{"id":1837,"date":"2024-05-30T01:05:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T01:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/?p=1837"},"modified":"2025-01-17T19:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T19:49:05","slug":"wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress Plugins \u2013 the Highs and Lows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CEzjHUGa_dk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>WordPress is beyond doubt, the most popular Content Management System (CMS) on the globe, followed by others like Joomla, Drupal and more, and part of that popularity comes because of the thousands of plugins that make WordPress more functional. <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WordPress Plugins<\/a> give webmasters a way to fine tune their sites, but there is some risk involved.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#Every_plugin_you_use_adds_resource_consumption_to_your_site\" >Every plugin you use adds resource consumption to your site<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#How_to_limit_your_exposure_to_risk\" >How to limit your exposure to risk?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#Speaking_of_authors\" >Speaking of authors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#When_contemplating_downloading_a_WordPress_plugin\" >When contemplating downloading a WordPress plugin<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#What_should_you_do_when_you_stop_using_a_plugin\" >What should you do when you stop using a plugin?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#Reducing_the_hassle_of_constantly_updating_plugins\" >Reducing the hassle of constantly updating plugins<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#Protecting_your_site_and_its_data\" >Protecting your site and its data<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#Common_types_of_attacks\" >Common types of attacks<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#BROUGHT_TO_YOU_BY_PROLIMEHOST\" >BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROLIMEHOST<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#VPS_SERVICES_LIGHTNING_FAST_SSD_VIRTUAL_SERVERS\" >VPS SERVICES: LIGHTNING FAST SSD VIRTUAL SERVERS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#DEDICATED_SERVERS_BACKED_BY_A_999_SLA_NETWORK_UPTIME_GUARANTEE\" >DEDICATED SERVERS: BACKED BY A 99.9% SLA NETWORK UPTIME GUARANTEE<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wordpress-plugins-the-highs-and-lows\/#ASIA_OPTIMIZED_SERVERS_IMPROVING_CONNECTION_SPEED_AND_QUALITY\" >ASIA OPTIMIZED SERVERS: IMPROVING CONNECTION SPEED AND QUALITY<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Every_plugin_you_use_adds_resource_consumption_to_your_site\"><\/span>Every plugin you use adds resource consumption to your site<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The good side of plugins is that they enhance the functionality of websites, but the bad side is that with increased plugins comes increased risks \u2013 not only from potential incompatibility with the current version of WordPress, but from potential threats like ransomware and malware.<\/p>\n<p>Add to that, some plugins are resource hogs and will detrimentally slow down your site\u2019s performance, leading to shopping cart abandonment and increased bounced rates.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_limit_your_exposure_to_risk\"><\/span>How to limit your exposure to risk?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>All is not hopeless, as there are ways to limit your exposure to the risks associated with WordPress plugins. The first and most obvious would be to delete all those plugins that haven\u2019t been activated, and most likely never will be.<\/p>\n<p>You know what I\u2019m talking about. A web developer will download a theme from ThemeForest or elsewhere, install and customize the site, but not use all of the plugins that came with that theme and then they sit there for years, never getting activated or updated. I hear some of you asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference? If they haven\u2019t been activated, what\u2019s the damage?\u201d The difference is that those plugins are still vulnerable to exploitation and should be deleted. Hanging on to plugins you\u2019re never going to use is tantamount to house hording. It\u2019s time to clean house!<\/p>\n<p>Think of it this way. Each one of those plugins has an author, who is ultimately responsible for keeping their respective plugin up-to-date. The more chefs in the stew, the more opportunity for disaster.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Speaking_of_authors\"><\/span><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-632 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/What-you-need-to-know-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"What you need to know about WordPress plugins\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/What-you-need-to-know-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/What-you-need-to-know-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/What-you-need-to-know.jpg 650w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong>Speaking of authors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There are tons of plugins floating around of questionable design, but how would you recognize them? Our recommendation would be to limit your plugin downloads to those in the OFFICIAL WordPress.org directory. It doesn\u2019t end there though, as from time-to-time, some plugins are removed from that directory. Authors are real people; they sometimes lose interest, they move on to bigger and better things, and they even die. Where does that leave you? Fortunately, there are some key performance indicators (KPI) available to help.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_contemplating_downloading_a_WordPress_plugin\"><\/span>When contemplating downloading a WordPress plugin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Check out the Version. Is it updated regularly? Is it compatible with the current version of WordPress?<\/li>\n<li>How many Active installations are there? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?<\/li>\n<li>What is its rating? 5 stars? 4 stars? I recommend reading the reviews.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_should_you_do_when_you_stop_using_a_plugin\"><\/span>What should you do when you stop using a plugin?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>That\u2019s an easy question to answer as you should immediately delete any plugins you\u2019re not using anymore. This will demonstratively reduce your exposure to risk.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reducing_the_hassle_of_constantly_updating_plugins\"><\/span>Reducing the hassle of constantly updating plugins<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A good number of plugins allow you to automatically update them as revisions are released. For those that do not offer this feature, it\u2019s best to update all of your plugins IMMEDIATELY. The longer you wait to update outdated plugins, the greater the risk. Why? Cybercriminals focus on exploiting easy targets and outdated plugins are prime territory. Security vulnerabilities are discovered every day, and those vulnerabilities are distributed very rapidly to the underground world (the dark side) of the Internet. Every second you wait to update a plugin adds to your exposure.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Protecting_your_site_and_its_data\"><\/span>Protecting your site and its data<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Firewalls are an essential element in protecting your site and its data from malicious attacks. The two plugins that we recommend are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordfence.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>WordFence<\/strong><\/a> and <strong>Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Web application firewalls, like these analyze inbound traffic to your site and then filter out any requests deemed malicious.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_types_of_attacks\"><\/span>Common types of attacks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What we\u2019ve seen so far as the most common types of attacks are cross-site scripting, directory traversal, SQL injection and malicious file uploads. Trust me, once your site has been attacked, it\u2019s a real pain cleaning it up. You\u2019re far better off spending some time being proactive, implementing measures to protect your site from malware, rather than being reactive \u2013 attempting to clean up the mess afterwards.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/08\/unnamed-e1408122780935.jpg\" alt=\"ProlimeHost Cheap Dedicated Servers\" width=\"400\" height=\"80\" \/><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"BROUGHT_TO_YOU_BY_PROLIMEHOST\"><\/span>BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROLIMEHOST<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>We\u2019ve been in the web hosting industry for over a decade, helping hundreds of clients succeed in what they do best and that\u2019s running their business. We specialize in Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated servers, with data centers in Los Angeles, Denver &amp; Singapore.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"VPS_SERVICES_LIGHTNING_FAST_SSD_VIRTUAL_SERVERS\"><\/span>VPS SERVICES: LIGHTNING FAST SSD VIRTUAL SERVERS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/ssd-vps-server\/\">Virtual Private Servers<\/a>\u00a0all feature high performance Xeon processors and SSD storage in a RAID10 configuration to optimize your server\u2019s performance, which dramatically enhances visitor experiences on your site.<\/p>\n<p>That speed is backed by unparalleled 24\/7 support, featuring both outstanding response AND resolution times to maximize your uptime.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Now is the time to join the ProlimeHost virtual private server revolution.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DEDICATED_SERVERS_BACKED_BY_A_999_SLA_NETWORK_UPTIME_GUARANTEE\"><\/span>DEDICATED SERVERS: BACKED BY A 99.9% SLA NETWORK UPTIME GUARANTEE<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>We only use enterprise-class hardware in our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/los-angeles-dedicated-servers\/\">dedicated servers<\/a>\u00a0and offer a four (4) hour hardware replacement. Throw in IPMI for remote management, support for public and private networks, free operating system (OS) re-installs, and SATA, SAS &amp; SSD (including NVMe) storage. Call 1-877-477-9454 or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/contact\/\">contact us<\/a>. For everything from gaming, AMD and GPU\u00a0 servers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/discounted-dedicated-server-deals\/\">cheap dedicated servers<\/a>, we\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ASIA_OPTIMIZED_SERVERS_IMPROVING_CONNECTION_SPEED_AND_QUALITY\"><\/span>ASIA OPTIMIZED SERVERS: IMPROVING CONNECTION SPEED AND QUALITY<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Procuring an Asia optimized server improves the connection speed and quality between the server and the users in Asia or China. This can reduce latency, packet loss, jitter, and bandwidth issues that can affect the performance and reliability of the server and the applications hosted on it. For more information, please call 1-877-477-9454 or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/contact\/\">contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WordPress is beyond doubt, the most popular Content Management System (CMS) on the globe, followed by others like&hellip;","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1,10,88],"tags":[199,120,123,43,24,107,113,198,139,106,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-1837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-around-the-web","8":"category-geneal","9":"category-tutorials-tips","10":"category-video","11":"tag-amd-servers","12":"tag-asia-optimized","13":"tag-china-optimized","14":"tag-dedicated-server","15":"tag-dedicated-servers","16":"tag-dedicated-servers-usa","17":"tag-gaming-servers","18":"tag-gpu-servers","19":"tag-prolimehost","20":"tag-virtual-private-servers","21":"tag-vps","22":"cs-entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prolimehost.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}