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Are Premium Plugins Worth It for WordPress?

Are Premium Plugins Worth It for WordPress?

Updated January 2021.

WordPress powered 35% of the Internet – approximately 455,000,000 websites – in 2020, and for good reason: the user-friendly interface, coupled with the myriad plugins and add-ons that are available, make it a small business owner’s dream.

WordPress plugins are great for optimizing your website with special features quickly and easily without the need to write code. The WordPress Plugin Directory alone offers more than 50,000 plugins available for installation, with each plugin being subject to strict review for safety and usability before being listed. This includes free plugins, too.

However, though free WordPress plugins can undoubtedly be helpful, it’s worth it in some cases to buy the paid versions to get the job done. Why? Because paid, or “premium,” plugins offer an extra level of customization, control, and reliability for users that most free plugins don’t.

Pro Tip: Choosing Free vs. Paid Plugins on WordPress

A great rule of thumb for deciding whether or not to pay for a premium WordPress plugin is to ask yourself, “Does the monetization of my website rely on this plugin working properly?”. If the answer is “yes,” you’re better off paying for it.

Paid plugins include the support of a dedicated team actively working on issues reported by other users. This team’s job is to enhance and update paid plugins, thus saving you the hassle of constantly checking your website to ensure proper functionality. Additionally, most free plugins have limited features and lack customization and control. Their paid counterparts, however, are a different story.

Here are some instances where we always opt for premium plugins, and we think you should, too:

Spam Protection

A primary goal for any WordPress site owner is to get more traffic to their website. The more footing your website gains, however, the more likely you’re going to start noticing something else, too: SPAM!

Annoying spam comments that fill up your inbox and flood your website can be incredibly time-consuming to monitor and remove. More importantly, having spam comments and hyperlinks on your site puts you at risk of being penalized by Google. As a result, your site may be removed from Google’s search results, thereby undoing all the hard work you’ve done to increase traffic to your site.

Because we’re sure you’d rather spend your time doing things that don’t include sifting through your website for spam, anti-spam WordPress plugins are an excellent investment. Paid spam protection plugins block pesky comments and hyperlinks to ensure your site’s core functioning and integrity—making premium plugins an absolute must in this regard.

Website Forms

In our experience, users are always better off using premium plugins for web forms. With paid form plugins, you can show or hide fields, change field values, and list items based on user input. Paid plugins allow for more customization and control over form layout and appearance. They also enable you to create more interactive forms that adapt to user inputs.

Features Requiring High Levels of Customization

For the meticulous DIY Digital Marketers out there, paid plugins are perfect for transforming creative visions into palpable features on your website. Suppose it’s your goal to provide web users with an engaging, interactive homepage, landing page, or contact page saturated in high-end design that you can control down to the most minute detail. In that case, premium plugins are the way to go. Chances are— if you can dream it, there’s a premium WordPress plugin that allows for it, boasting seamless integration and endless customization the whole way through.

For more help navigating the world of WordPress plugins, get in touch with a TTG Marketing Mentor today!
Learn More Now!


Sources:

https://www.bluehost.com/blog/the-difference-between-free-vs-premium-plugins
https://cgscomputer.com/wordpress-plugins-paid-vs-free/
https://winningwp.com/ninja-forms-free-vs-ninja-forms-premium
https://www.hostgator.com/blog/anti-spam-wordpress-plugins
https://blogvault.net/free-vs-paid-plugins-vs-wordpress-services/
https://www.wpexplorer.com/akismet-spam-plugin-wordpress/
https://wordpress.org/plugins/elementor

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Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
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Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

Platforms/Tools:
Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Emma Mail, Google Data Studio, WordPress, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft Office