Video tutorial - how to install WordPress plugins

So, you’re creating a WordPress website. We hope you’ll choose a tailored WordPress hosting package from tsoHost. These are specifically optimised to make WordPress websites and blogs as fast, secure and reliable as they can possibly be. That’s why more than 600,000 people have relied on us to get them online.

Also, our WordPress hosting packages come with handy inclusions, like expert support, and perks, such as free domain names included in the price. Our packages are fully-managed, too, which means you can focus on getting creative and running your business, while we focus on running your website at peak performance.

Now, it’s time to install some WordPress plugins.

Why you need WordPress plugins

Just like extensions for your computer browser, or apps for your phone, plugins offer additional functionality to your website.

Plugins can also offer you enhanced security, improved performance and a wealth of great features that will improve the experience of your site’s visitors.

But, there are so many plugins to choose from, just like there are vast numbers of apps in your phone’s app store. Indeed, if you visit the WordPress plugins page, you’ll see it lists more than 57,000 plugins. Where do you start?

Which WordPress plugins do you need?

There’s no single answer to the question of which WordPress plugins you need, because no two businesses are exactly the same and no two business websites are exactly the same. Basically, it comes down to what you want to achieve and what you want your website to do. Therefore, only you can decide which WordPress plugins you need.

But, we can offer some guidance. So, for example, in this blog we discuss six of the top WordPress eCommerce plugins you can use to set up an online store.

The WordPress Block Editor allows you to add practically every popular element you see on other websites, including images, galleries, buttons, and more. But, you can add even more functionality to the Block Editor with any of these plugins.

Here, meanwhile, we look at seven of the kookiest plugins available, to help make your website fun and a little bit different.

But, however you want to personalise and optimise your website; it all starts with a great tsoHost WordPress hosting package:

Video guide to installing WordPress plugins

Ready to install your first plugin? Below, we offer you an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide to doing just that. The plugin we’ve chosen for this is called ‘Yoast’, which is the number one SEO plugin for WordPress. But, the process is essentially the same for any plugin.

So, simply follow our video guide and you’ll be plugging in to a better, more exciting WordPress website.

We regularly update our blog with ‘how to’ videos and informative content designed to empower your technical decision making. Visit our blog and explore for more.

How to install WordPress plugins video transcript

Now that you’ve set up your WordPress website, you’ll need to install some plugins.

Plugins are apps, which add features and functions to your website.

For this tutorial, we’ll show you how to install ‘Yoast’, which is the number one SEO plugin for WordPress.

It can help you ensure that your pages and posts are optimised for Search Engines.

We think it’s one of the most useful plugins you can add to your site - and the way you install it can be employed for any plugin.

In fact, there are two ways you can install plugins.

Firstly, you start by logging in to your WordPress site. You navigate to cPanel by selecting ‘Products’

On the ‘Products and Services’ page, you choose ‘cPanel Maximum’

Now you click on ‘cPanel Admin’... and that will take you to your ‘cPanel’ page.

Scroll down to ‘Software’ and click ‘Installatron Applications Installer’.

Now that we’re in Installatron - you’ll need to log into your website.

Select the link that ends WP dash Admin backslash

Then, log into your website.

Of course, this is the long-winded way of getting to your WordPress dashboard.

You can also get there directly by typing your domain name into the URL bar and adding backslash wp dash admin at the end.

That will take you straight to the login page. Just type in your user name and password and you’ve logged into your WordPress Dashboard.

Look down the menu on the left for the ‘Plugins’ link. Click ‘Add New’

On the ‘Plugins’ page - you click ‘Add New’ and that takes you to the ‘Add Plugins’ page.

From here, you can install any plugin you need. Just go across to the search bar and put in the name of the plugin you’re looking for. In our case, it’s Yoast!

Click ‘Install Now’ and, once it’s installed, click ‘Activate’.

Then, you’ll automatically go back to your ‘Plugins’ page and there you’ll see ‘Yoast SEO’ is installed and running.

Okay, so that’s one way you can add the functionality of a plugin to your website. But, as promised, there’s another way. The other way starts, as so many things do, on Google.

Just type in the name of the plugin you want - again, in this case, we’ll go for Yoast SEO.

Then follow the appropriate link. We’ve been taken straight to the plugin download page. For this demonstration, we’ll choose the free version!

While the download is happening, they’ll probably offer you their SEO guide and tips. You could do worse than sign up for that.

Now, if you log onto your site and go to your ‘Plugins’ page, as we showed you earlier, then click on ‘Add New’, that’ll take you to your ‘Add Plugins’ page.

Here, you select ‘Upload Plugin’.

Now, you choose the file you want to upload.

We’re doing this on an Apple. Your menus will look different if you’re working on a PC or tablet, but the process is the same.

You go to the folder the plugin was downloaded to, and select ‘WordPress-SEO’ then you simply click ‘Install Now’. When the plugin has been unpacked and installed, just click the ‘Activate Plugin’ button.

Go back to your ‘Plugins’ page and you’ll see that Yoast SEO is in your list of active plugins.

Now, if you want to confirm it’s up and running, go to ‘All Pages’. Scroll down to a page you’ve created, or the default Sample Page, as here, and choose ‘Edit’. Scroll down and there it is: The Yoast SEO work area.

And that’s it. That’s how you install Yoast or any other plugin to your WordPress website.*