Bolster Your Site: How to Install WordPress Plugins

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how to install wordpress plugins

At the writing of this article, WordPress has nearly 55,000 plugins available for download.

With so many useful plugins at hand, you’ve got all of the tools you need to extend your WordPress experience whether you’re creating a simple website, selling products online, or writing a blog.

However, if you’re a beginner at working with WordPress, you might be wondering how to install WordPress plugins to begin getting started with growing your website.

Keep reading for our step-by-step guide to beginning using plugins today.

Understanding the Basics of WordPress

Guides that cater to WordPress for beginners often begin by answering the question of how to set up WordPress.

However, it helps to first answer the question of “What is WordPress?”

WordPress is a free, open-source content management system. This means that the platform is totally free to use as long as you have a domain name and a hosting plan.

When you connect your domain name to your website, you’ll usually install a free WordPress theme or ask your hosting provider to do so for you.

Then, you’ll begin to learn about the various features available to you.

Depending on what you want to do with your WordPress website, you’ll be able to find numerous free and paid plugins that you can install to enhance your site.

Some of the most popular plugins include:

  • SEO plugins that help you increase your on-page SEO efforts by optimizing your keywords and giving you feedback on your content.
  • Form builders that allow you to create forms in order to capture emails, send out newsletters, and much more.
  • Analytics plugins that will provide you with in-depth insight into the performance of your website.
  • Caching plugins that improve the speed of your website.

These are just a few of the many categories available to you when you’re browsing through WordPress plugins.

It’s important to figure out what your actual website needs, as you don’t need all of the plugins.

Figure out what’s going to help boost your website the most and only download the essentials. This will help you avoid oversaturating your WordPress cPanel and backend.

How to Install Free WordPress Plugins

It’s important to note that installing WordPress plugins that are free requires that you take a few different steps than when you’re installing premium plugins that you pay for.

Any good WordPress guide will tell you how to download each one separately.

To install free WordPress plugins, you’ll want to go to your Admin panel and look at the choices on the left side menu.

Do you see the category Plugins? Click on that.

At the top, there will be a button that says “Add New.” 

If you’re just starting your search for the first time, then you can browse through the recommended list of plugins.

Or, use the handy search bar at the top right to search for the specific plugin that you know you want to download.

Once you’ve searched and found the plugin you’re looking for, click on “Install Now.”

That’s it! Well, almost. 

WordPress will automatically download and install the plugin to your website. However, a pop-up will appear and it will ask you to do one of two things:

  • Activate Plugin
  • Return to Plugin Installer

To finish the process completely, you need to make sure that you click on “Activate Plugin.” This will complete the process and the plugin will be ready for use on your website!

If you encounter any problems, then there might be issues with your theme or your hosting. Contact your web hosting provider and explain the issue to them.

How to Install WordPress Plugins That You Pay For

So, how do you install WordPress plugins if you have to pay for them?

The process is a bit different, namely because you can’t search for premium WordPress plugins from the normal Admin panel like you can the free ones.

In this case, you’ll need to obtain the plugin from a third-party website first. Once you purchase it, you’ll have a .zip file with the plugin inside of it.

Now, go back to your Admin panel, find the Plugins category on the left side menu, and click “Add New.”

Now, instead of searching for a plugin, you’re going to look at the top of the page and find the “Upload Plugin” button.

Click on that button and upload the zip file of the plugin that you have.

You’ll once again see the pop-up screen and need to ensure that you click on “Activate Plugin” to fully complete the upload and installation!

You can now go back to your Plugins page and see all of the activated plugins that you have on your website.

If you find that one of the plugins isn’t working for you or that it’s messing up your website’s backend, then you’ll want to first make a backup copy of your entire website and then remove the plugin.

Uninstalling WordPress plugins is as easy as installing them!

You just have to select the plugin and remove the directory from your website.

Again, if you have issues then it might be due to your WordPress theme’s capabilities, your hosting provider, or the plugin itself.

Browse the plugin’s documentation and installation instructions to ensure that you’re following all of the right steps.

Bolstering Your WordPress Website

Learning how to install WordPress plugins is one of the first steps towards creating a fully-optimized and high-functional WordPress website.

However, learning and work don’t stop there. Now, you’ll need to focus on the layout of your website, creating content for it, and ensuring that you’re paying attention to analytics.

If you find that your theme doesn’t fully allow you to customize all of these factors of your website or that your business is growing too fast, then it’s worth looking into WordPress Premium.

Take a look at our guide to whether or not WordPress Premium is worth it.

We’ve compared the pros and cons for you in a way that will help you decide what’s best for your company’s website.