#imTOOLS: PluginTests.com
One of the amazing benefits of using WordPress is the vast amount of plugin options available that provide just about any feature or functionality that you can think of.
The downside of this though is that it’s a little too easy to just find, download and activate any plugin without knowing whether or not it’s completely compatible with your WordPress website.
Fortunately, there is a tool at PluginTests.com that could help to prevent unnecessary site downtime from poorly supported plugins.
This handy web-based tool allows users to search and run simple smoke tests of the WordPress plugins that they’re considering using. More specifically, the tool checks for the following:
- The plugin can be successfully activated
- It doesn’t immediately show a bunch of errors
- It doesn’t break the site in an obvious way
Although there are many more tests and audits you’d want to run on the plugins you’re considering using, this quick little tool is a great place to start. At the very least it will weed out plugins that might not be the best fit for your website….at least until they are updated and supported better.
For us, as a managed WordPress hosting service company, we take plugins very seriously. Plugins can be incredible tools for boosting a site’s performance and functionality, but poorly supported ones can often lead to more negatives than positives. We recommend being very diligent in your plugin selection process or, better yet, just leave that to the team that is accountable for the performance, security and uptime of your website.
Need help using this or other #imTOOLS in your online marketing and web development efforts?