Sixty plugins? What!?! Yes, I have heard some people say they use nearly sixty plugins for their website. And you know what – their site is slow!
Do you really need that many plugins?
NO.
A lot of self-hosted WordPress users are plugin happy for many reasons. Some include:
- This plugin does this, but this other plugin does that, so I use both.
- The plugin seems cool.
- I am not sure how to implement code snippets to my theme’s functions.php file to avoid using a plugin
What you do not know is that the plugins that use database resources can hurt you. Most webhosts allocate 25 processes per hour on data usage. If you are using more, your site might be down – unless you have your own dedicated server.
Some of these plugins, even though they seem really convenient are not needed. Some, you can turn off and turn on only when you need them. So, if you are wondering how to speed up your site, here are a few questions to consider when finally putting your site on a plugin diet:
- Do you REALLY need it?
- Is there a better plugin that does all of it? (You need to carefully look for alternative suggestions)
- If given clear directions, can you copy and paste a simple code snippet into your functions.php of your theme to replace the use of a plugin?
- Can you replace the use of a plugin by some other means? (example: HTML, CSS. PHP)
- AGAIN: Do you REALLY need it?
Of course, if you are not sure, you can always ask. Some people might charge a little (there may be some in the WordPress Support Forum that might do it for free), but it is worth it to know what you should do with your site, rather than find out your website is down because your shared hosting account went over its allotment for data resources.
What other tips might you have for someone looking to go on a plugin diet?
Boy, 60 sounds pretty excessive. I guess I could see how lesser technical users not knowing any better. It sure helps to have a development background when considering these types of decision and knowing how to check the plugin code necessary.
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It really is excessive. No real reason why there should be THAT many plugins. There are better alternatives.
Even if you do not have a background in servers or have a server that you have the detailed access on processes used, if your site is loading slow, you can take a look at your plugins and see if any are so similar that you do not need one.
There are people who use a Favicon plugin. You do not need it – you can put a simple line a code in your header file of your theme for the favicon. Stuff like that. If you can find an alternate means without a plugin, and without altering the WordPress core itself, I recommend it.
Very nice, I’m a big fan of WordPress and it’s great to see new really useful plugins getting released. I’ll download and check it out, looks exactly like what I have been looking for for weeks. So, thanks alot!
Right Nile. Today blogging has becomes one of the most popular activities around us and i not sure but seem wordpress comes first as the best blogging platform. It has made many plugins in order to give flexibility to blog as well as user and i think all are good but the fault is at the user side. User itself makes its own blog site slower by installing so many plugins. At this point i completely agree with you if you don’t have need of plugins simply turn off it and turn on as required. Thanks for advisable stuff.