25 Aug 2023
54 THOUSAND free plugins!
WordPress.org currently offers 54,826 plugins.
Plugins that can take your blog or business website to the next level.
But, it’s like candy: you shouldn’t have too much of it, or it will work against you. Although it’s challenging because it’s so tempting to try them all.
And now you might say, we’ve heard this before. We know, not too many plugins, security, website speed, blah blah blah…
We manage many websites, for over 10+ years… and let us tell you: it’s a mess!
Professional web agencies
Professional web agencies still load websites with too many plugins. And not only too many, but also plugins that don’t work well together.
For example: You can use 1 SEO plugin, but there are dozens available on WordPress.org.
You have a plugin to handle Google, a plugin to create XML sitemaps, a plugin to display data structured for Google… etc.
The drawback: they all do a little bit of everything. They also overlap in functionality. They don’t work together! You’ll notice this when you get unexpected results or indexing problems in Google.
Anyone can install plugins, but configuring them properly is a study in itself.
Making an overloaded website faster with even more plugins?!
Another good one. We see websites every week that are supposed to be fast and therefore have multiple caching plugins.
One for the speed test, one for Google, one for lazy loading images, one for caching HTML & CSS, and of course one that combines queries to make your website even faster! And to balance it all out, a super caching plugin to serve static pages…
That’s like taking an energy drink for energy, a painkiller for the headache caused by the energy drink, and then using an antacid and an anti-nausea pill to deal with the side effects.
Crazy, don’t do it!
Of course, you can use 1 speed optimization plugin and 1 SEO plugin, but do your research first. Look at the features, how they work, and if you can configure them according to your preferences.
Another pitfall: premium plugins
Premium plugins are professional, so they must be fine!
WRONG! Even if you buy a $199 plugin, there’s a team behind it turning the plugin into an airplane cockpit.
Because the client wants to do everything! Manage everything without writing a single line of code, everything should be click and play.
Sounds great, but you won’t believe the impact it has on your website. Complete teams spend months writing code with a multitude of features and customization options, unloading jQuery databases, throwing inline code into HTML… all for the sale of that expensive plugin and to meet the client’s demands.
So be very cautious
with premium plugins as well.
Stick to 5-15 plugins max!
Demand from your web developer not to use plugins for every little function.
We know, it saves them work and time, keeping costs low. But in the long run, it almost always leads to problems with updates and the functionality of the website.
As a website owner, don’t just throw plugins into your website without consideration.
But as a website owner, don’t just throw plugins into your website 😉
I know, you encounter a problem and see that it can be solved with 1-2 mouse clicks. But you might be jeopardizing the structure of your website with the plugins you use.
Nice story, WPbeveiligen!
From the candy store to a story about what you should NOT do. That really cheers us up!
Now that you know what not to do, let us help you do it right.
Plugins, what to do:
- Research which plugin works best. For example, if you want to use a caching plugin, search for best 5 caching plugins for WordPress on Google or DuckDuckGo 😉
But beware, the first and second results are often ads. Both on Google and on the website itself. They get a commission if you purchase the plugin. So feel free to look at the free version and don’t go for the “best” one that requires payment or a subscription. A free plugin is often just as good as a paid one. - Check the reviews. Plugins have a “star rating.” Look at the number of people who have given ratings and the number of stars the plugin has earned.
Check if the plugin has been updated recently, indicating that it’s being maintained by the developer.
Now, a list of free plugins that have proven themselves over the years:
- Autoptimize – For website speed optimization.
- WooCommerce – From WordPress itself, for building an online store.
- Yoast SEO – The best plugin for optimizing your website for Google.
- iThemes Security – Security is essential!
- Count per Day – Track the number of visitors to your website.
- UpdraftPlus – For backups, as your host may have limited storage.
All of them can be found in the wonderful plugin library of WordPress.org.
Do you have any top plugins to recommend? Or any questions? Let us know in the comments!
But remember, not too many plugins at once!
