How to Install a WordPress Plugin

Cathy of Desperately Seeking WordPress is guest posting for me today.  This post is part of my How-To series.  You can see the rest of my How-To posts in my category list on the sidebar.

If you have a WordPress blog, and plugins confuse and perplex you, this post is for you!  I asked Cathy to do this post because I needed the instructions, and I figured if I need them, chances are someone else does too!

Plugins are one of the most important reasons for choosing a self-hosted wordpress blog (You’re self-hosted if there is no wordpress.com at the end of  your blog name.)  By using a plugin, you can change your blog and even how it works, without ever touching the ‘code’.

I’m going to walk you through installing a WordPress plugin. At the bottom of this post I’ll list some of the most popular plugins that our clients request.  If you follow these instructions, you should be able to install your own!

We will start with instructions to use your WordPress 2.7 Administration Panel.  This has a few limitations but is much easier than installing it manually.  Let’s get on the same page first with a few terms and definitions:

• A WordPress Plugin is a piece of code that needs to be plugged into WordPress to work.
• Online – this means something that is on the “internet” not on your own personal computer (PC).
• Download – this means you click on the link that will transfer the online file to your PC.  Be sure to remember where you save it.
• Zipped – this is a compression format.  If the document is zipped – it is squeezed into a tiny file and you can’t read it until you un-zip it.
• Extract – this is what you do to unzip the file.  Click on the zipped file with the right mouse key and click on the “extract” or “unzip” option and save it again in a location you can remember.

Let’s get that plugin!

1. Log into your WordPress blog.



2. Expand the Plugins menu, click on Add New.
   



3. Enter your search terms in the search box, or click on the links at the top of the page.



4. You will be taken to the WordPress plugin Directory.  Don’t be afraid to click on the links, you can use the back button in your browser, if it isn’t the one you were looking for.



5. When you find the plugin you want, click on the link.



6. You will be taken to the plugin home page where there is a large Download button.
7. Click Download.

That’s all folks!

WordPress will automatically copy the plugin from the WordPress plugin Directory to your blog.  Your blog has the ability to unzip the file, and activate it for you.  You can deactivate it and click through to the plugin home page from your plugin list.  Some plugins require configuration – just complete the options screen for that plugin.  If there are options that you need to change, you will find that screen under Settings >>  “Plug-In Name”.

At this point, I’m probably more excited than you are to see what you do with this!  So?  What is the first plugin you’re going to go install?  Here’s the list of popular plugins from Desperately Seeking WordPress:

• commentluv
• comment email responder
• collapsing categories
• google analytics  (you need to have a google analytics account)
• wp-backup
• broken link checker
• all-in-one-SEO
• subscribe to any (provides links to common feed readers)
• Sociable (provides links for social networking sites)
• ttf-titles (requires hard coding configuration)
• user-photo (to add an author’s signature)

If you get stuck or want to hire ‘the experts’ instead, come on over!  We love company!

About Jo-Lynne Shane

Jo-Lynne Shane has written 2858 posts..

I'm a transplanted Virginian living in the suburbs of Philadelphia with my husband and three lively children and author of this mom blog. When I'm not buried under piles of laundry, you will mostly likely find me with my nose stuck in a book or hanging out on Twitter: JoLynneS.

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