Raise the grade of your website with effective plugins
What is a website plugin and what are some of the website plugins that can be useful in the education industry? If you want to make your school, college or university website do something it currently cannot, you will probably need to add a new website plugin. Learn the basics below and speak to WEBPRO Education for tailored guidance.
What is a website plugin?
A website plugin is an add-on to your website that provides website visitors with new or additional functionality. Most websites have multiple plugins installed to enable them to work as needed by the business, especially eCommerce websites. Some simple and low-function websites may not require any plugins at all.
Some examples of website plugins are software that enables live chat features or live social media feeds where your latest social media posts are visible on the website.
The benefits of website plugins
The pros of using pre-made website plugins to create website functionality are:
- They do exactly that – you get the website functions you need to make the website work as needed
- Because they have already been made by smart developers, they are quick and simple to install
- These types of plugins are highly reliable and usually secure, giving you additional peace of mind
But just because plugins are simple to install doesn’t mean you won’t necessarily need the help of a professional web developer. Some plugins do not work well together and installing too many on certain pages can slow down your website drastically. A professional developer will be able to spot potential plugin mistakes before you make your site live for students and their parents. They should be able to offer alternative solutions when problems arise.
Website plugins for education websites
The type of website plugin required by educational institutes can vary depending on the way the school, college or university works. They may need standard plugins such as live chat and social media feeds, which could be a way of making sure students or parents don’t miss important announcements. And they may need payment gateways so parents can pay for extracurricular activities, school uniforms, tuition or school trips directly on the website.
More sophisticated education websites could require plugins that create a parent portal for announcements and online letters, or even an online learning portal for students who need to catch up or access lecture slides.
Bespoke education website plugins
Most plugins used by websites are pre-made by some of the best website developers. This gives the client, and their own web developer, access to simple out-of-the-box web solutions that are already proven to work effectively in the education niche.
However, in some cases, there may not be an adequate plugin available to meet the client’s website vision. In this instance, a workaround may be required or a bespoke website plugin may need to be developed from scratch, which does take longer and as a result will cost more. The WEBPRO Education team can assist if you need website functionality that you haven’t been able to solve with a readymade plugin.
Website plugin support from WEBPRO Education
WEBPRO Education offers help to any education establishment looking to improve the functionality of their website using website plugins. We can assist with your website needs whether we designed and built your site ourselves or whether your site was made elsewhere. Nobody is left out of our stellar website plugin services, comprising both standard and bespoke plugins. Get in touch if you want to know more.
Recap: Website plugins are simply defined as add-ons to a website that allow them to perform certain functions, or rather, allow the website visitor to perform functions. They are quick to install and are effective when done with the correct web development knowledge to prevent issues. They will be key in the education sector where websites may need to perform a myriad of functions for students and their parents.
P.S: If you want your education website to do something never seen before, make sure you contact our team who can brainstorm solutions.
