Features of a Good WordPress Plugin
Last Updated: April 28, 2024
WordPress is the most used Content Management System (CMS) in the world.
One of the things that makes WordPress preferred by the billions of web developers and web designers who use it as their main website-building tool is the fact that it is so versatile that it is possible to build any type of website with it.
What makes it possible to expand WordPress from a simple blogging system to the most powerful and sought-after CMS in the world is the use of plugins. In this article, we will explore the features of a good WordPress plugin.
Table of Contents
What Are Plugins (If You Don’t Know)?
Plugins, if you’ve already used WordPress you’ll know, but if you haven’t used them or if you’re just a beginner you might not know yet, I’ll leave the definition here anyway.
In WordPress, plugins are pieces of programmatic code, aiming to integrate more functionalities into WordPress than those that WordPress comes with by default.
Therefore, if you want to transform your WordPress website into an online store, you need a plugin to add this functionality.
If you need a booking website, you need a plugin. In other words, plugins are extras, they are like applications that we install on our cell phone to do something or programs that we install on our computer to be able to do something.
I’ve always liked to compare WordPress to a Core, a kind of operating system, and plugins are the applications. Anyway, I think you got the message across.
So, What Are the Features of a Good WordPress Plugin?
If you are looking for a plugin in the WordPress repository, the search algorithm itself usually sorts the plugins in order of reliability.
And what is this algorithm based on? It is based on criteria such as the number of total active installations of the plugin, the date of the last update of the plugin, the compatibility with your version of WordPress installation, the total number of reviews in relation to the positivity of those same reviews.
Therefore, let’s break down each of the criteria:
Number of Active Plugin Installations
The purpose of this criterion is to evaluate the popularity and demand for a given plugin. If you have many active installations it is because, as a rule, it is highly requested and necessary to add certain features to WordPress that you may be looking for.
Plugin Last Update Date
WordPress is constantly evolving and updating, just like the programming languages that make up the core, such as PHP and Javascript.
Therefore, the date of the plugin’s last update is important so that you know whether the plugin developers are still working on it, or whether they have already discontinued the project.
If the plugin is already discontinued, it may not be a good idea to install it, especially if it is a plugin to add too many features.
This means that it can be a huge plugin, with many files and lines of code written that, in itself, already represents a vulnerability, not only in security because the code is old, but it can represent conflicts with other plugins and end up breaking yours. site.
Plugin Compatibility with your WordPress Installation Version
If the plugin displays the message “has not been tested with your version of WordPress” along with the criteria described above (last updated more than 6 months ago), it is a big red flag. If you really need the plugin, install it at your own risk. But it’s a no.
Plugin compatibility with other Plugins
Here the best thing is to do a little Google search for plugin incompatibilities with the plugin you intend to install, or even on the plugin support pages. If you have a plugin installed that is essential to your site, you won’t want to install a plugin that is incompatible.
Positive Reviews and Total Number of Plugin Reviews
The idea here is to choose the plugin that has the highest possible rating in reviews, but not only that.
For example, if two plugins have positive reviews of 4.8 stars, but one plugin only has 20 total reviews, when the other has more than 1000 reviews, in addition to the number of active installations, which usually also tends to be higher, then it is because you should select the one that has the highest number of positive reviews per total number of reviews and active installs.
Conclusion
Governed by the criteria of Popularity and Search for the Plugin (Number of Active Installations), together with the technical criteria (Date of last update and compatibility with the most recent version of WordPress and other plugins), finally going to the evaluations and total number of these, you will certainly find the perfect plugin for your current needs.
If you can’t find a free plugin that meets your needs, you may have to turn to a paid plugin. You can find the best paid plugins for almost every type of functionality you might need on the Envato Marketplace.
*(This article was written entirely by a Human, without any use of Artificial Intelligence (except for creating or editing images). For more details read my Humanity Statement)
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