From the ease of use and better control, to added security and more opportunity for customisation, it is a platform that can increase your success online. However, there is one aspect that should be considered carefully when investing in WordPress website design: Plugins.
What are WordPress plugins?
Plugins are software add-ons that are used to customise a website or mobile application. They can also be used to increase the functionality or add new features to your WordPress website.
There are thousands of plugins available today. Some allow you to improve your website’s SEO, while others enable you to add streams from social media platforms to your site. But even though they can be incredibly useful for some functions, they can also hurt your website in some ways. Let’s explore how.
Why the use of many plugins can hurt your website
It slows your website
Plugins can affect your site’s loading speeds. The reason for this is because plugins require some files to load in order to work correctly. Depending on the file size, it can take significantly longer to load on your website, resulting in slower speeds.
Bugs and security issues
When plugins aren’t regularly updated, security loopholes can appear, which can make your website vulnerable to hacks. Another way that plugins can pose security risks is if you install free versions of paid plugins. These almost always carry significant risks.
It can clutter your backend
Using too many plugins can make your backend look and feel untidy. This can make it difficult to make changes to your website or to find the source of issues when they arise. Some plugins can also conflict with each other, causing your site to crash.
Which plugins are good to have?
Although it’s not wise to have many plugins installed, some plugins can actually improve your website’s look and feel, as well as its functionality. However, it is important to choose carefully.
Some plugins that can be beneficial to your website include SEO plugins, contact form plugins, plugins that produce traffic insights and plugins that boost online security.
Choose plugins carefully for your website design
Plugins can be highly useful tools that allow you to do more with your WordPress website, compared to the platform out of the box. However, when unstable plugins or too many of them are installed, it can negatively affect your site. The key is to choose wisely and to work closely with your website designer to confirm which plugins are right for your website.
Have a question or require advice about your WordPress website? Talk to the expert website design team at Evoweb .
