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How to Add Plugins to WordPress Site
This document will show users how to add and activate a plugin to a WordPress site.
From the WordPress Codex:
Plugins are ways to extend and add to the functionality that already exists in WordPress.
The core of WordPress is designed to be lean and lightweight, to maximize flexibility and minimize code bloat. Plugins then offer custom functions and features so that each user can tailor their site to their specific needs.
For instructions and information on downloading, installing, upgrading, troubleshooting, and managing your WordPress Plugins, see Managing Plugins.
To add a plugin, start out on the Dashboard and navigate to >> Plugins
This will bring you to a list of the plugins that are installed on your site. If you want a new one added, click "Add New" at the top of the page:
The "Add New" button sends you to the WordPress Plugin Library. Most of these are free of charge, but some of them are not. *Any charges you incur on your site are your responsibility. If membership/your subscription lapses to those plugins that aren't free, the functionality from the plugin will not work after the specified time period.
The first page is the Featured Plugins list; but I would recommend the Popular filter because those will be used often, and will have communities associated with them, if you need help.
A few things to look for:
In the the image below, within the red rectangle, we see a starred-rating, how many active installs, when it was last updated, and if it is compatible with your version of WordPress. These are important tools that will help you decide whether or not the plugin is worth learning how to use.
For example: If I find a plugin I want to use, I'll make sure that more than one person installed it--because it might have 5 stars, but that one person doesn't have as much clout as 500,000 people who have also rated something 4.5 stars.
Part of maintaining your site is also ensuring that your plugins and themes won't break the site.
You might find that when your plugins or themes automatically update, your site becomes inaccessible, and then you need to make that theme or plugin inactive to make your site available again.