Revealing the Real Answer to Your Plugin Questions and Helping You Build a Professional, Efficient, Business Website
As a web developer, I’m often asked…
“How many WordPress plugins should be installed on a website?”
But for me, the real question is:
How many plugins are too many?
Because, in reality, there isn’t really a thing as “too many plugins”. As long as they all have a distinct job role and don’t impact your website’s site performance.
In this blog, I’m going to break down the purpose of a plugin and how to determine whether you really need them. Plus explain how you, as a business owner, can filter through the options and find the perfect plugins for your website.
Let’s begin!
What Is a Plugin?
Let’s start at the beginning.
A WordPress plugin is like an app for your website.
It helps you add new features and website functionality without the need for code. Enhancing the capabilities of your site, and making it run exactly as you want it to.
There’s a plugin for just about ANYTHING!
- Contact forms
- Online stores
- Security
- Search Engine Optimisation
You name it.
The only limit is your imagination.
Do They Really Slow Your Website Down?
There’s a general myth that if you have too many plugins your website won’t load quickly.
While there’s some truth to that it’s not quite as simple.
Sometimes we need plugins for specific functions.
So when choosing, you need to weigh up the benefits of each new plugin you install and determine what it will bring to your website.
In other words…
It’s all about the QUALITY of the plugins you choose.
For example, you can have dozens of high-quality WordPress plugins running on your website without any issues. But if you choose poorly and add one badly coded plugin into the mix, it can slow down your website tenfold.
How To Choose a High-quality Plugin
1. Check the Reviews
What do other people think? Do they look credible?
If the developer has a strong reputation and consistently puts out good products, the chances are that the plugin will be good.
2. Check When It Was Last Updated
Keeping track of when plugins are updated is a great way to stay on top of how active the plugin is. It’s important because a neglected plugin could add problems to your site.
So by choosing a frequently updated plugin, you’ll be increasing the efficiency of your site.
3. Check Any Active Installations
If people are interested in the plugin, you’ll see a spike in the download number around the days when an update is released.
So if the growth in download numbers is sluggish around this time, you can assume that the updates weren’t received well.
4. Check if the Support Forum Is Active
Premium plugins often offer full-time support from staff who work to make the plugin better. While free plugins generally have an open forum for questions where you can see how people have responded.
Good support means you can ask any questions and get an answer quickly. Meaning if anything goes wrong or needs your attention, you can get it sorted ASAP.
I hope this blog has helped you determine how many plugins are too many for your website. And hopefully, you’re on your way to building the efficient, professional, business website of your dreams!
Do you still need help or have questions about this topic?
Then feel free to reach out to me at any time here.
As a professional Canberra-based web developer, I’m always happy to give you any pointers or advice if you need them.