If you’re new to the WordPress universe, you might find yourself searching for insights on what WordPress plug-ins are and how you can use the best ones for your benefit.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the very basics of plug-ins and how they can help in supercharging your business to bring your goals alive. We’ll also be looking at where you can find the best plug-ins and how to correctly choose one according to the nature of your needs.
What is a WordPress plug-in?
At the very basic level, a plug-in is a code that “plugs in” to a set of existing functionalities, to add an extra feature to them. In simple terms, if you want a specific feature or function in your website, add a few extra lines of code or a plug-in to help you do so.
The WordPress universe is vast, almost like an ocean and is the world’s most popular Content Management System. The misconception about WordPress is that the site is limited to blogging, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
WordPress extends its reach beyond blogging and still remains the best solution for e-commerce websites, gaming websites, the hospitality industry, and just about anything under the sun.
A study by W3Techs shows that WordPress powers 35% of all the websites on the Internet, including those without a content management system (CMS) or with a custom-coded CMS. WordPress holds a 62% market share for content management systems on websites with a known CMS
In other words, WordPress powers over one-third of the web! If you filter the data set to only websites with a known CMS, WordPress’s market share only becomes more dominant.
Most popular Plugins on WordPress
There are many top-performers that have become so popular that it’s hard to believe they are all actually WordPress plug-ins. Here are some of the most popular WordPress plug-ins of all time!
1. WooCommerce
How could we not begin with the world’s most popular e-commerce hosting site? WooCommerce is a plug-in that allows you to turn the contents of your website into an online store. WooCommerce offers flexible themes and customizations with special plug-ins and integrations.
2. Yoast SEO
Arguably the most-used SEO plug-in on WordPress, Yoast SEO has grown to become the crowd favourite over the years. With Yoast, you can expect your content to be king with actionable insights delivered to you.
3. Jetpack
Jetpack is one of the most comprehensive platforms on WordPress that offers solutions across different verticals like marketing, design and security. Jetpack is a one-stop solution for email automation, social media posting, malware scanning and so much more!
4. Google Analytics
If you know any specifications of how a website is tracked, there’s no chance you wouldn’t have heard of Google Analytics. The Google Analytics plug-in offers quick and powerful integration if you simply copy and paste the tracking code to your site. Track and monitor your website’s performance with ease with this state-of-the-art plug-in.
Who uses WordPress?
The best thing and probably the most plausible reason for WordPress’s popularity is because of its ability to be used by big and small businesses alike.
We turned to Builtwith to analyze how well WordPress is performing amongst its peers and we found a few interesting insights. Quantcast holds a list of the top 10,000 high-traffic websites and helps you evaluate the market share of top players.
Here’s how WordPress’s market share fares when you segment them by Quantcast rank:
- Sites in Quantcast Top 10k – WordPress holds a 38.03% market share
- Sites in Quantcast Top 100k – WordPress holds a 35.94% market share
Adding to this, WordPress has an overall market share of 35% and is even more popular among high-traffic websites.
The future of WordPress
When a player such as WordPress has stuck around for a while now, it’s important to evaluate its growth. WordPress’s market share isn’t just growing, what makes it stand out is the consistency.
At the start of 2017, WordPress powered 27.3% of all websites. By December 2019, WordPress had made it to the current market share of 35.2%. Some quick math should tell you that WordPress gobbled up an additional 7.9% of the total website market – good for ~28.94% growth.
In conclusion, WordPress is the best option for all businesses alike to have a seamless procedure in place. With a fast-growing community and the technology to keep up with current affairs, WordPress plug-ins are recommended for your business.
Install your WordPress plug-ins today and transform your business!
