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Have you ever worked yourself out to a point where your body can’t take it anymore? Your energy depletes, and your work will likely weaken unless you recharge. It is the same way our site systems respond. WordPress plugins boost them to give them better performance with extended functionalities. They use a programming language called PHP.
Plugins have made WordPress the most well-known and most-used website builder today. They are also easily accessible, with free versions and premium types available. Using WordPress plugins,” the sky is the limit.” You can do almost anything you can imagine on your site.
The Do’s and Don’ts that should guide you while using WordPress plugins that we are going to cover in this article are as follows:
WordPress Plugin Do’s
- Have a backup plugin
- Install Google Analytics
- Use SEO-friendly URLs and internal links
- Keep your plugins updated
- Use social media to promote your website
- Invest in premium plugins
WordPress Plugin Don’ts
- Keep default username
- Use copyrighted data
- Use a poor host
- Overlook security
Do’s
Have a Backup Plugin
Don’t wait to be a victim to act. Losing your work due to unavoidable circumstances like system crashing, server malfunction, or malicious attacks can be detrimental if you don’t have a backup plugin. Disaster may strike anytime, and so you have to stay prepared. WordPress developers recommend backup plugins like VaulPress and BackUpWordPress, which can put you at ease.
Install Google Analytics
Monitoring website performance helps you make quick decisions. You can accomplish this by using Google Analytics. What exactly does it do? Well, it monitors all your website movements. How do your visitors behave when they visit your website? What do they do when they are there, and how much time do they take? Do they come back, and if so, after how long? With this analysis, you can make some improvements.
Keep your Plugins Updated for Security Purposes
It is safe to keep your plugins updated. They will not give you the maximum performance if you don’t update them. If you have unused plugins, it might not be necessary for your system; you need to remove them. Using the latest versions can be a good thing, too. WordPress developers ensure a constant update of their plugins. On the same subject, you can also remove unused logins.
Social Media Awareness
Most of your audience likely comes from social media. Create a page that talks about the goods and services you have to offer. Facebook and Twitter are the right platforms to start. Since you already have friends and their followers, the awareness will spread faster, and you can quickly increase share counts.
Invest in Premium Plugins
Yes, many free plugins come in handy, but investing in the premium types will give you more customization options, and many will ensure you get maximum benefits from some of the features that free plugins won’t have. They are also likely to get a timely update.
Use SEO Friendly URLs & Internal Links
They are friendly because they contain clear words that help you understand the page content. Search engines, as well as humans, can read the content. If that doesn’t work, use the permalink structure to improve readability and search results.
If you have already installed permalink, ensure constant updates for work efficiency. To do that, choose Settings>Permalink and Save Changes.
It is essential to add that if you use an established site, changing the permalink structure six months before will risk losing all the share count of your social media and SEO ranking. WordPress developers would recommend having a professional set up proper redirects.
A search engine gives every page on your site a score. This score comes in links, referred to as page authority. To get a good score, linking your blog page to other blog posts can help you improve your SEO scores and boost your page views. Doing this ultimately increases your visitors’ time spent on your website.
WordPress Plugin (Yoast SEO)
It is the best WordPress Plugin because it has a robust content analysis tool. This tool can optimize all your website’s pages and posts.
When you enter the focus keyword, Yoast SEO allows the plugin to analyze your content. The results are shown in the content analysis section, and based on the outcome, SEO Yoast suggests improving your post’s scores.
Don’ts
Keep Default Username
The default username is usually the first target for hackers. Security plugins ban those who fail to use admin while logging in. Therefore, it is smart to change your username.
Use Copyrighted Data
Any text, videos, or pictures with a copyright mark means its user has protected it. Please don’t use it without the owner’s permission. Doing so is illegal, and you can face a lawsuit. One of the consequences you are likely to get after getting accused of copyright infringement can be massive monetary damage.
Use a Poor Host
Choosing a poor host might cost you much more than investing in the good ones. WordPress categorizes some of the best types; Bluehost is among the best in the market, and a blogger’s favorite is DreamHost. The critical factor to consider is how reliable they can be. Are they likely to cause a timeout from your server’s end?
Overlook Security
You don’t want to expose your password or relevant information to hackers. If you are not keen on ensuring the safety of your website, the likely damage you can encounter can be detrimental to your business. Hackers are inevitable. A WordPress Plugin like Akismet can protect you from spam.
A poorly Coded Plugin
While the essence of a plugin is to boost your website speed, the poorly coded type will slow them down. WordPress developers recommend using quality plugins to follow the coding standards and avoid system malfunction.
In conclusion, you can use as many WordPress plugins as possible as they are high-quality. Use the ones from a reputable company, as most WordPress plugins don’t disappoint. However, following the Do’s and Don’ts of using WordPress plugins will ensure the proper functionality of your system.