Not only are WordPress blogs impressively helpful for people of all kinds and in all markets, but the various uses of these plugins adds various tones of functionality in a number of forms. Fellow WordPress blog users  create these plugins, which are then maintained and endorsed by WordPress.

Not sure what a plugin is?

Anyone with WordPress blogs for their accountant business websites can easily add plugins, and there are a multitude of uses and benefits to installing them; both for yourself and for your readers. The plugin could do something as simple as adding a Google Search option to your site or something as advanced as backing up your WordPress directory automatically on a scheduled basis, ensuring you are covered in case of disaster. In general, they are used to add additional functionality to your blog and save you the hassle of having to build and code it yourself.

How do I find plugins?

Like anything, you can find plugins all over the internet. You have access to hundreds of them right in your WordPress admin panel. You can search the full list of registered WordPress plugins via the Plugins menu item, and after you find the plugin you would like to use, you can install it directly just by clicking on the install link. There is also a WordPress page that is devoted to listing plugin options.  You can search for all different types to narrow down what you’re looking for, and you can also view the most popular plugins.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

Downloading plugins from here requires an extra step.  You’ll need to locate the downloaded file, then unzip it before you can upload it to your WordPress blog. Both options are fairly easy and the only potential difference would lie with the security settings of the server that is hosting your blog.

Now what?

Once you have found the plugin you would like to use, and if you installed it via the WordPress interface, you will need to activate it under the Plugin menu item.

If you downloaded the plugin to your computer, you will have to unzip it and then upload it to the wp-content/plugins folder. Once you upload the plugin folder to the above directory, you need to go to your plugin menu and activate it.

Some plugins will work immediately, others require that you add code to your template. Some will appear in your widgets menu, and others will have further settings adjustments before the plugin works properly for you.

You’ll know which method you’ll need to follow after you activate the plugin, and if you have any questions about what needs to be done, you can always check the plugin authors’ site which will be available from a link within the Plugins menu.

How do I know it’s working?

Don’t forget to confirm that your plugin is working properly.

This could mean visiting your blog and testing it out, or you may be able to run the plugin from the settings menu if you installed a plugin that provides an automated service, like a backup, temporary file remover, or a site map creation plugin.

Once you have verified the plugin is working, you’re all set and you can continue to install and activate any other plugins you would like!

Of course, there is always the possibility that your plugin won’t work right away.  If this happens, double check that you didn’t miss any steps, and you may need to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress for some plugins to work. The best answer to this question is to go back to the plugin authors’ site and read through any installation steps again as it will contain all the information you need to get your plugin to work.

Are there highly suggested plugins?

Everyone will have different preferences and needs for their accountant website’s blog.

You should install what you feel is right for your blog. In general I will always install Google XML Sitemaps, All in One SEO Pack, myEASYbackup, WP-reCAPTCHA, and Akismet. These serve a specific purpose for all of my blogs that I hope to make highly relevant, easily searchable and search engine friendly, and I’ve had the best luck with this “basic” package.

I also don’t want to be left ‘high and dry’ if anything happens to my blog, so I run myEASYbackup to have a backup of my WordPress install emailed to me with another copy automatically saved to my server.

I’m not alone in hoping that a lot of my readers will comment on my blogs, so I also choose to use tools that help prevent and block spam comments.

What if I don’t want to bother with plugins?

My answer is a bleak, “Whatever you prefer.” If you are happy with the operation of your blog’s visibility and get little commenting junk, then there isn’t a need for you to feel like you should be installing heaps of plugins. Plugins are provided for WordPress blog users who could do with the extra functionality, but who are incapable of creating the tools on their own.

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