How to Install WordPress Plugins – In my previous post of WordPress tutorial series, I’ve shown you how you can install WordPress and how you can install WordPress theme to make your site pretty. Now, we’ll talk about how to install WordPress plugins and I’ll also show you how you can turn your WordPress into almost anything you want using plugins.
What is WordPress Plugins? – A Little About WordPress Plugins
You might wonder, what is exactly plugins. Well, I don’t really know why it called like that. But plugins is basically an add-ons for your WordPress site. It enable you to add more features and more functions to your existing site.
By installing WordPress plugins, you make your WordPress blog has more power. For example, did you notice that I have ‘Share this Post’ reminder on each of every post of mine? Well, there is no way that I manually add it myself. It will be too time consuming. So instead, I install WordPress plugins configure it with few click, then it will automatically inserted to each of my post.
If you notice in my comment section, I also have a checkbox that allow you to subscribe to my mailing list. Usually, I’ll need a squeeze page or some sort to ask your name and email address.
However, using WordPress plugins, I can ‘redirect’ your name and email data that you enter when you comment (with your permission, of course…) to my autoresponder automatically. It boost my conversion, and it also makes it easier for you to subscribe to my mailing list (you don’t have to enter your name and email address twice).
The purpose of this article is not only to show you how you can install WordPress plugins, but also give you nice list of WordPress plugins that you should install for your WordPress blog, mainly for SEO reasons.
So without further ado, I’ll show you how to install WordPress plugins and make your blog a lot more powerful.
How to Install WordPress Plugins – In a Nutshell
Installing WordPress plugins is super easy and simple. Basically, this is all you have to do:
- Browse or buy your desired WordPress plugins
- Install your WordPress plugins, or upload then install it
- Activate it and you’re done! (some plugins will need a little bit of configuration)
How to Install WordPress Plugins – Step by Step Guide
Step 1 – Search Your WordPress Plugins
There are many WordPress plugins that you can use for your blog and almost all the best plugins on planet is available for free in WordPress repository.
All you have to do is to go to your Install Plugins section in your WordPress dashboard. There’re lots of plugins to choose. Some of the popular tags are: admin, ajax, buddypress, category, comment, content, email, facebook, feed, flash, gallery, google, image, javascriot, jquery, media, page, photo, post, rss, seo, shortcode, sidebar, social, spam, stats, tags, twitter, video, widget, and more which basically means that you can use WordPress plugins for almost anything!!
For tutorial sake, let’s stick with one tags. Let’s say that I want to improve my site’s visibility in search engine. So I’ll choose SEO tags from all popular tags list.
Here, I see lots of WordPress plugins to choose. I must admit, you’ll have to do your own quick research before installing any plugins. But, 9 out of 10, you can safely install WordPress plugins that: has 4 star or more, has 15 or more reviews, and still constantly updated by its owner (updated within last 30 days).
For now, I’ll try to install WordPress SEO by Yoast plugins. I’m quite confident in installing this plugins because:
- The owner has popular site (yoast.com) and known being one of the best WordPress SEO consultant and WordPress developer, so I knew it’s not someone unknown from third world country with no credibility.
- His plugins has 4+ star rating based on 985 ratings
- He constantly updated his plugins to be compatible with latest WordPress release (Last Updated: 8 days ago)
And from its details, this WordPress plugins allow me to make my WordPress blog a lot more seo friendly by giving me full options of determining my title tags for each page, page analysis, and lots more.
Step 2 – Install WordPress Plugins
So I’ll just click on red Install Now button to install this plugins. This plugins will be installed and you’ll redirected to a page where you have options to Activate Plugins or Return to Plugins Page.
Step 3 – Activate WordPress Plugins
All you have to do for this is to just click Activate Plugins (pretty self explanatory isn’t it?)
Now, you’ll redirected to Plugins Page and you’re notified that your choosen plugin has been activated.
As you can see, below WordPress SEO, there is Settings link for you to configure this plugins. You can also Deactivate this plugins, make this plugins to stop working, or you can Edit this plugins (not recommended unless you knew what you’re doing).
So that’s basically how to install WordPress plugins. Really easy, everyone can do it. I won’t go into details on how to configure WordPress SEO plugins. That’ll be your homework. What I do is to provide you with general idea on how to install WordPress plugins.
Video Tutorial on How to Install WordPress Plugins
Further Reading
As usual, I give you the simplest way to install WordPress plugins in your site. However, if you want to install plugins manually, or tutorials on how to upload plugins to wordpress, I got you covered.
Here are list of blog and site that has relevant tutorials about installing WordPress plugins.
- How to Install WordPress Plugins by WordPress Codex
- Install WordPress Plugins manually by urbangiraffe: http://urbangiraffe.com/articles/how-to-install-a-wordpress-plugin/
- How to install, configure, and use WordPress plugins by Lorelle: http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2007/02/11/how-to-install-configure-and-use-wordpress-plugins/
Before I end my post, I’ll give you some list of best WordPress plugins for your blog. I might update this list in stand alone blog post. But for now, I’ll give you five plugins that you can start with and use to make your blog more secure, has more traffic, faster to load, etc.
Five Must Have Plugins for Your WordPress Blog
WordPress SEO by Yoast
This plugins is maybe one of the best if not the best WordPress SEO plugins out there. I believe that this plugins is a lot more superior than Platinum SEO or All in One SEO Plugins.
I talk about how to utilize this tools in my WordPress SEO Guide
Jetpack by WordPress.com
Jetpack is a WordPress plugin that supercharges your self-hosted WordPress site with the awesome cloud power of WordPress.com. It integrates all of WordPress.com features to your self-hosted WordPress blog such as WordPress stats, WP.me URL shortener, email subscription for blog’s post and post’s comments, embed YouTube, Digg, Vimeo video easily, and many more.
Akismet
One of the best anti comment and trackback spam WordPress plugins. Nuff said.
SEO Smart Link
Auto link certain keyword with certain link, auto nofollow external link, and many more (big time saver!)
Backup Creator
Possibly the best backup plugins on planet. Developed by Robert Plank, it allows you to backup everything in your site and restore it in less than 5 clicks. Little caveat, it’s not free though… it cost $47 for now (the price might increase in the future due to demand). Get it here ».
This is post third of WordPress Installation series.
So what is yours ‘must have’ WordPress plugins? Please share it via comment form. And also, if you like this post, please share it. Thanks!
