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A plug-in is a small program, or combination of programs, that sits on top of your WordPress installation and increases the functionality of your website in some way. (Translation: Plug-ins allow your blog to have more features and to do more than it could when you first installed it.) Most plug-ins are written in the PHP scripting language and add an additional feature or function to your website.
Plug-ins integrate seamlessly with WordPress so there’s no messing with your WordPress code. That’s another great thing about plug-ins, they don’t actually affect your original WordPress installation. They reside separately and just interact with WordPress.
How did plug-ins get “invented”?
The development of plug-ins came about by programmers who wanted to increase the functionality of WordPress without having to alter the code within WordPress itself.
Basically, programmers thought: “I wish WordPress was able do this extra thing” – and then created plug-ins to make that possible. Of course this excited other developers and so it spread.
More and more developers jumped on board and created more of these small add-ons to the WordPress code, so now WordPress is able to perform more functions, than the original creators ever dreamed possible, simply due to a little plug-in.
The vast majority of plug-ins are free and therefore it is important to understand that they do not come with technical support services. When choosing a plug-in, it is wise to evaluate the following:
• How long it has been since that particular plug-in was updated.
• Whether the plug-in ‘homepage’ still exists.
• If people seeking support, on the plug-in, have received answers to their questions.
• The overall tone of the online discussions showing on the plug-in download page.
There is a plug-in for virtually anything you want to accomplish in WordPress. If you want to: monitor your visitor statistics, increase interaction with your visitors, add a photo gallery, automatically back up your database, or anything else you desire to have functioning within your site, you will most likely be able find a
plug-in to use and, as already pointed out, most of them are free.
Finding and Installing Plug-Ins are easy
Finding and installing the plug-in that you need is easy. Within WordPress, you can search for, review and install the plug-in of your choice in just a few clicks.
In your dashboard, find “Plug-ins”. Click on the “Add New” link and it will open up new window which allows you to search for a plug-in, either by name or, by keyword.
After you have entered your search terms, WordPress will display a list of plug-ins for you to choose from. When you click on “Install” an additional window will appear that provides important statistics about the plug-in.
There are several things you should consider before directing WordPress to install the plug-in, including:
User ratings. User ratings are important to consider because they are feedback from bloggers who have actually used the plug-in.
Is the plug-in compatible with your current version of WordPress?
How long has it been since it was updated? The most popular and most widely used plug-ins will be updated frequently. There are also plug-ins which the developer is invested in and you will have the most luck getting help with if you need it.
How many times has it been downloaded? Obviously, the more times it has been downloaded and the more stars it has – the better the plug-in.
By far, plug-ins are a wonderful tool for you to use with your site. However as with anything else, you should spend some time evaluating the plug-in. In rare instances, installing a plug-in can have negative effects on the workings of the rest of your site.
As a consequence, it is in your best interest to always back-up your WordPress site before installing any new plug-ins. 
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