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This guide explains how to use custom plugins in WordPress and themes using your Hosted.com® WordPress Hosting account.
Yes. One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is its flexibility. You can install thousands of free and premium plugins and themes, as well as develop or upload your own custom plugins and themes to add unique functionality or create a complete custom website design.
Plugins extend your website’s functionality by adding features such as contact forms, search engine optimization (SEO), security, caching, ecommerce, and booking systems. Themes control your website’s appearance, layout, and overall user experience. Custom plugins and themes allow developers to build functionality and designs tailored specifically to your business requirements.
Hosted.com® WordPress Hosting provides an optimized environment for WordPress websites, allowing you to install custom themes and plugins while benefitting from LiteSpeed Web Server, Patchman Security, malware protection, free SSL certificates, daily backups, and staging environments. Before installing custom code, it is recommended that you test it in a staging environment and create a backup of your website.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Use Custom Plugins in WordPress
Method 1: Install a Custom WordPress Theme
1. Login to your Hosted.com® Client Portal.
2. Navigate to Manage Services and select WordPress Hosting.
3. Locate the WordPress Hosting plan for the website you want to back up and click Manage.
4. Under Product Information, click Login next to Control Panel to access cPanel.
5. In cPanel, click WP Toolkit.
6. Open your WordPress Dashboard from WP Toolkit.
7. Navigate to Appearance > Themes and click Add New Theme.
8. Click Upload Theme, select your custom theme (.zip) file, and click Install Now.
9. Click Activate to make the theme live, then verify that your website displays correctly.
Method 2: Install a Custom WordPress Plugin
1. Login to your Hosted.com® Client Portal.
2. Navigate to Manage Services and select WordPress Hosting.
3. Locate the WordPress Hosting plan for the website you wish to back up and click Manage.
4. Under Product Information, click Login next to Control Panel to access cPanel.
5. In cPanel, click WP Toolkit.
6. Open your WordPress Dashboard.
7. Navigate to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
8. Click Upload Plugin and select your custom plugin (.zip) file.
9. Click Install Now, then Activate once the installation has completed.
10. Test your website to ensure the plugin functions correctly and does not conflict with your existing themes or plugins.
Additional Information
- WordPress supports both free and premium plugins and themes from trusted developers.
- Custom plugins and themes should only be downloaded from reputable sources to reduce security risks.
- Always create a backup before installing custom code on a live website.
- Use a staging environment to test new plugins and themes before deploying them to your production website.
- Keep all themes and plugins updated to maintain security, compatibility, and performance.
- Remove plugins and themes that you no longer use to reduce your website’s attack surface.
- Custom themes should ideally use child themes when modifying existing themes to simplify future updates.
- Hosted.com® WordPress Hosting is optimized to support custom WordPress development while providing performance and security features.
Login to Hosted.com® Account
1. Go to the Hosted.com® website Account Login page.
2. Enter your Email and Password and click the Sign In button.
3. You will see the Hosted.com® Dashboard, displaying the Manage Account menu on the left and your Account Information, Account Overview and Open Support Tickets on the right.
Login to cPanel from your Hosted.com® Dashboard
4. Click on Manage Services to view the sub-dropdown menu and select the hosting package for the domain you want to work with – in our example we are using WordPress Hosting.
5. Click the Manage button to the right of the domain name you want to access.
6. The display will now show Product Information, Quick Manage, Resource Usage and Site Statistics for that domain name.
7. Under Product Information, scroll down to Control Panel, which will display cPanel to the right, and click on the Login button.
8. The cPanel Dashboard will now be display
