Earlier this year, I took over the management of a website that had 50 WordPress plugins installed. I remember thinking, ‘Why in the world would anyone need so many plugins?’ In many cases, there were two different plugins performing the same functions.
Well, part of the problem with that site, and others I’ve inherited, was there had been several different people managing the site over the years. One person adds a plugin they like. Then, two years later, the next person adds one they like better, without removing the first one. In other situations, the person managing the site just didn’t know that much about WordPress, so they kept adding new plugins to do simple things.
That’s the beauty of WordPress, whatever you want to do, there’s a developer somewhere who has written a plugin to do it!
What Are WordPress Plugins?
A plugin is a piece of code that alters the core function of WordPress. It can be one simple action or multiple functions and filters. For instance, say you want to add blog posts to your site. Now, the WordPress core will automatically create a page with a public index of your posts and allow users to comment on each post. With a little code, or with a plugin, you can hide certain pages from the public and only allow registered members to see posts and discuss them.
There are some very well-known plugins that substantially expand the WordPress core. For instance, WooCommerce. It’s a smart little e-commerce plugin that you can use to build a great website shop. There’s a plethora of WordPress plugins that can, in turn, add more power to WooCommerce. Also, WooCommerce offers extensive documentation to help you learn how to get things done.
Plugin vs. Custom Code
Let’s say you want to add a quantity discount to your WooCommerce orders. Some folks will rush to find and install a plugin, but it’s really not necessary. You can add a PHP snippet that hooks into the Woo checkout flow, calculates the discount based on the number of items in the cart, and adjusts the price.
An experienced developer would know this, but the average user will spend time searching, installing, and configuring a plugin to accomplish the task. The thing is, the average user doesn’t really understand what’s going on under the hood. The plugin may include additional actions/filters that might conflict with some other process. WordPress plugins have to work seamlessly with the WordPress core code, but one plugin may or may not play well with other plugins.
The truth is, custom PHP is better than a plugin for basic functions. Even some complicated ones. That custom code will run forever and you won’t have to worry about plugin updates. Or worse, plugins that are abandoned by the developers and never get updated. Also, sometimes plugin updates are released with code errors. This can cause serious conflicts and potentially knock your site offline.
DIY or Professional Site Management?
I know there are many who successfully manage their own WordPress websites like pros. If you have the skills, it’s empowering and satisfying to competently handle things on your own. But, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be counterproductive and things could get messy.
I’ve had clients become completely discouraged after they’ve wasted hours trying to figure out why something isn’t working. An experienced developer will know how to troubleshoot and fix an issue quickly. Whereas someone who doesn’t have the necessary knowledge could spend a lot of time “googling” and end up even more confused and frustrated.
If you’d really like to dive in and learn more about WordPress, they offer several courses to help you on your journey.
If in Doubt, Hire a Pro
WordPress is a powerful platform and it’s come a long way since the original humble beginnings. Today, there are so many plugins out there, you could spend your whole day trying to find one that fits your specific needs and does everything you want it to do.
If your site has a lot of moving parts (i.e., shop, payment gateway, membership, API), it can be difficult to manage without full knowledge of the WordPress core, PHP, databases, and optimization. Whether you’re using advanced plugins or need custom integrations, it’s best to hire a professional to manage your WordPress site and keep everything running smoothly.