With the boom in digital technology we are experiencing, WordPress websites are becoming increasingly dependent on add-ons to maximize user experience.
Some of your favorite apps, like Spotify, Gmail, and Instagram, are enjoying a broadening spectrum of add-ons that allow users to expand the apps’ traditional functionalities.
The same goes for betting apps like Indibet (extensively reviewed on https://www.telecomasia.net/in/sports-betting/reviews/1xbet/mobile-app/).
But are add-ons limited to mobile devices? Definitely not.
Desktop platforms are even more welcoming to add-ons. These come in form of plugins that enable users to do much more with the solution.
WordPress is one of those famous platforms with a bountiful inventory of powerful plugins.
Introducing you to the world of WordPress plugins
A WordPress plugin helps bloggers to extend the functionalities of their blogs or websites. These WordPress plugins are essential as they improve a website’s overall usability.
Currently, there are more than a thousand WordPress plugins available for installation for different functionalities.
However, this piece focuses on 15 of the best you can use to improve your website or blog.
Features to look out for when choosing a WordPress plugin
Before delving into the best plugins, you can get, let us first analyze the features to consider in a plugin to help you streamline your search.
Its functionality in your blog or website
List out the functionalities of the plugin that you seek before going on the hunt. This is to prevent you from doing trial-and-error installations which may be potentially harmful to your website.
When you see a list of plugins with what you need, do not just download the first one on the list. Instead, apply other factors in this list to further streamline your search to the best.
Free or Premium?
There are a lot of free WordPress plugins on the internet, but most times, the best come with a price. So even though you can still run your website or blog with the free plugins, be ready to spend some money to get the ones that are ideal for you.
Star ratings and user reviews
There is a high chance that a WordPress plugin is good for use if other members of the community recommend it or have something good to say about it. Therefore, before going for a plugin, read users’ reviews on that plugin to see what others have to say about it.
Also, its star rating speaks a whole lot about its efficiency. So to be on the safe side, avoid any plugin with star ratings below 4 stars.
To check the users’ reviews and star ratings, go to the WordPress plugin repository, then the Description tab.
Compatibility and Updates
The secure plugins are the ones that receive frequent updates. In addition, these updates should also be in line with WordPress’ major updates to ensure that they conform with WordPress’ standards.
Fortunately, you can also go to the Description tab of the WordPress plugin repository to see the last time a plugin was updated and even its update frequency.
Support options
There is a support forum for every plugin in the WordPress plugin repository under the Support tab. Check this location to ascertain if there is frequent activity going on there.
Frequent discussions show that issues are identified and solved, increasing that plugin’s security and functionality.
However, some developers prefer handling their plugin support externally, so you can also do well to check their website for support options.
15 WordPress plugins you can get today
In this section, we will recommend some of the best WordPress plugins around for bloggers.
1. Yoast SEO
This plugin is among the most loved plugins used by many websites. So nowadays, it’s quite rare for many website owners to exclude it from their list of active plugins.
Yoast SEO helps to improve the SEO score of your pages and articles to help you rank better on search engines.
You can use it to configure your SEO title, meta description, main keywords, and image alt attributes, among other functionalities. It also provides stats and suggestions on how to improve your articles and website.
2. WordFence
WordFence is a WordPress plugin that focuses on security. This plugin protects your website with a firewall against inorganic traffic. In addition, it also provides a secure login system and a malware scanner to block suspicious attempts.
As another security measure, WordFence alerts you when an activity on your website is not supposed to happen, such as a vulnerability issue or when another plugin usually closes.
Since security is very important to a website owner, WordFence is a good option to safeguard your website.
3. Google Analytics by MonsterInsight
As a blogger or website owner, you may be considered unserious if you don’t utilize Google Analytics on your website.
Google Analytics displays your website stats to let you know whether your website is improving or not.
This variant, Google Analytics by MonsterInsights, even makes the job easier by importing the statistics to your WordPress admin area from Analytics so that you can monitor it without leaving your dashboard.
Installing this plugin is simple; you just need to copy the tracking code and paste it on your website.
4. Jetpack
Jetpack is a multipurpose plugin with several functionalities. It helps in website protection, design and even marketing.
Some of its features include CDN, site analysis, spam filtering, automated social media posting, malware scanning, lazy image, and more.
Jetpack is available in a free plan and three premium plans, as you need to pay to enjoy certain features. Jetpack fits the needs of your website and is an ideal plugin.
5. WPForms
Consider this plugin if you want modern and classy forms for your website. With this plugin, you do not need to hire developers to design your forms for you, yet you can make good-looking forms.
WPForms lets you do this via simple drag-and-drop interfaces.
There are different versions of the WPForms; There is the WPForms Lite which is limited to three form types, contact forms inclusive, and there is the WPForms Pro which allows you to integrate more features, such as surveys and payment channel integration into your forms.
6. All in one SEO (AIOSEO)
Even if you have all the functionalities in your website and yet no one can see it, the website is almost useless – this is where SEO comes in.
SEO helps to make your website a wider audience via a more visible meta description, tags, better titles, and more. AIOSEO does this job for your quickly.
It features a link assistant that helps you manage external and internal links, an SEO Audit Checklist that identifies SEO errors and recommends improvements, an intelligent on-page analysis, and more.
AIOSEO features a lite version with limited and also a premium version where you can enjoy all its functionalities.
7. SearchWP
The standard WordPress search tool does not include many functions such as tables, WooCommerce products, text files, and PDFs. But with SearchWP, you can search out these data quickly.
SearchWP also displays what your website’s visitors search for and includes data to increase your marketing strategy.
In addition, you can customize how the search results will be ranked according to the hierarchy of your most converting pages.
With SearchWP, searching for anything on your website gets better and easier!
8. WP Rocket
WP Rocket proudly calls itself “the all-in-one web performance plugin.” This plugin improves your website’s overall speed, making response time faster, which is pleasing to both search engines and your site’s visitors.
Other features include:
- Storing resources accessed directly on the visitor’s devices.
- Compatibility with several additional plugins.
- Protecting sensitive information.
Installing WP Rocket is easy and fast; it works immediately after you activate it.
9. Sucuri Plugin
Without a security architecture, your site is vulnerable to several attacks. Sucuri plugin is another plugin that offers optimism security services for your site.
This plugin protects your site from hacker tools, malware, and malicious bots and constantly updates your server configurations.
You can customize the security functions, such as choosing a particular country to block, stopping Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, and speeding up optimization via a content delivery network (CDN).
You can also set it up to do a thorough security search for bugs and malware and ensure that your site doesn’t get blacklisted.
10. UpdraftPlus
Nobody is above mistakes; you always need a backup to ensure you do not lose your important files and data. UpdraftPlus is a trusted plugin to handle this.
In a time when editing mistakes are inevitable and malicious attacks are constant, UpdraftPlus guarantees a secure backup.
You can do your backup manually or set it up to perform automatically. The free version comes with 1GB of storage, while you can purchase more storage through the premium version, which also includes extra features.
When the unwanted finally happens, restoring your data is very easy; one click does the trick!
11. PushEngage
PushEngage is a fantastic plugin for engagements and marketing. This plugin helps you to boost sales via push notifications.
After your customers opt-in, you can send customized push notifications such as a price drop, low inventory, and abandoned cart messages with this plugin.
Other features include customizable opt-in, flexible notification styling and personalization, and targeted segmentation. With this plugin, you can track views, sales, and clicks of each campaign, tunnel, and push notification.
This plugin is compatible with different types of websites. Also, you do not need coding skills to use it, and it does not slow down your site.
12. Share Counts
Every website owner wants more engagement on their website. But, at the same time, every website owner also wants to know the engagement count of their website.
Share Counts simplifies the process by making it easy for visitors to share content. With this plugin, you can see the number of people that shared your page.
This plugin features buttons for popular engagement options such as Email, Facebook, Twitter, Print, and lots more. You can also style the buttons and place them anywhere you want.
Shared Counts is free with a simple code that does not lag your website.
13. WP Simple Pay
This plugin is the simplest way to add payment options to your website without opening a fully functional e-commerce outlet.
With it, you can design your own custom payment form without coding. You can make it so customers can pay what they have and not a strictly fixed price.
In addition, you can offer discounts and set up multiple payment channels.
Using WP Simple Pay saves you time, reduces fees, and boosts your revenue generation.
14. WPML
Imagine a situation where someone seeks vital information from your website but is handicapped due to a language barrier.
WordPress Multi-Lingual (WPML) solves this problem by helping you build your site in multiple languages, making it available to a broader audience.
The translation is flexible with this plugin, as it can translate an entire site or specific areas. You can also optimize your site for search operations in other languages.
WPML works with several plugins and themes and is fast and stable. Security is also assured as its developers constantly push out updates.
15. Constant Email
This is an email marketing plugin that simplifies the email marketing processes for you. It’s made for beginners with simple-to-use tools – you can build your design immediately!
It allows you to send targeted emails with an autoresponder, send general emails too, and monitor each email campaign’s performance.
Contact Email integrates well with every website, with specific tools for lead generation and digital marketing.
