WordPress Plugin Installation Tutorial_Complete Guide to Popular Essential Plugins

NaibabijiUsedWordPress installationFor building websites using WordPress as the CMS, one of the main reasons is the abundance of WordPress plugins, which are suitable for novice webmasters without coding skills to implement features through plugins. This article introduces threeWordPress Plugin Installation Methods和Popular and Essential WordPress PluginsThis article will be updated periodically, aiming to create aComplete WordPress Plugin Directorypage for everyone.

WordPress Plugin Installation Tutorial

We have three methods to install plugins for WordPress: online installation via the admin panel, upload installation via the admin panel, and local FTP upload installation.

WP Admin Online Installation

Installing plugins online via the plugin menu in the WordPress Dashboard is the most convenient method. The specific operation process is as follows:

1. Log in to the WordPressDashboard。
2. Click on thePlugins。
3. SelectInstall Plugin。
4. In thesearch boxat the top right of the screen, enter the name of the plugin you want to install.
5. After finding the plugin you want to install, clickInstall Now。
6. After installation is complete, selectEnable。
7. After the plugin is activated, if there are configuration items, you can usually find them under the left-side tools or settings menu.

WP Admin Upload Installation

Backend upload installation is the process where you download a plugin installation package from a website and then upload it through the backend panel for installation. The specific steps are as follows:

1. From the internet,downloadthe WP plugin you want to install.
2. The correct plugin compressed package format isZIP format; do not extract it.
3. In the WP Dashboard backend, select from the left menu:Plugins - Install Plugin。
4. Click on the top of the plugins page,Upload Plugin。
5. Select the ZIP package you downloaded and clickInstall Now。
6. After installation is complete, clickEnable。
7. After the plugin is activated, if there are configuration items, you can usually find them under the left-side tools or settings menu.

Manual Installation Using FTP

Sometimes, if a plugin is too large, uploading via the backend may fail. In such cases, you can choose to upload it to the server using FTP. The specific steps are as follows:

1. From the internet,downloadThe WP plugin you want to install andextract。
2. Open FTP software; if you don't have any,click here to download。
3. 用FTP connectto your server.
4. Switch the FTP server directory to/wp-content/plugins/ 。
5. Uploadthe extracted plugin folder to the plugins directory.
6. LoginIn the WP Dashboardbackend, clickPlugins - Installed Plugins。
7. Find the plugin you just uploaded, then clickEnable。
8. After the plugin is activated, if there are configuration items, you can usually find them under the left-side tools or settings menu.

The above three methods for installing WordPress plugins have been introduced. Next, let's introduce some popular WordPress plugins.

Popular WordPress Plugins

When installing popular WordPress plugins directly from the backend online, clicking the 'Popular' tab will show you which plugins are the most popular.NaibabijiHere, I'll introduce to youthe top 20 popular WordPress pluginsand what they are used for. (Note: Popular does not necessarily mean the optimal solution; you can choose alternative plugins of the same type that you find most convenient to use.)

1. Contact Form 7 →Contact form plugin, a must-install plugin for foreign trade websites.
2. Yoast SEO →Website SEO plugin, currently used by Naibabiji.
3. Akismet Anti-Spam →Spam comment blocker, not a mandatory item.
4. Classic Editor →Recommended to install, although it can also be implemented with code.
5. Jetpack by WordPress.com →Not installed by domestic users, optional for international users.
6. WooCommerce →E-commerce plugin, install if needed.
7. WordPress Importer →Only used when importing data from other WordPress sites.
8. Really Simple SSL →Helps you set up SSL, not needed.
9. Elementor Page Builder →Page builder plugin, choose as needed.
10. Wordfence Security –Firewall & Malware Scan → Security software, choose as needed.
11. Duplicate Post →Plugin for duplicating posts.
12. TinyMCE Advanced →Editor that mixes old and new editors.
13. All in One SEO Pack →Another SEO plugin used by many people.
14. Contact Form by WPForms →Another contact form plugin.
15. Google XML Sitemaps →A plugin that generates sitemaps, helpful for SEO.
16. All-in-One WP Migration →A plugin for website migration.
17. UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin →It says what it does.
18. WP Super Cache →A page caching plugin for website optimization and speed.
19. Google Analytics Dashboard →For Google Analytics, not commonly used domestically.
20. MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress →Email subscription.

The above are the 20 most popular WordPress plugins. Next, Naiba recommends a few that he personally considersEssential WordPress Plugins。

Essential WordPress Plugins

The plugins recommended below are what Naiba considers essential WordPress plugins. Beginners may consider installing them, while veterans can decide for themselves.

1. Classic EditororTinyMCE Advanced
2. Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack
3. WP Super Cache orWP-Rocket, a caching plugin to speed up the website.
4. Limit Login Attempts or Wordfence Security, security plugins.
5. WP Database Backup, for database backup.
6. WP SMTP orthese, email SMTP plugins, to make the website's email system work.
7. WP-Optimize, a database optimization plugin.
8. WPJAM BASIC, a plugin written by a Chinese developer, similar to an optimization master, with the drawback of feeling somewhat coercive to users.

All the plugins above can be replaced with similar alternatives. You can install them and decide whether to keep them based on your preference.

Complete WordPress Plugin Directory

Below, we will list some excellent WordPress plugins according to common categories. If you have recommendations, please submit them to us.

WP Security Plugins

1. Jetpack by WordPress.com
2. Wordfence Security – Firewall & Malware Scan
3. Limit Login Attempts
4. iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)
5. All In One WP Security & Firewall
6. Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening
7. Cerber Security, Antispam & Malware Scan
8. My Private Site
9. 6 Popular WordPress Security Plugins
10. WPS Hide Login

WP Optimization Plugins

1. WPJAM Basic
2. Yoast SEO
3. All in One SEO Pack
4. LiteSpeed Cache
5. Baidu Search Push Management
6. W3 Total Cache
7. WP Fastest Cache
8. WP Super Cache
9. Redis Object Cache
10. Hyper Cache
11. Breeze – WordPress Cache Plugin
12. Google XML Sitemaps
13. Smush Image Compression and Optimization
14. Autoptimize

WP Functional Plugins

1. Header & Footer Code
2. Code Snippets
3. WP-UTF8-Excerpt
4. QQWorld Auto Save Images
5. Contact Form 7
6. Classic Editor
7. WooCommerce
8. Elementor Page Builder
9. UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin
10. Redirection

There are simply too many plugins; it's impossible to complete this comprehensive WordPress plugin list in a day or two. I'll update it gradually.