Websites & support / Checklist
Before adding a WordPress plugin, check what it will change
You find a plugin that looks as though it will solve a small problem. Before long, you are comparing feature lists and wondering which version to buy. I would start by writing down the one thing the website needs to do.
That gives us a way to judge the options. A plugin is another piece of software to configure, update and understand when something goes wrong.
Describe the job in one ordinary sentence
For an invented example, a business wants customers to choose a service when asking for a callback. The requirement is a service choice that reaches the person handling the enquiry.
Check what the existing form can already do before introducing another form system. An additional plugin could create a second set of settings and a different place for enquiries to be stored.
I like having the expected result written beside the proposal. It keeps the discussion tied to something we can demonstrate on the finished site.
Look at compatibility and the support history
WordPress’s own plugin-selection lesson points to compatibility information, update history and user feedback as useful things to inspect. Read the detail behind a rating, especially recent issues relevant to the feature you need.
Check the versions of WordPress, PHP and any connected plugins that the developer supports. Untested compatibility is a question to resolve against your setup, rather than assume away.
Popularity and a recent release are clues. They cannot establish that a particular plugin will behave correctly with your theme, checkout or other custom work. That needs a test of the actual site.
Source: Learn WordPress: choosing and installing a plugin; WordPress: managing plugins
Find out what information leaves the website
Read the documentation for external accounts, services and permissions. A plugin may use a separate service to process a request or store information. Work out which data is involved and who controls that account.
The WordPress directory’s developer guidelines include rules around external services and tracking. For the business owner, the useful question is what this particular setup will send, where it will go and whether that fits the job.
Also identify the licence owner and any service limits or renewal costs. Keep those responsibilities with the website’s account record so somebody can deal with a renewal or support question later.
Test the work the customer will actually do
Use a suitable test copy with a working restore plan. In the callback example, check that the service selection is understandable on a phone and that it reaches the controlled test destination.
Check the neighbouring journeys too. A change intended for one page can affect shared scripts, styling or another form. Record the relevant versions and the result of the rehearsal.
Our WordPress update checklist covers the wider release checks. For a new plugin, add the specific result that justified installing it in the first place.
Ask what happens when you stop using it
Before the feature becomes part of the working day, find out how its useful records can be exported and what uninstalling does. Check the developer’s instructions for settings, stored entries and any shortcodes or blocks left on pages.
WordPress documents deactivation and removal as separate operations. The data behaviour still depends on the plugin, so check the particular one before deleting it from a live site.
Bring the requirement and the plugin you are considering to the conversation. We can look at whether it fits the current website, how to test it and who will look after it afterwards.
Source: WordPress: managing plugins
Sources
Checked on 23 October 2026.
- Learn WordPress: choosing and installing a plugin
Compatibility, maintenance history and user feedback are inputs when evaluating a plugin.
- WordPress: managing plugins
Compatibility checks and the distinction between installing, deactivating and removing plugins.
- WordPress: detailed plugin guidelines
Developer responsibilities and directory rules concerning external services and tracking; listing is not proof of suitability for a particular site.