{"id":26048,"date":"2020-05-15T08:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T13:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=26048"},"modified":"2020-05-05T16:20:33","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T21:20:33","slug":"wordpress-plugins-vs-widgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wordpress-plugins-vs-widgets\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress Plugins vs. Widgets: What’s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest version of WordPress (5.3) has already been downloaded over 49 million times, and that number is growing every day. WordPress even has a webpage dedicated to showing off how awesome they are…aka WordPress displays a real-time count<\/a> of downloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To give this impressive count a bit more context, it means that, currently, WordPress powers 35% of the Internet,<\/a> including 14.7% of the top 100 websites in the world<\/a>-even Disney! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress is also available in over 100 languages and owners publish content in over 120 languages. WordPress works tirelessly around the clock to share over 20 billion pages to over 409 million people<\/a> every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is all just to say that WordPress is the most popular CMS platform<\/a> and it\u2019s extremely user-friendly. WordPress is built in a way that both Fortune 500 companies and your 70-year old grandpa can build the perfect website. Seriously, grandpa can build a WordPress website all on his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While WordPress is popular and intuitive, it doesn\u2019t mean that there isn\u2019t a slight learning curve. In fact, right after you download WordPress and login to your account, you\u2019ll be met with features you may have never heard about, including widgets <\/em><\/strong>and plugins.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t worry and abandon hope! This guide will cover exactly what widgets and plugins are, how you can use them to build a sweet website, and what the differences between the two are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are WordPress widgets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Widgets are part of the WordPress platform that helps you add, rearrange, and remove content to or from the sidebars and footer of your WordPress website. Widgets make it possible to customize the look and feel of your website without having to do any hard coding work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widgets primarily deal with the way your website looks and certain features you choose to include on your website. For example, you can include social share buttons, blog post archives, an audio player, a calendar, an image gallery, a navigation menu, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you first sign up for your hosting account and install your WordPress website, you have the option of choosing a WordPress theme<\/a>. Popular themes will come with a set of pre-installed and common widgets that are ready to use. In other words, your website theme will already have a specific design, layout, features, and functionality on your sidebars and footers. Widgets are just one element that makes each WordPress template look slightly unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress offers the following basic example<\/a> of what widgets look like. If you look at the image below, you\u2019ll see a basic navigation bar, and a sidebar with 'my posts.'\u009d The navigation bar and 'my posts'\u009d are both widgets that you can customize. You could choose to eliminate or reorganize the location of these website elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are two ways you can view and edit your widgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Sidebar 'Appearance'\u009d and 'Widget'\u009d navigation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first way you can see your widgets is by clicking on 'Appearance'\u009d on your left sidebar and selecting 'Widgets.'\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll notice there are various 'Available Widgets'\u009d on the left side of the screen. If you turn your attention to the right side of the page, you\u2019ll see different pages that are included in your individual template. Keep in mind the areas on your website will vary depending on the template you selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To add a widget to your page, you can click on the widget and select where you want to place it, and then click 'Add Widget.'\u009d As soon as you save your changes, WordPress works its magic and will place your widget where you directed it to place it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also click on the widget and drag it from the left side of the screen to the right side of the page. In the example below, I clicked on the 'Calendar'\u009d widget and placed it under the 'Header Right'\u009d section of my website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is how you can customize the look, feel, and functionality of your website without knowing how to write code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Click on 'Customize'\u009d on the top navigation bar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The second way you can customize your widgets is by clicking 'Customize'\u009d on the top navigation bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once you click customize, WordPress will redirect you to a clean navigation bar on the right. You can click 'Widgets'\u009d and WordPress will list every place on your template where you can add a feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"customize<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If I want to customize my right header, I can click on 'Header Right,'\u009d and click 'Add Widget.'\u009d Once I am here, I can select any of the widgets I have previously installed and then add the widget to my website in the respective location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WordPress makes it easy to add widgets (customize the look, feel, and functionality) of your website, by providing these three different ways to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a WordPress plugin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know what a WordPress widget<\/a> is, it\u2019s time to learn about plugins. Plugins are a piece of software that performs a specific function to help your website run more effectively or to help your website do what you want it to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of popular WordPress plugins<\/a> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n