The world of WordPress plugins can be rather confusing. Many people take advantage of WordPress, the open-source tool businesses of all types use for blogging or as a content management system, but the multitude of available plugins can be a bit overwhelming. As a company that specializes in web designing services, we wanted to chime in with a list of top WordPress Plugins that can help improve your website.
Now our Big List of WordPress plugins has been built from our experience based on common areas many websites might need help with such as improved user experience, better security, time savers and of course things to improve conversions. The plugins we have chosen are ones that have produced results in a live environment.
So without further fanfare…
Top WordPress Plugins
Yoast SEO
This is by far one of the best and most popular plugins of all time. For maximum SEO optimization, this is the plugin you want and need. It is easy to set up and easy to use.
Optinmonster
For sites looking to build an email list and also dealing with abandonment, this is the tool for you. It helps convert people leaving into email subscribers quickly and easily.
Jetpack
Another wildly popular plugin, Jetpack helps with speed optimization, customization tools, enhancing security and can also help with tweaks to increase traffic.
W3 Total Cache
In a nutshell, this makes your site load faster. There is not a good reason to not use this tool. WP Super Cache is similar, but a less feature-heavy alternative that is simpler to use.
Wordfence Security
Not only is this a free plugin, but the level of security it provides is excellent. With alerts for any suspicious activity, this is a great option to help prevent hacks. iThemes Security is another good option, although not as powerful as Wordfence.
P3 Plugin Performance Profiler
If you are going to use plugins it makes sense to have one that makes sure the rest of the bunch are not slowing your site down. By scanning periodically you can find plugins that are slow and remove it or find a faster alternative.
WordPress Backup to Dropbox
While your website should be safe, it is wiser to ensure it is recoverable by having an automated backup in place. With a backup to Dropbox, you have a convenient storage site that can be accessed from anywhere. BackupBuddy is a good alternative that supports multiple storage services.
SumoMe
This is a great all-in-one marketing tool that works well with WordPress to help grow your business. It has analytics, social media buttons, contact forms and more!
Revive Old Post
This fun plugin grabs an old post and then shares it on various social media channels. It is completely automated which makes for a great tool when you aren’t available to post and share such as when taking a much-needed vacation.
Buffer
This is a scheduling device that allows you to schedule posts to social media accounts for an entire day.
Broken Link Checker
Nobody likes a broken link, least of all Google. This plugin allows you to identify and remove those links on all of your posts, pages, and comments.
Testimonials Widget
Testimonials are powerful as they show potential clients what past clients had to say about you. This simple widget makes it easy to add testimonials to your site.
Redirection
Links to a 404 page kill the flow of your site and can endanger potential conversions. This easy to use plugin helps avoid that problem with a simple redirect which ensures users and search engines get to the correct page.
Akismet
Spam comments are one of the most annoying things you can find on your blog. Not only do they drain server resources, but they ruin the flow of a comment conversation. Askimet can help check and remove spam. Disqus is another good option but it replaces the native WordPress comment section.
Google Analytics
Any good site needs to be back by analytics to help you better understand where visitors are coming from and what they are doing while on your site.