A crazy amount of work goes into developing a website.
There are so many different elements that go into having a properly functioning site and WordPress is an awesome and powerful platform to use to accomplish just that.
There are literally thousands of plugins available to install on your wordpress site and it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out which ones to use.
When starting my website I watched a whole bunch of different youtube tutorials and scoured across pinterest in search of the best plugins to use to bring my site to life.
I tried some out that were recommended, some worked great while others fell a little short.
In order to save you time on having to try different plugins to see what works, I’ve compiled a short list of plugins I believe every wordpress site needs.
10 Essential Wordpress plugins every blogger needs
But first, what are plugins?
In short, wordpress plugins are essentially apps that you install on your website and are what helps to improve the functionality of your site while adding some great features to it.
WP Beginner is very helpful and goes in depth into describing all things plugin, their functions, and what they can be used for etc.
Some website themes come already high functioning and you don’t need to install too many plugins, but others may not give you the look and feel you are going for.
For example, your current theme doesn’t have an option for you to put in a contact form (and all sites definitely need a contact form)
You can install a plugin and voila, you now have a contact form installed on your website.
Now without further ado, here are the 10 plugins that I recommend (and use myself) that are essential for bloggers.
And did I mention that they’re all free!
1. Yoast SEO
This powerful plugin is a must have. It helps to improve your SEO (Search engine optimization) which helps to improve your rank on Google search.
2. Updraft Plus
Ever written a whole page of content and have it all get deleted right in front of your eyes, not knowing how it happened?
Well I have and it sucks. You do not want that to happen to all the content you’ve slaved over getting onto your website. That’s where Updraft plus comes in.
This plugin backs up your website every night, so if anything were to go wrong, (knock on wood) you know you can just hit that restore button and everything will be A okay.
Related: How to start a blog
3. Instagram and Facebook Feed
Yes, these are two different plugins but essentially they do the same thing.
They are both easy to use widgets which allow you to add your feed to your website, and they are both customizable.
These plugins are free but a paid version is also available which gives you more control over the look and feel of you feed.
4. WP Smush
This plugin is essential for me as I upload A CRAP TON of photos to my blog.
Large image files can slow down your website and it can take long to load images on a page.
We are living in a world where people expect things right away.
If I go click to a site and the page takes forever to load, I’m most likely clicking right off of it and going onto the next.
You don’t want that to happen to you.
WP smush optimizes and compresses your photos as they are uploaded to the site.
This plugin is free but is a little limiting to the sizes it can smush, while it’s not a problem at all, the paid version offers bigger smushing capabilities that I, myself am actually thinking of upgrading to.
5. Sumo Me
This plugin is a powerful sharing tool that allows you to insert and customize sharing buttons to have people easily share your pictures and content on social media.
There is a paid version which offers a lot more, but the free version works great on it’s own.
Related: Starting a blog, what they don’t tell you
6. Google Analytics
Another absolute must have if you really want to focus on the growth of your site.
Google Analytics tracks how many people have visited your website, where they clicked through to your site (google search, direct, social media etc) and how long they stayed.
Analytics can help you determine and know who your audience is, what they like, and you can then produce more content based on your findings to keep them coming back for more!
7. Disqus
Disqus is a commenting system that allows people to comment on your blog and you to comment on other people’s blogs.
You only have to login once, which you can easily do through Facebook.
Its pleasing to the eye, which is fantastic compared to the basic commenting system that usually comes with the majority of themes.
When you comment on other sites, people can then click through to see your profile which will then lead them back to your website.
It’s magic!
8. Akismet
Nobody likes spam; Akismet helps protect your site against getting all those spammy comments.
9. Contact form 7
This plugin allows you to create a contact form where people visiting your site and wanting to contact you can plug in their information and send you a message.
You can decide/choose what fields they have to enter, i.e name, email, business etc.
This plugin normally gets plugged into the contact page.
10. Convertkit
Convertkit is an awesome wordpress plugin that allows you to integrate opt-in forms you create on the convertkit website to grow your email list.
You can also create landing pages to display any additional opt-in incentives or freebies you may have and be giving away.
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Well there you have it, my top 10 wordpress plugins.
Are there any plugins you think I missed or that you think would be more useful?
Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time! Stay Blessed ♡
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Stay positive, work hard, and make it happen!
Like what you read? Pin Me!
Thinking about starting your own blog? Here are some good reads to get you going!
Starting a blog- What they didn’t tell you
My one month blogiversary- Find out what I learned
Be sure to check out my blogging resources page as well for some more tips
