Like WordPress themes, you already know plugins and widgets are important elements of the WordPress experience. However, you may not know exactly what they are and why they are used.
So, what are plugins and widgets and why do we need them?
The open-source nature of WordPress allows for complete customization and scalability of your website. However, not all users can or want to add custom code to their WordPress site. With plugins and widgets, you can easily customize your website, adding complex functionality and interactive elements, without the fuss of coding.
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What is a Plugin?
Plugins are third-party software you can search for and install via your WordPress dashboard. Plugins are developed to improve performance or add additional functionality to your website that is not included in your standard WordPress install. For example, you can install security, caching, and SEO plugins to help protect, speed up, and optimize your site for your users. Likewise, you can install form plugins to capture end-user information or a gallery plugin to create a better layout for your images.
Below is a list of recommended plugins to consider for your WordPress website.
Recommended WordPress Plugins
- WordPress security plugins
- Backup plugins
- Form Plugins
- Caching Plugin
- SEO Plugins
What are Widgets?
Widgets are interactive elements that are either included with WordPress or can be downloaded from third parties. They allow you to add interactive functionality like social media icons or a search bar to the header, footer, sidebar, or other widget areas. Like plugins, you can search and install widgets via your WordPress dashboard. Notably, your available widgets are determined by your active WordPress theme.
Below is a list of recommended widgets to consider for your WordPress website.
Recommended WordPress Widgets
- WordPress Text Widget
- Recent Blog Post Widget
- RSS Feed Widget
- Social Media Widget
- Authors Widget by JetPack
- Facebook Page Widget by Jetpack
Become a master of WordPress plugins! Protect, optimize, secure, and expand the functionality of your website easily with the help of WordPress plugins!
