In this video, we’ll cover the process of how to install a WordPress plugin from the
WordPress plugin repository.
As well as how to upload and install a premium WordPress plugin from a third-party provider
or marketplace.
A plugin is a piece of addition code that can be added to your website to enhance its
functionality.
For websites or blogs it could be anything from SEO, eCommerce, customer review and rating
widgets, backup and rollback capabilities, and just about anything else you can think
of.
Free plugins can be installed straight from the WordPress plugin repository, and premium
plugins can be purchased from specific providers or marketplaces.
We will go through the steps involved for both options.
So, let’s jump into it.
Firstly, let’s take a look at how to install a free WordPress plugin from the WordPress
plugin repository
For this section, you can use any free WordPress plugin by following the steps outlined in
this video.
Although the configuration steps may differ slightly for each plugin, the process to install
it will be exactly the same.
To start, login to your WordPress dashboard.
Click on Plugins in the menu on the left.
As you can see, here is your plugin library with all the plugins that have already been
added to your WordPress site.
You can add, activate, deactivate or remove plugins from this page.
To add a plugin, click “Add New” at the top of the page or in the cascade menu.
The page will load with the plugins available via the WordPress plugin repository.
You can browse the tabs or search for a specific plugin via the search field.
Yoast SEO is one of the most popular and effective SEO plugins for WordPress, so we’ll search
for that.
When installing a plugin it’s important to review the star rating and number of reviews,
when it was last updated, and if it’s compatible with your version of WordPress, to ensure
the plugin won’t cause any issues on your site.
To install a plugin, click the ‘install now’ option next to the plugin.
The plugin will now install.
Once it has finished, you can activate it directly from the repository or by going to
your list of Installed Plugins.
And, that’s all there is to it.
Now that you have installed and activated this free plugin, you can start leveraging
its functionality to improve your site.
Next, we’ll go through How to upload and install a premium WordPress plugin
Similarly to free plugins, the process for uploading and installing a premium WordPress
theme will be the same for all premium plugins.
Although, the configuration steps and features of premium plugins will vary greatly.
As such, it’s always best practice to review the plugin documentation once the theme is
installed.
For this example, we will upload and install the Monarch Social Sharing plugin by Elegant
Themes.
It’s a premium WordPress theme that allows readers on your blog or website to easily
share your content on social and via email.
To access this plugin head over to Elegant Themes, create an account and download the
.zip file for the plugin.
Login to your WordPress dashboard, and navigate to Plugins > Add New.
To upload a plugin, click on the ‘Upload Plugin’ button in the top left-hand corner.
In the box that appears, select “Choose File”, navigate to the folder with your
Monarch .zip file.
Select the .zip file, choose open, then click install now.
You will be taken to a page that updates you on the progress of the installation.
Once it has finished, you will be presented with the option to directly activate the plugin.
You can also do this from your plugin library later on.
Once you’ve activated the plugin, there will be a new tab or sub-tab created within
the your WordPress admin panel to the left where you can manage the settings for the
plugin.
In this case, there is a new tab created under tools called ‘Monarch settings’.
Review the documentation for your specific plugin.
And that’s all it takes to add some premium functionality to your WordPress site!
Any decent premium theme will provide instructions on how to setup the plugin correctly so keep
your eye out for that before purchasing any plugin.
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