Summary
If you've spent any time working with WordPress, you've probably chosen and installed some plugins. But are all WordPress plugins created equal? Far from it. Here's how to choose from among several WordPress plugins.
I often get asked if I can recommend a WordPress plugin to provide specific functionality. And of course, I do have many that I rely on every day, and whose developers I’ve come to trust. But more importantly, when I need to choose a new plugin to do something I’ve never done before, I have some criteria I use to choose which one I’ll use. Here’s how that process works.
First, go to the WordPress.org Plugins page.
Next, use the search box in the upper left to search for the functionality you’re looking for. In this case, we’re looking for plugins tagged “Google Photos.”
I am looking for 3 things here:
- A lot of installations (over 1,000 is good)
- Good reviews (over 4.0)
- Has been recently updated (in the past 2-3 months)
This tells me that the plugin works and that the developer is actively maintaining and supporting it. Usually, the one that ranks highest on these three criteria will be the very first one—in this case, this one:
Hope that helps!