The biggest challenge I faced with implementing my final project through a WordPress template was which plugins to use for the different functionalities I wanted my site to posses. The most time spent was between activating plugins, and then deactivating them because I couldn’t figure out how to properly use them even with their instructions. It cost me many hours and tons of frustration. Because of this it got me thinking, “what to look for in choosing the best plugin?”
If you’re like me the first thing I looked for in a plugin was the about of active downloads. This to me shows how many users have this plugin installed. I based a lot of my original plugins around this idea, but then once I couldn’t get this to work I started thinking “how many people install a plugin, cant figure it out and then go back to install another plugin without deactivating it?” This happened to me quite a few times and when I went to install another plugin realized I still had past ones that I wasn’t using on there. It had be thinking is it safe to go based on this mention alone?
Ratings is another category I keep a close eye on, but as with the active downloads I feel this is also something that can lead you astray. A bad reviewer might not have fully installed the plugin properly or added the short code or widget in the right way so are reviews an accurate representation as well?
I have to admit after I analyze the active plugin numbers and the reviews I head straight for the screen shots, tab. This to me is the best way without downloading to be able to understand if the plugin will be able to bring you what you are looking for. Some plugins only showcase pictures from the settings menu, but I always look for what the outcome will be on the word press page itself. This also lets me know if the “free” or “lite” version of a plugin will allow me to be able to customize it how I want it to or what restrictions I will have.
Overall everyone is going to look for different things when it comes to choosing a plugin, as mentioned above for me I take into consideration the reviews, active downloads, and most importantly the screen shots tab to be able to see whether or no I’m getting the plugin that will deliver the functionality that I need.
