WordPress is one of the applications that I highly recommend to my clients. You aren’t alone if you recognize its ability to manage content with the help of plugins. In fact, since there are so many great plugins available, you may tend to try out quite a large number of them. This practice can be addictive and before you know it, you may find that you are a WP plugin junkie. That may sound ok at first, but you should know the 4 dangers of being a WP plugin junkie before you decide if it’s a healthy practice for you and your business.
As I’ve said before, I don’t consider myself to be a “techie” but I guess that is relative. Many of my clients just don’t “do tech” so I do a good bit of their WordPress tasks for them. In many cases, this gives me the opportunity to see what plugins are being used and how they work together. Here is what I’ve learned.
Danger #1 – Plugin Conflicts
You might be a plugin junkie if you “try” more than 1 plugin a week. 
Ok, seriously, trying new plugins is great but the more plugins you add, the greater the chance that there will be some sort of conflict. When you add or update plugins, make sure you follow the guidelines given at WP and those that come with the plugin.
Danger #2 – Too Many Plugins
Another danger of giving in to your plugin habit is having too many plugins. Even if things are running smoothly, a large number of plugins can slow the time it takes for your page to load. No matter how much your readers love the info on your site, they will not stick around long for your page to load. Another danger of having too many plugins is that when there is a conflict, it will be difficult to tell which ones are causing the problem. Depending on how many plugins you have, it could take quite a while to figure it out!
Danger #3 – Inactive Plugin Clutter
If you have more than 30 plugins installed and only 10 are active, you might be…never mind, we’ve already gone there. Believe it or not, I have actually seen sites with this number of plugins and more! Here again, if you have inactive plugins that you aren’t using, you should uninstall them. Since they don’t load with each page, you don’t have to worry too much about them slowing your pages down. What you do need to think about is how much space they are taking up on your server! They also make it more difficult if someone needs to sift through active and non-active plugins to troubleshoot a problem.
Danger #4 – Outdated Plugins
You’ve probably already heard how important it is to keep your WordPress up to date. It is just as important to keep your plugins current. There are all sorts of reasons including those which address security and compatibility. In the newest versions of WP the plugin admin panel will show you when something needs to be updated. If you don’t plan on updating a plugin, uninstall it.
For most people, it’s ok to try out the latest and greatest WordPress plugins. The key to entertaining this habit is to keep the 4 dangers of being a WP plugin junkie in mind every time you download a plugin. This is one of those cases where less is more so download responsibly.
If you find that you need to do some plugin cleaning, contact me for a helping hand.
