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Navigation Path: Admin Dashboard → App Store
URL: /admin/AppStore

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Overview

The App Store (Plugin Manager) allows you to manage WordPress plugins that customers can install on their websites. Control which plugins are available, set default plugins, and organize the plugin library.

Plugin Library

Manage available WordPress plugins

Default Plugins

Auto-install plugins on new sites

Organization

Categorize plugins by function

Updates

Keep plugins up-to-date

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Managing Plugins

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Adding New Plugins

  1. Click Add New Plugin button
  2. Choose plugin source:
    • WordPress.org Repository: Free plugins
    • Upload Plugin: Custom plugin ZIP file
    • Premium Plugin: Purchased plugins
  3. Enter plugin details:
    • Plugin Name: Display name
    • Plugin Slug: WordPress directory name
    • Description: Brief description of features
    • Category: Plugin category
  4. Upload plugin icon/logo (128 x 128 px)
  5. Set plugin as Active to make available
  6. Optional: Set as Default to auto-install
  7. Click Save
Plugin Icons: Use clear, recognizable icons for plugins. This helps customers quickly identify plugins they need.

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Plugin Properties

PropertyDescription
Plugin NameDisplay name shown to customers
Plugin SlugWordPress plugin directory name
DescriptionBrief description of plugin features
CategoryPlugin category for organization
IconPlugin icon/logo (128 x 128 px)
StatusActive (available) or Inactive (hidden)
DefaultAuto-install on new websites
FeaturedHighlight as recommended
PremiumMark as premium/paid plugin

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Plugin Categories

Organize plugins into categories: Common Categories:
  • Security: Security, backups, malware scanning
  • SEO: Search engine optimization tools
  • Performance: Caching, optimization, speed
  • Forms: Contact forms, surveys, lead generation
  • E-commerce: WooCommerce, payment gateways
  • Page Builders: Visual page builders
  • Social Media: Social sharing, feeds
  • Analytics: Tracking, statistics
  • Utilities: General tools and utilities
Category Benefits: Organizing plugins by category helps customers find the right tools quickly and improves the plugin selection experience.

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Default Plugins

Set plugins to auto-install on all new websites. Setting Default Plugins:
  1. Find the plugin in App Store
  2. Enable Default Plugin toggle
  3. Plugin will be automatically installed on new websites
  4. Existing websites are not affected
Recommended Default Plugins:
  • Security: Wordfence or Sucuri Security
  • SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math
  • Performance: WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache
  • Backups: UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy
  • Forms: Contact Form 7 or WPForms
  • Anti-Spam: Akismet
Default Plugin Strategy: Install 5-8 essential plugins by default. Too many plugins can slow down websites and overwhelm customers. Focus on security, performance, and basic functionality.
Highlight recommended plugins to guide customer choices. Featuring Plugins:
  1. Edit plugin in App Store
  2. Enable Featured toggle
  3. Featured plugins appear at top of plugin list
  4. Add “Recommended” or “Popular” badge
Why Feature Plugins:
  • Guide customers to quality plugins
  • Promote plugins you support
  • Highlight premium offerings
  • Reduce decision paralysis
  • Improve customer satisfaction
Featured Limit: Feature 5-10 plugins to avoid overwhelming customers. Highlight truly exceptional or essential plugins.

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Plugin Sources

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WordPress.org Plugins

Free plugins from the official WordPress plugin repository. Adding WordPress.org Plugins:
  1. Browse WordPress.org Plugin Directory
  2. Find plugins you want to offer
  3. Copy plugin slug (from URL)
  4. Add to App Store with plugin slug
  5. WordPress automatically downloads plugin
Popular Free Plugins:
  • Yoast SEO: SEO optimization
  • Contact Form 7: Contact forms
  • Akismet: Spam protection
  • WooCommerce: E-commerce
  • Elementor: Page builder
  • WP Super Cache: Caching
  • Wordfence: Security

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Premium Plugins

Upload purchased or custom plugins. Adding Premium Plugins:
  1. Obtain plugin ZIP file
  2. Click Upload Plugin
  3. Select ZIP file
  4. Configure plugin details
  5. Mark as Premium if paid
  6. Set pricing (if selling to customers)
  7. Activate for customer use
Premium Plugin Sources:
  • CodeCanyon (Envato Market)
  • WPBakery Page Builder
  • Advanced Custom Fields PRO
  • Gravity Forms
  • WP Rocket
  • WPML
Plugin Licensing: Ensure proper licensing for premium plugins. Many require separate licenses per installation. Check license terms before offering to customers.

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Plugin Management

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Updating Plugins

  1. Check for plugin updates regularly
  2. Test updates on staging site first
  3. Update plugins in App Store
  4. Notify customers of available updates
  5. Optionally auto-update on customer sites
Auto-Updates: Consider enabling auto-updates for security plugins. For other plugins, allow customers to control updates to avoid breaking changes.

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Deactivating Plugins

  1. Find plugin to deactivate
  2. Change status to Inactive
  3. Plugin is hidden from customer selection
  4. Existing installations are unaffected

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Deleting Plugins

  1. Ensure no websites are using the plugin
  2. Find plugin in App Store
  3. Click Delete button
  4. Confirm deletion
  5. Plugin files are removed
Before Deleting: Check if any customer websites have the plugin installed. Deleting can prevent updates or cause issues.

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Best Practices

  • Offer 30-50 quality plugins, not hundreds
  • Include plugins for different purposes
  • Choose well-maintained, updated plugins
  • Prioritize plugins with good ratings
  • Select plugins with active support
  • Avoid plugins with security issues
  • Test plugins before offering
  • Categorize plugins logically
  • Use clear category names
  • Feature essential plugins
  • Set appropriate default plugins
  • Keep plugin list curated
  • Remove abandoned plugins
  • Update plugin descriptions
  • Keep plugins updated
  • Test updates before deploying
  • Monitor plugin compatibility
  • Remove plugins with security issues
  • Check for plugin conflicts
  • Maintain plugin documentation
  • Provide plugin support
  • Use clear plugin descriptions
  • Highlight key features
  • Provide plugin documentation links
  • Make plugin selection easy
  • Offer plugin recommendations
  • Allow easy installation/removal
  • Provide plugin support

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Troubleshooting

Issue: Plugin fails to install from WordPress.orgSolutions:
  1. Verify plugin slug is correct
  2. Check internet connection
  3. Ensure server has write permissions
  4. Check available disk space
  5. Try manual upload
  6. Review error logs
  7. Test with different plugin
Issue: Cannot upload custom pluginSolutions:
  1. Check file size under upload limit
  2. Verify ZIP is valid WordPress plugin
  3. Ensure ZIP contains main plugin file
  4. Check server write permissions
  5. Increase PHP upload limit if needed
  6. Try uploading via FTP
  7. Verify plugin structure
Issue: Plugin doesn’t show for customersSolutions:
  1. Verify plugin status is Active
  2. Check plugin is saved properly
  3. Clear application cache
  4. Refresh plugin list
  5. Verify customer permissions
  6. Check category is visible
  7. Test with different account

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Plugin Recommendations

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Essential Plugins

Security:
  • Wordfence Security
  • Sucuri Security
  • iThemes Security
SEO:
  • Yoast SEO
  • Rank Math
  • All in One SEO
Performance:
  • WP Super Cache
  • W3 Total Cache
  • WP Rocket (Premium)
Backups:
  • UpdraftPlus
  • BackupBuddy (Premium)
  • Duplicator
Forms:
  • Contact Form 7
  • WPForms
  • Gravity Forms (Premium)
Page Builders:
  • Elementor
  • Beaver Builder
  • WPBakery (Premium)

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