Don’t explode, mind! It’s purple and jazzy now!

1. You want plug-ins that give you sophisticated management tools for things that need it
For instance, ad managers. You just can’t effectively manage advertisements running on your blog manually – it’s way too inefficient and annoying. A plug-in is GREAT for things like this, and these are the sorts of plug-ins you want.

2. You want plug-ins for functions you’re going to use a lot
And, you want to be able to remove or disable them if you won’t be using them frequently. Avoid bulky plug-ins and themes that give you a lot of junk and bloat when you only want one or two of the features.

3. Look for well-tested, supported and updated plug-ins
Not fly by night hacks from people who will never update them again. Remember, WordPress gets updated fairly regularly. You want solid plug-ins that will grow with your site, not hold it back.

4. Avoid plug-ins for functionality that can be easily added into the template itself
e.g. automated picture management by category type. If it’s more easily and simply done through PHP, get over your fear of code. A quick google search will help you find what you’re looking for pretty fast, and some great tutorials to guide you through. When in doubt, WordPress has a huge support community and most bloggers who offer PHP solutions are happy to help you – just TRY to figure it out yourself first.

5. Avoid plug-ins that bloat your install
Adding lots of junk you don’t need and won’t use is a waste. Find individual plug-ins that do what you need.

6. Avoid Russian Nesting Dolls
If a template you want requires x, y and z plug-ins, or worse, an additional content management system for WordPress, you’ve just opened up a big can of worms, and are in for a world of pain.