Install WordPress plugins on your website to get access to more features and functionality over your stock WordPress website.
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With a brand new website ready for launch and WordPress installed as well, you’re on your way to getting started. With the basics up and running, it’s time to learn how to set up WordPress plugins on your website. As there are hundreds and thousands of WordPress plugins available, every feature that you desire is only one install away.
Why do you need WordPress plugins?
While the original goal of WordPress is to be the ultimate content management system, WordPress plugins over the years have turned it into so much more. Essentially a way to extend the capabilities and enhance the already present features of WordPress, plugins are designed to bring customizable and flexible features without writing down tons of code manually.
Just like how your mobile apps offer added functionality to your smartphone, WordPress plugins are designed to enhance the core utilities of WordPress as a whole. From page builders that make layout designing a whole lot easier to SEO plugins that help your website rank higher with the search engines – learning how to install a WordPress plugin to your website is one of the most basic, yet essential tricks you need to know.
Installing a WordPress plugin to your website
Since plugins are considered bare essentials for WordPress websites, there is a search engine for plugins built right into the WordPress dashboard. Using the Plugins tab on WordPress, you can find free plugins, install them right away and manage all of the WordPress plugins from a single place.
However, there are plenty of premium WordPress plugins that you’d want to get your hands on sooner or later. These plugins are available on third-party websites and marketplaces, which need to purchased, downloaded, and then uploaded to your WordPress website.
Install the WordPress plugin using WordPress Plugin Search
In favour of helping users find and install WordPress plugins right from the dashboard, WordPress has created a section to not only manage but find new plugins as well. You can start your quest for the best WordPress plugins right away by making your way to the WordPress dashboard and clicking on “Plugins->Add New” on the side panel.
The home screen of the plugin search page will show you some of the most popular WordPress plugins recommended by users. You can then use the search bar on the right corner of the screen to type in the exact name or the utility of the plugin you are looking for, and it shows up in the results.
Once you have found the WordPress plugin you’ve been looking for, click on the “Install Now” button right next to it. WordPress will now download the plugin and install it to your website, after which you will see a confirmation message. However, you will need to click on the “Activate Plugin” button before you can launch and use the plugin on your WordPress site.
Install third-party WordPress plugins (WordPress upload plugin)
While the plugin search feature built right into the WordPress dashboard is a great place to start and find free WordPress plugins, you’ll eventually want more. To bring some premium-grade functionality to your WordPress website, you can purchase plugins from online marketplaces such as the Evanto Market.
Regardless of where you purchase your WordPress plugin from, it will always be downloaded in.ZIP file format. All you need to do is just simply upload the ZIP file to your WordPress account and manually install it to your website.
To do so, head back over to the WordPress dashboard, click on the Plugins menu on the sidebar and select “Add New”. From this screen, use the “Choose File” button or drag and drop the.ZIP plugin file onto the screen to add the plugin to your WordPress website.
Once uploaded, you can click on the “Install Now” button and wait until the process is completed. Similar to installing a WordPress plugin right from the dashboard, you’ll need to activate the newly installed plugin before you can begin using it on the website.
