a beginners guide to free wordpress plugins
TRANSCRIPT
A Beginners Guide
to Free WordPress
Pluginswith Christina Hills
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What are WordPress Plugins?
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Plugins are like Apps on Your Phone
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Plugin Can Be:
Fun or Functional
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Fun: Falling Snow Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-super-snow/
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Functional: SEO Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo
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How Do You Evaluate a Plugin?
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WordPress.org Plugin Directory1
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Inside WordPress Admin2
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Example:
“Image Widget”
Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/image-widget/
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Find Inside WP & Evaluate
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Look at:
- Version Compatibility
- Active Installs
- Star Ratings
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Look for:
- Screenshots
- FAQ
-Documentation
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Find it on
WordPress.org
https://wordpress.org/plugins/image-widget/
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How Active is the
Support Forum?
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Go to the Plugin
Homepage
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Do They Have a Pro Version?
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Click to Install the Plugin
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REMEMBER to Activate the Plugin!
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See if the Plugin has a
Special Settings Area
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For “Widget” Plugins Go to the Widget Area
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Check the General
“Settings” Area
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Some Plugins Have
Their Own Settings
Area
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Save Your “Favorites” For Faster Install!
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At WordPress.org
Click “Heart” to
Favorite
What is a Shortcode Plugin?
[ ]
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Plugin Shortcode:
“[“ words in square brackets “]”
[simple-sitemap]
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Sitemap Shortcode: [simple-sitemap] in a Page
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Resulting Page
Created from that
Shortcode
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The FooGallery Shortcode: [foogallery id="133"]
Visual View
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The FooGallery Shortcode: [foogallery id="133"]
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The FooGallery “Photo Album” Displayed
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Tiled Galleries
“Photon” Image Storage
Related Posts
Contact Form
Stats
Security
Monitor Downtime
Social Sharing
Widget Visibility
Extra Sidebar Widgets
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If you are NOT a
developer:
Ignore Instructions that
Involve code!
Just say to yourself:
“This is not for me!”
www.Jetpack.com/support/site-breadcrumbs/
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Always Update
Your Plugins!
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Look for the Orange Circles
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Sometimes Plugins Get “Moldy”
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Watch for Outdated Plugins that have this Warning!
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Use “No Longer in Directory” Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/no-longer-in-directory/
When Should You Upgrade to the
Pro Version of a Plugin?
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You Upgrade to the Pro Version
For Support and More Features
Must Have Plugins List:Backup
Security
Under Construction
Contact form
Duplicate Post
Image Widget
Advanced Image Styles
TinyMCE Advanced
Caching plugin
Redirection plugin
Enhanced Media Library
Additional Plugins to Consider
SEO
Social Sharing
Social Follow
Related Posts
Contact Form
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Plugin Best Practices:
ALWAYS keep plugins up to date.
Delete plugins you are not using.
Keep the number of plugins at a minimum
Be nice in plugin support forums!
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Graphic courtesy of SixRevisions.com
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Donate to Keep Plugin Authors Happy!
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So Gather Your Army of Plugins
