Erring on the side of caution when it comes to using plugins is important. The wrong plugin could potentially introduce security vulnerabilities in the site or cause the site to crash if improperly configured. Looking through WordPress’ plugin catalogue is a safe method to sourcing plugins for use on your blog.
Some things to look out for when checking for plugins to use with WordPress:
- Check when the plugin was last updated
Plugins will have 2 parameters to look at specifically: What versions of WordPress that the plugin is compatible with, and when the plugin was last updated. If neither of these reach compatibility with your current version of WordPress, best to leave it be.
- Look where the plugin was located from
Plugins are mostly safe and reputable if obtained from wordpress.org/plugins. If venturing outside of this repository of plugins, be sure to check ratings, feedback, and comments with other people to ensure that the plugin you’re downloading is trustworthy.
- Cross-reference for what plugins you already have
As there are many plugins out there (wordpress.org itself has over 55,000+), there is a very likely chance that two or more plugins could potentially interact in the same way. Check to be sure that the functions provided by different plugins aren’t causing issues when interacting with each other or if they can be eliminated for redundancy reasons
- Describe the importance of using only safe and trusted plugins and where you should source your plugins. Include at least 3-5 things you should look for or be wary of when selecting and sourcing your plugins for WordPress.
- List some other ways to locate and source plugins for WordPress.
- For the additional plugin you selected and implemented, explain why you selected that particular plugin, what other similar plugins you evaluated or considered, the additional features or functionality that it provides to your website, and any potential or expected benefits to either you as the site owner/administrator and/or your site visitors.
Plugins aren’t just found on wordpress.com/plugins, but can be searched for via search engines. You can find more plugins to use from a variety of methods:
- Reading other blogs and finding what lists of plugins they use
- Searching for topics that could potentially be solved with a plugin
- Checking forums and social media to see what plugins are recommended by others
- Getting recommendations from family and friends
- Finding other plugin directories besides the one on WordPress
- And more
The plugin I chose to use is called “Elementor“. This is a major functionality plugin that redesigns the editing interface, providing extended features such as the ability to preview blogs on different device types and an expanded customization on the various widgets provided by WordPress. Additionally, with the Pro version, Elementor provides even more widget features to interact with and advanced features to further personalize blog posts beyond what is already available.
I chose this over other editor customization plugins such as Matias Ventura’s Gutenberg editor as this editor is by far more popular and highly rated on average (Elementor carries over 10 million active installations with ~4.5 stars average on 7,187 ratings compared to Gutenberg’s ~300,000 installations and 2 stars average out of 3,859 ratings). Elementor also carries extensive plugin support due to its sheer popularity, having a host of support plugins that add extra functionality on top of the existing ones.
Currently Elementor proves a challenge as carries a different workflow as opposed to WordPress’s default editor. Over time I feel it may outweigh the struggles as it proves a more efficient and streamlined experience to work with to create posts and pages.