings and Support Forums
The WordPress team checks all plugins for errors, vulnerabilities, and compatibility issues before approving them. This gives you confidence in plugin quality.
Each plugin also displays helpful metadata like:
- Last updated date
- Number of active installs
- Latest WordPress version tested with
- Average user rating
Reviews from the community provide valuable feedback. If you see low ratings or complaints in the forums, you may want to avoid that plugin.
The support forums allow users to get help directly from the plugin developer. You can also search to see if others are having the same problem.
Submit Your Own Plugin
Developers can submit new plugins to the directory which provides the following benefits:
- Increased exposure and distribution for your plugin
- Automatic updates delivered to users
- Usage statistics to see your download numbers
- Save on your own bandwidth costs
- Access to the support forum for help managing users
The WordPress team will extensively review your plugin before publishing it. This ensures all plugins meet WordPress standards for security, quality, and compatibility.
I hope this guide gave you a good overview of the WordPress Plugin Directory. Let‘s quickly recap the key points:
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The plugin directory contains over 60,000+ free plugins to extend WordPress.
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Plugins help add all kinds of features like forms, ecommerce, SEO, security, and more.
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Installing plugins is easy but do it selectively and keep them updated.
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Reviews and ratings help evaluate plugin quality and reliability.
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Support forums provide help directly from the plugin developer.
The plugin directory gives you everything you need to supercharge your WordPress site!
