Add Advanced Features with Custom WordPress Plugins and Shortcodes

Despite the robust editing capabilities built in to WordPress’ native editor, there may be times when you want to add special styling or functionality to your page, beyond what the editor offers. Fortunately, WordPress also has a massive library of free (or at least inexpensive) plugins available–odds are, someone else has already faced the same challenge, and created a plugin that will fit your needs.

But there will be times when you can’t mold your needs around an existing plugin. Your page needs to look a certain way to fit your brand, or work a certain way to match the way you do business. That’s when it’s time to call a developer. If it’s a one-time need, they can embed the feature right into your page template. And if it’s an ongoing need, it’s relatively simple for the developer to create a custom WordPress plugin or shortcode of your own.

A shortcode is a short phrase enclosed in brackets (like [my-special-webform]) that allows you to insert special features and functions right into your WordPress editor, to appear wherever you like. Nearly any custom feature or function can be added to your site as a WordPress plugin and activated with a shortcode.

Custom plugins and shortcodes are perfect for adding your own:

• Animated sliders and galleries
• Custom web forms
• Specially-styled video players (yes, even if you’re using YouTube)
• Social media widgets
• Accordions and other special page layout features

So if you have ever had an idea for your website, but felt limited by the editor’s built in capabilities, we hope you’ll contact us to bring that idea to life. With WordPress and the ability to create custom plugins and shortcodes, virtually anything is possible.

If you have questions about this topic, or any other questions/suggestions about website development, brand development, or digital marketing, please send an email to [email protected]. We appreciate your suggestions, and enjoy helping you make the most of your brand and your online presence.

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