How to Install, Add, and Use WordPress Plugins

Today, there are over 55,000 WordPress plugins — you can choose which ones to install on your WordPress website to begin reaping the benefits of added functionality based on your specific needs. There's SEO plugins, Pinterest plugins, appointment booking plugins, and more.

No matter what your goal is, you’re bound to find a plugin (or a few) that can help you achieve it.

Increasing your website’s functionality with the addition of WordPress plugins is exceptionally easy. In fact, you can install, activate, and begin using WordPress plugins in a matter of minutes. In this post, we'll show you how.

How to Install WordPress Plugins

Let's review the steps involved in installing your WordPress plugins both automatically and manually. (You can also update your plugins automatically and manually, too.)

To automatically add a plugin to your WordPress website:

1. From your WordPress dashboard, choose Plugins > Add new.

2. Search for the desired plugin using a search bar in the top right corner. A number of results will appear.

3. After finding the plugin in the results, click Install Now.

4. To use the plugin, you’ll need to activate it. When the installation is complete, click Activate. You can also activate or deactivate any plugin under Plugins > Installed Plugins.

To manually add a plugin to your WordPress website:

1. Download the desired plugin as a .zip file from either the WordPress directory or a third-party source. If you’re downloading from a third-party website, ensure the service is legitimate.

2. From your WordPress dashboard, choose Plugins > Add New.

3. Click Upload Plugin at the top of the page.

4. Click Choose File, locate the plugin .zip file, then click Install Now.

5. After the installation is complete, click Activate Plugin.

To add a plugin to your WordPress website via FTP:

1. Download the desired plugin as a .zip file from either the WordPress directory or a third-party source. If you’re downloading from a third-party website, ensure the service is legitimate.

2. Extract (or unzip) the plugin file. The unzipped folder will appear with the same name as the .zip file.

3. Next, you’ll need to connect to your WordPress website’s server with FTP. To do this, you can use a free or premium FTP client software that connects to the host server to transfer files.

4. Once you open the FTP client, connect to your website with a username and password. You might need to obtain these credentials from your hosting provider.

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5. In your WordPress file directory, open the wp-content folder, then open the plugins folder.

6. Upload the unzipped plugin folder that you downloaded to the plugins folder.

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7. Return to your WordPress dashboard and select Plugins > Installed Plugins. Find your new plugin should appear and click Activate.

How to Use a Plugin in WordPress

Most plugins that perform simple tasks begin working immediately after being installed — complex plugins with greater functionality may need interaction from you.

For example, if you install a forms plugin, it will automatically offer you form templates once activated. Then you can customize your forms as you see fit. A language translation plugin, on the other hand, will require some configuration before it starts working. 

The best way to view all of your plugin’s customization features is by clicking Settings via the plugin admin page.

Next, let’s look at some popular plugins to make your WordPress website more functional for you and your audience.

HubSpot WordPress Plugin

HubSpot’s free WordPress plugin allows you to create free forms, offer live chat support, organize lists for email marketing campaigns, manage your advertising, and analyze your website’s performance.

Elementor

Elementor is an excellent plugin for building aesthetically-pleasing, branded WordPress websites. It offers tools to design all aspects of your web pages as well as a customizable form builder so you can easily engage with your clients. This makes it easy to create a completely unique-looking WordPress site using Elementor. 

If you're interested in taking advantage of this plugin, check out our course on building a WordPress website with Elementor.

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Smush

Smush is a plugin that will compress, lazy load, and resize your images. Since oversized images have large files that aren’t optimized for the web, they have the potential to significantly slow down your site. Smush can quickly detect and fix those images that are slowing your website down.

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Add Plugins to Improve Your Site

Plugins are essential for increasing the functionality of your WordPress website. They're quite simple to install, add, and use — follow the steps we’ve outlined above to get started using your newest plugins.