74 Tips How to Make Better WordPress Plugins and Making Money by Selling Them

Here are some tips and lessons that I've learned while creating my WordPress plugins. Some ideas can work for Theme development too.

Please share your lessons in the comments below.

Here's the list (not necessary ordered by priority):

1. Register a domain. When choosing the domain name don't make it too specific because when you release other plugins you may have to change it. Of course as an exception if a plugin becomes very popular then go for it.
2. Get hosting .. in the beginning you can use shared hosting but I suggest VPS. I have 2 VPSs with DigialOcean (aff link) and 1 with Linode (aff link)
3. Learn how to code in php
4. Learn how to use WordPress as a user (signup for WordPress.com site - and later switch to self hosted version of WordPress)
5. Setup WordPress and pick a theme that is easy to use and visually clean.
6. Customize the design a little ... use child themes approach but don't spend too much time ... you'll change it to a new theme soon anyways.
7. Configure WordPress to be secure, SEO friendly (limit login attempts, SEO by Yoast etc),
8. Put social sharing icons on your site, follow button, newsletter signup boxes (use only email for better signups)
9. Setup backup for your WordPress site and development computer
10. Setup WordPress locally (see MAMP or XAMP)
11. Install a plugin that will tell you which environment you are on .. development or production... developers constantly waste time editing the wrong file e.g. changing the file locally but looking the live site or vice versa.
12. Check the hello dolly plugin (included with WordPress)
13. Do some research in forums and planing before starting the work on the plugin
14. Create a base but working version of your plugin and submit it to WordPress.org. While they are reviewing it you can continue improving it. Think MVP (minimal viable product)
15. Use OOP or functions with your own prefix ... you don't want to cause any conflicts with other plugins
16. If you are just starting you may want to release your first 5-10 plugins for free .. to get some traction
17. Write documentation for the plugin
18. Create a live demo page e.g. a special WordPress installation for demos only. This could be setup on a subdomain (demo.yoursite.com) or subdirectory yoursite.com/demo/
19. Create a video showing how the plugin works and post it on YouTube. make sure you use a nice title and long description and use relevant tags
20. When creating a demo make sure you include links in the video or its thumbnail because if the video is loaded from a different site the YouTube descriptions won't show up. If the link is long consider shortening it .e.g. using bitly
21. Make sure you get enough sleep
22. Exercise at least 3-4 times a week.
23. Take some time for social activities. The brain works so much better if you go networking, go to Co-Working places (remote workers work independently but together)
24. Go to local WordPress meetups aka WordCamps and looking for great ideas
25. Sponsor WordCamp event(s) [to give back to the community and to increase visibility]
26. Speak at a WordCamp event [to give back to the community and to increase visibility]
27. Keep a notepad, several pens nears your bed so you can write ideas when they come
28. Store your ideas on the cloud, so you can update the list from anywhere (e.g. text files in Dropbox, Copy, Evernote etc)
29. Monitor WordPress forums and reviews for your plugins/themes -> you can subscribe to them RSS
30. Write code with DEBUG on so you can see all the errors during the development
31. Setup an alert with WordPress.org forums e.g. when somebody mentions your company name or plugin you'll receive an email.
32. Plan your plugin's name. Check first if there is a plugin with similar name ... otherwise it would lead to confusions ...see backup wp for example. You could insert your company name or your initials in my case I started using Orbisius as a prefix e.g. Orbisius CyberStore. There's another benefit .. see the forum alert tip: I had to use just Orbisius and when somebody asks a question on WordPress.org, the system will send me an email. I don't have to constantly check what's happening.
33. Use best practices coding & security practices (nonce)
34. Follow WordPress coding standard
35. Learn how to use actions, filters etc etc.
36. Learn from other plugins how they work. Their code is available. That's the beauty of GPL
37. Create options page and include some instructions can use your plugin or maybe put a link to the manual (PDF, DOC).
38. Include social media sharing icons... it helps to go viral
39. Put a newsletter signup form - a year from now you could be selling a premium version for that plugin to the subscribed people. get a mailchimp account
40. Add a powered by line, however, allow it to be deactivated from the options/settings page
41. Put a contact form within the settings page for an easy way people to get in touch with you
42. Put a refer to a friend form in the settings page.
43. If you are available for hire then let people know by putting a link to a Hire Me form
44. Put a donate button and ask for donations to fund the development of current and future plugins  (This may not be the greatest business model but it can pay for the hosting)
45. Make it easy for people to get to the options/settings page of your plugin (Admin > Plugins). Under your plugin name you can have action link called Settings.
46. Create documentation
47. Create screenshots
48. Create readme file and validate it to make sure it is ok. use relevant tags for the plugin
49. Create a FAQ section
50. Put a YouTube video link in the readme file. WordPress.org will automatically will convert it to an embed code so the video player will be shown
51. After you get some traction install a forum software such as bbBress on your site and direct people to use your forum instead... but still monitor WordPress forums.
52. Install a notification plugin that will email you when somebody posts a question in your forum.
53. Provide great support ... that way when you offer premium versions people will know that you stand behind the product.
54. Be communicative: if somebody reports a bug and you are able to reproduce it  => post a reply saying the bug is confirmed .. working on a fix
55. Be open to new ideas and suggestions
56. Never hack the core and/or other plugins ... because in the next update your changes will be overridden.
57. Learn to use SVN/GIT (you can host the code on github and then commit to WordPress (use the issue tracking system and get better collaboration)
58. Promote your plugin: When the plugin is published online post a message on twitter using tags #WordPress #plugin and give a link to the demo video
59. Learn how to use wp release system svn, tagging,pushing the new versions so users are prompted to upgrade
60. Do not use your own auto updater if the plugin is hosted on WordPress.org ... the support will reject it if your plugin calls your site to check for updates.
61. Do not collect user's info without their knowledge or permission ...I've seen plugins who send an email to the author when activated or deactivated... not cool.
62. Do not require a license key or the plugin doesn't work...if the plugin 100% relies on an external API then that's fine then (Akismet).
63. Setup multiple installations of WordPress -> latest stable and the next beta so you can test the plugins against the latest WordPress
64. When WordPress releases an update be sure to test your plugin and update the readme file "Tested up to" field because users will be alerted that your plugin hasn't been tested with the latest WordPress version.
65. If you loose interest in your plugin make a note in the readme file and let people know that the plugin is no longer supported/maintained and that you're looking for a volunteer to continue improving the plugin. That way the users will not download a plugin that may have security issues because it hasn't been updated for a long time. WordPress shows a warning message if a plugin hasn't been updated for 2 years.
66. Release versions often every 2-4 weeks.
67. Try to keep the simplest structure for the plugin files. If the file has to output a simple CSS don't just bring 10-15 include files just to look nice and professional.
68. When accessing files make sure you use WordPress plugins to get plugin url and directories and not just code wp-content/plugins/aaaaaaa/
69. Put Facebook comments within your plugin's settings/dashboard page ... this will allow people to share their feedback even more. Some people will try to use as support forum.

All of the tips above were a prep work.

Tips how to make money selling WordPress Plugins

1. Now it is time to decide if a PRO version would be a good choice OR keep the main plugin free but create premium  extensions/addons/modules that can be purchased separately.
2. Choose a platform how to deliver the downloads and how to get paid. You can try Easy Digital Downloads or my Orbisius CyberStore plugin
3. As soon as you release your second plugin setup a membership site e.g. club.yoursite.com or members.yoursite.com where you can have different membership levels. Allow users to buy the plugins individually or access them as part from their membership. That's the model we use here at Club Orbisius.
4. Provide Free and Paid support.
5. Offer premium support (at a higher price) with live chat or phone support

Related Articles

• http://philderksen.com/business-models-for-WordPress-plugins/
• http://chrislema.com/premium-WordPress-plugins/
• http://www.junloayza.com/careers/how-much-money-do-WordPress-plugin-authors-make/
• http://wp.smashingmagazine.com/2011/11/01/building-WordPress-themes-you-can-sell/
• http://www.webpreneurs.co.uk/make-money-online-with-WordPress-plugins/
• http://www.wptavern.com/making-money-from-gpl-plugin-development
• http://yoast.com/selling-WordPress-plugins/

Do you have ideas or suggestions? Share them in the comments below.