What I Learned About Utilizing Plugins for Websites

What are Plugins?

What are plugins? Plugins are pieces of code that add functionality to your website that tailors your website and your visitor’s needs. There are common plugins that are beneficial for both blogs and business websites, and some that lean more on one purpose than the other. For instance, an ecommerce business might need an “add to cart” plugin while a dog grooming business may need a plugin to book grooming appointments on their website. On the other hand, blogs might need plugins that do not require a cart or a booking plugin, but they might need plugins that require spam and comment maintenance or using social media button plugins to make your content easily shareable to the social media networks. These are just a variety of types of plugins different websites might need, but not all plugins are safe.

How Do I Know if a Plugin Is Safe to Install?

Remember, plugins are scripts of code that modify and add functions within your website, and the world is filled with crime, even cybercrime. Cyber criminals will do anything to damage your device or your network or find ways to steal your personal information. One of those ways is by creating malicious code that users may download because they are not aware of the red flags to look for when downloading or installing new plugins. There are many free plugins available that are free to the cyberworld, and this creates opportunities for cybercriminals to create free plugins with code that will steal or harm an individual and their website. The several ways to identify if a plugin is safe to use is to see how many uploads the plugin has. Chances are if no one has downloaded the plugin it is not worthy to risk it yourself. Another red flag to look for in being safe with downloading plugins is to see how many reviews and the amount of helpful reviews it has. If the plugins have greater negative reviews than positive reviews that is a red flag. You also need to consider the quantity of reviews a plugin has. Chances are if the plugin has more than thousands of reviews it is safe for the cyber community. The last tip to download safe plugins is to determine the source of the plugin. Is the plugin from a reputable source? Or is it from a random website online that shows low reputation for being dependable? Consider where the plugin is from, but just because the plugin is also from a reputable source does not mean malicious plugins can come through the website. Another way to consider finding red flags is simply doing your own research. Search on the web for popular and safe plugins for your website. Still proceed with caution, but a plugin that is agreed to be positive by many may be safer for you to use.

What Plugins Do Utilize for The Goofy Gremlin?

In The Goofy Gremlin, various plugins have been used to make my website better for me and better for people that follow the Goofy Gremlin or online visitors that come by such as an accessibility plugin called Accessibility by Userway, a traffic report plugin called Google Analytics by MonstersInsights, an anti-spam plugin called Akismet, a multifunctional plugin for website growth plugin called Jetpack, social media buttons to make my website shareable to others, and a backup plugin called Updraft. These are the basic plugins that I added for my website that would be beneficial for any blog and website.

Besides the basic plugins I added to my blog to make it more accessible and function better for myself and visitors, I also added another plugin that I found useful and beneficial for the creation of my website. That plugin is called Elementor: Website Builder which has features such as customizing fonts, customizing themes, customizing website settings, customizing popups, and customizing website colors. Elementor will be beneficial for my blog website to make it more visually appealing to viewers while also having the ability to make my website look more professional without the need for code. The plugin has more than ten million installations with 6,128 five-star reviews. To me, this plugin not only looks popular, but it is also safe to use since it has many installations and positive reviews.

The Goofy Gremlin website is currently just a blog, but it will become a fully functional and updated ecommerce website to sell my meme-culture brand products. There will be several new plugins required for my website to make it a fully functional ecommerce website such as a shopping cart plugin, and a plugin to help create invoices for orders from customers. I am sure there are more plugins that will increase my website to function more easily as an ecommerce website.

If you have read this far and liked my blogpost about using plugins for websites and blogs, thank you. Make sure to like, share, and comment on this post and make Life Meme-ingful today by sharing a funny meme you found today to your friend, family, co-worker, on your social media platform, or whoever you meet so you brighten their day. If you have not found your inner Gremlin yet you might just find it on The Goofy Gremlin.