WordPress Plugin Development

High Quality And Reliable WordPress Plugins

Plugins are one of WordPress’ most powerful assets. In essence, plugins are modules you activate on your website to provide a series of features or elements.

The functionality you can add to your website depends on what each specific plugin has been created to do. There are a wide selection of plugins, ranging from simple plugins (such as ones that add styling or small theme changes) all the way to extensive plugins (that provide significant changes such as eCommerce integrations or third party connections).

Here’s What You Need to Know About WordPress Plugins!

Plugins are a powerful tool. In the case of WordPress, they help in expanding the functionality of the website. It allows users to be able to increase the efficiency with which they can use WordPress. WordPress Plugin development is not an easy task by any means. However, there are a host of free as well as paid plugins, which you can try out to understand how useful they can be. Depending on what the plugin has been created for, a plugin is able to perform a host of functions, from changing little aspects of your theme to introducing brand new features to your sites.

What is a plugin?

Before we delve further into what a plugin can do, it is better to understand what a plugin is. For those who may not be familiar with the concept, WordPress Plugins are essential tools that help you get more out of your website. Here is what plugins can do:

• It makes it easier for you, as well as your visitors, to navigate the website easily, and,
• It can add features to your website, which can enable you to enhance the functionality of your website.

A popular WordPress plugin-development example would be the WooCommerce plugin, which allows users to be able to run or introduce an eCommerce page on their website.

Depending on how the WordPress plugin developer has designed the plugin, the functionality it can add to your website can be varied. You can use a plugin to make small changes, or even bigger ones. In some cases, a plugin may work in the background rather than the forefront, such as helping you improve the sped of your website. There are a host of plugins available that people can choose from, and depending on what you want to tweak about your website, you will likely find a plugin to suit your needs.

How does WordPress plugin work?

A WordPress plugin developer designs a WordPress Plugin. In most cases, these plugins are written in a way so that you can tweak them according to your preferences, and the variety of features that WordPress offers makes it easy for users to add and remove plugins as and when necessary.

WordPress is quite user-friendly; that is, it allows users who can code and develop plugins to be able to do so securely within the website itself. WordPress developers can upload and store their data on a WordPress Database. Here, the code for your plugin can be directly uploaded. When you upload or install a plugin, it gets registered in the WordPress database. Then, when you visit your website, WordPress first contacts the database to load all of your core software, followed by loading all of your plugins. The plugins that you install on your website can be activated and deactivated whenever you need to do so.

Where can I find WordPress Plugins?

CodeCanyon and WordPress are two websites where you will likely find the WordPress plugin experts and developers. From these websites, you are likely to find both free as well as premium plugins. Premium plugins are those for which you will need to pay to add to your website. Generally, these plugins offer you better and more efficient functionality than free plugins. If you are looking for free plugins just to try it out, you will find them from a lot of resources. In general, you will find most of what you are looking for, from a free plugin. However, there may be some features that only a free plugin may be able to provide to you!

What are the advantages of using a plugin?

As with anything, plugins also have certain advantages and disadvantages. If you are considering using a plugin for your website, then you may want to take a look at both. Here are some advantages that a plugin offers:

• Plugins are modular; hence, you can easily copy the plugin code onto a new project and even distribute it across projects easily. It can fit in with any theme seamlessly.
• With the help of WordPress’s filter hooks and actions, you can create a plugin of your own! They are simple to make, and to create a basic plugin; you will not need to be a WordPress Plugin development expert. However, if you are looking to add more features to your website with the help of a plugin, you may want to look for a WordPress development company that deals with creating custom plugins!
• If you are familiar with object-oriented coding, then you can create a plugin with more features and which offers greater strengths to your website.
• When you use a plugin to add a feature to your website, every code related to that feature is contained within the plugin. You can easily make sure that the code is contained in a box, and it is quite useful, unlike if you tired to directly integrate the feature into your theme. In case of adding a feature directly to the code of the theme, you may get certain elements mixed up, and it would interfere with your entire website. While WordPress development from scratch is challenging, it is a better option than to integrate the feature directly into the theme.

It is obvious that a WordPress plugin offers great advantages; however, this does not mean that it does not have any weaknesses. Here is what you should know before you decide to install a plugin for your website:

• A common problem that occurs is that one plugin interferes with the other, resulting in an unsatisfactory experience with your website. It is quite common that somehow a code from one plugin affects the code of another plugin or feature, and you will not know this unless you start using your website or perform a debugging test.
• As mentioned earlier, the code that you use for a plugin cannot be written directly onto a theme. Your theme needs to provide an opening or space where you can add a plugin. Hence, while plugins can be added to most themes, there may be a few where you will face some challenges.
• A plugin is designed to add functionality to your website rather than changing the styling of your website. If you want to change the look of your website, you may need to change your theme or add to the code of your theme directly. In this case, using a plugin will only offer you limited help.

So, before you decide that you want a plugin for your website, you must ensure that the advantages that a plugin offers are more useful to you than the possible disadvantage.

How does WordPress plugin development work?

Plugins offer so many advantages to a user, but who creates a plugin? Well, with the WordPress Developer plugin Automattic has allowed every user the power to create their own plugin, which they can share with the rest of the users, or use for themselves. Creating a basic plugin on WordPress is not hard, especially if you have some knowledge in coding, or are willing to take the time to learn more about WordPress Plugins development!

In general, however, most people may not have the necessary background knowledge to develop a robust plugin. For this reason, you may be able to find a WordPress development company, or WordPress plugin developers for hire who will be able to design a custom plugin for you, or who work on and upload plugins on another website that other WordPress users can use.

So, which plugin should you opt for?

Now that you know what a plugin is, how it works, and what are its pros and cons, the next question that you will be asking yourself is which plugin you should be using. There is no simple answer to this question. After all, the needs of every user are different, and that is why there are so many premiums as well as free plugins out there.

Different Kinds of Plugins-explained!

• Free Plugins: A free plugin is advantageous as it helps you test out a plugin and see whether it works well for you or not, without costing you a single cent. However, in general, a free plugin is not able to offer you the functionality that a premium or paid plugin can offer.
• Premium Plugins: A premium plugin is generally more efficient and functional than a free plugin, but that is not to say that all free plugins are bad or that they may not work. A free plugin may be able to help you out and offer you all that you need if you have a minimum requirement. If you want some added frills, then a premium plugin may be the best option for you. In the case of a premium plugin, you need to be sure that the plugin will be able to fulfill your needs so that you do not feel like you have wasted your money.

One disadvantage for both a free and a premium plugin is that they are designed to help the larger audience, that is, they are generalized for all users. They will help you add general features and functionality, and will not help you create any specialized feature specific to your website. These plugins can be accessed and used by any WordPress user. Hence, if you want to add a unique feature, or you want a plugin to be able to add a particular function to your website, you may be hard-pressed to find a plugin which will be able to serve all your needs.

• Custom Plugins: For this reason, many look for a custom WordPress plugin development company. These companies provide their custom WordPress development services for those users who have not had much luck in finding a plugin that is able to answer their unique needs.

But is a custom WordPress plugin the right choice for you?

With so many plugins available in the market, why should you shell out the extra cash to build a custom plugin for your website? After all, when you use a free plugin, there are different FAQ pages that help you troubleshoot any issues with a free plugin, and in case of a premium plugin, you may be able to contact the developer or receive an assistance package with your plugin. Certainly, downloading a plugin for your website seems to have several advantages. In fact, some may also advocate for you creating a plugin for your website.

Here is why you should opt for custom WordPress Plugin development! 

• A WordPress plugin is quite complicated, and most people do not want to go through the hassle of learning how to create a plugin for WordPress, preferring to download a plugin or hire somebody.
• Creating a custom plugin with the help of a plugin developer seems to be the best choice when you think of the advantages that it offers. When you create a custom plugin, you know exactly what you can expect from the plugin. You will not have to worry about it underperforming; you will know exactly how the plugin will perform.
• Additionally, when you use a custom plugin, you do not have to be worried about security. Your data is extremely important, and you will not want to upload any plugin onto your website, especially if it can change or read your data. When you hire a custom plugin developer or a development company, this disadvantage is completely eliminated, as you can be assured that your data will be protected. When you are downloading a plugin that someone else has developed, you can ever be completely sure how it works, and if there is a security breach, your website may be compromised and end up costing you a lot more than if you were to hire a custom plugin developer.
• Additionally, you will have support for your plugin whenever you need it. In the case of a free or premium plugin, you do not have support for your plugin whenever you need it. Developers who create free plugins mostly have a full-time job, and hence they will not be able to personally help you with any questions. The same may go for those who create a premium plugin. Additionally, when the developer is focused on other tasks, updating the plugin in to resolve bugs or increase functionality will not be their priority. But with a custom plugin, you can get assistance with your plugin whenever you need, and even tweak and add features as and when you require them.

Should you hire a custom WordPress plugin developer?

As mentioned earlier, WordPress may be quite user-friendly, but it does not offer every feature that a user could need. For this reason, a plugin exists. In fact, you will find that there is a plugin for just about everything on WordPress. Whether you want to start an online business or you want to create a page for filling-up of forms or even create a page for job openings, A plugin exists which can help you out. Plugin development for WordPress has come quite far, so much so that there are certain plugins that work on the background to improve the speed of your website and the SEO of your website as well.

So, a plugin sounds like a dream, right?

In most cases, plugins do turn out to be too good to be true. A plugin is easily available on WordPress itself, or you can find it on another website, and eve on independent blogs of developers. Free plugins are great if you want to add minor features to your website with the help of a plugin, but premium ones tend to offer better functionality and better features.

Why should you consider hiring an independent WordPress plugin developer?

The answer is quite easy. Every company wants to gain an advantage over the other, and have a competitive edge. Using plugins that are easily available for all on the market may not be the best way for you to be able to make your website stand out for the rest. While you do not need to make a custom plugin for every feature that you want, there may be some features that you can add to your website with the help of a plugin which is not easily available for all users on the internet.

Hiring a custom developer, hence, means that you can ensure that you have the edge over your competitors. They have the skills, the tools, and the necessary knowledge, which is required to ensure that your plugin is able to serve all of your needs and improve the functionally of your website. Hence, when you want your visitor to be satisfied with your website and navigate through it seamlessly, you will want to hire the services of a custom WordPress Plugin developer.

Why should you opt for custom WordPress plugin development?

Hiring a WordPress developer or a company can offer you several advantages over using a premium or a free plugin which has been made for a general audience. These advantages are listed below:

1. A better understanding of your needs: When you hire WordPress development services in the USA, you can be assured that they will work with you to understand what you need. The developer will try to understand why you need a plugin, what you expect from it, and even figure out how it makes it better; they will have a look through your website and then design the plugin accordingly. Hence, they will have a complete understanding of what you want your plugin to do. This is a major advantage that a custom plugin offers over other plugins as in case of a premium of free plugins. You do not get to customize it to suit all your needs, even with a highly customizable plugin; there may be a few features that fall short of your expectations.
2. Get technical help: Not everyone who uses WordPress is bound to have a technical background. If you are new to the world of website building and coding, then WordPress can be challenging to you, and developing a WordPress plugin on your own may be completely out of the question. In some cases, you may need a WordPress plugin development tutorial step-by-step guiding you on what you should do. However, when you hire a plugin developer, you can be assured that all of your technical issues will be resolved. They will work with you to help you understand more about plugins and how they work and will also guide you through how you can resolve the technical issues.
3. Understand WordPress better: Similar to getting technical help with your website, when you hire a WordPress developer, you can gain a better understanding of WordPress and how it works. When you do not have a technical background, then understanding WordPress can be challenging, and as new features are introduced, you may find yourself to be overwhelmed with WordPress. The job of a WordPress developer is to always keep tabs on the latest developments by WordPress and to have a thorough understanding of how WordPress works. They must have a clear understanding of WordPress and all of its elements so that they are able to create plugins that work efficiently. Hence, when you work with a WordPress developer, you can understand more about WordPress and how you can make the most out of that website.
4. Less Time, More Functionality: While WordPress plugin development may seem to be quite easy, in reality, it is quite time-consuming. You may plan to create a plugin on your own, but when you try to do it, you will face a lot of challenges, especially if you do not have much experience in creating plugins or do not have a clear knowledge of how WordPress works. Thus, when you hire a WordPress developer, you can be assured that your world will be completed much faster. When you do not have a clear understanding of how plugins work, then it is obvious that you will take a much longer time to create a plugin than a professional developer. Additionally, when you are a beginner, and you try to create a plugin, it will not have the same functionality that an experienced developer will be able to provide with their work. Hence, when you hire a professional, you will be able to achieve greater functionality in a short amount of time than if you were to develop on your own as a beginner.
5. Flexibility: When you hire a professional developer, you have the flexibility of hiring them for a fixed amount of time. Hence, you can hire them for an hour, a week, or even for a month. When you opt for custom WordPress development, you do not need to spend additional money on hiring a permanent employee. This is a short term work, and hence you have the flexibility if hiring a person who is fit for the position only for a short time rather than hiring them permanently. Additionally, even if you hire them for a short period, you are able to gain a customized plugin as well as additional help for other aspects of your website. Hence, it is an economic decision for your business to hire the services of an independent WordPress plugin developer, or to hire the services of a plugin development company.
6. Confidentiality and Security: Your website data is important, especially in the case of websites that require visitors to input their personal information. In this case, you will want to ensure that your data is as safe as it can be and that confidentiality is maintained. When you hire an independent developer, you can be assured that your data will be secure as they will be directly accountable for it. Additionally, when you hire the services of a company, they generally have a secure portal where your data is stored to maintain the confidentiality of your data. Hence, if you want to ensure that you are protected, then it is better to hire a professional developer or a development company.
7. Wide Language Knowledge: When you hire a series of a company or a professional developer, you can be assured that they will have a greater knowledge of languages. A developer is bound to know more than one language and hence will be able to help you with any plugin, whether it requires CSS, HTML or MYSQL, or any other language. In fact, having knowledge of multiple languages can help improve the functionality of the plugin, and hence hiring a company or an individual is a better choice when you want to improve the functionality of your website.
8. Web Analytics: A WordPress developer will be able to understand how to use website analytics better than a beginner. Not only that, but they will also know how they can use the result of website analytics to your advantage. Hence, hiring a developer will help you understand more about how you can improve your website to give your users a better and seamless experience.
9. Complete Customisation: When you use a pre-developed plugin for your website, it may be able to fulfill some of your needs, but not all of them. In order to be 100% satisfied with a plugin and the features that it adds, it is better that you hire the services of a custom plugin developer. Companies that offer WordPress Plugin development services in India and other countries will always ensure that you are completely satisfied with the work you will be able to tweak the plugin as much as you want and even request new features so that your website works exactly the way that you want it to. With the help of a custom developer, you will be able to explain exactly what you expect from your plugin and see the results.
10. Better communication: when you hire the services of a developer or a company, you get to communicate with them directly. Although in the case of free or premium plugins, you can sometimes communicate queries to a developer, when you directly hire someone, you have seamless communication. There is no delay in replies and answering queries. You will know exactly when your questions will be answered. You have a direct line of communication with the developer, which makes it easier for you to be able to convey what you want and understand how they are progressing with the work. Hence, a custom WordPress plugin developer is the best option for you if you want to work directly with someone who is eager to help you and understand what you want out of the arrangement.
11. Create Backlinks: When you hire a WordPress plugin developer, you can gain an edge over another website, with the help of custom WordPress plugin developers you can create backlinks on your website from reliable and secure sources. This can also help you with your SEO and improve the ranking of your website. Hence, if you are willing to pay for a plugin, it is a better option to shell out a few extra dollars and opt for a custom developer who you can work with to not only makes your website more efficient but also to help with your SEO strategies.

When you hire a development company or a developer, plugins become a lot more manageable. WordPress is definitely a user-friendly website. It has all of the elements that a user needs to be able to create a successful website, even with minimal technical knowledge. Creating a basic plugin, too, is not much of a challenge. However, when you hire a custom developer, the functionality that you get from a plugin will be increase. While plugins may be easy to create, if you do not have a technical background or a clear knowledge of WordPress, they can be a bit challenging to manage. Thus, the services of a WordPress Plugin development or a WordPress Plugin developer become invaluable when you need some assistance with making your WordPress website more accessible, functional, and efficient.