9 Popular WordPress Plugins
WordPress is arguably one of the easiest and most popular free platforms for users hosting content on the web. With the ability to host a variety of online content, such as blogs and ecommerce stores, WordPress touts a user-friendly interface. WordPress provides ease of customization, labeling all facets of a website build and renders any possible actions intuitively.
Plugins, provided by developers around the world, are tools available that help fit users needs and can be something as simple as a photo gallery to an all-in-one utility that tracks site traffic and provides firewalls. Some plugins come at a cost, but many come free at first.
Sifting through and finding the right plugin for the job takes some time, especially because the market is a bit saturated with them, but I’ve outlined a few here that you’re sure to find useful:
Keyword usage on a site can be crucial to its success. This plugin helps find the best one to use on the site. Yoast provides you with the best optimization options for your content and a preview of your post before it goes live. If you’re looking for an SEO solution, Yoast is a popular and effective tool.
This plugin let’s you take an unlimited number of backups and perform an unlimited number of restores. You can choose whether to store backups locally within the site’s server or externally at Dropbox. Free support, which is quite unusual in the world of WordPress plugins, is provided.
All In One WP Security and Firewall
You can never be overly secure on the internet. This plug-in exposes risky user accounts and encourages secure passwords. It offers you brute force protection, as well as the ability to force everyone to sign out.
In addition, you can schedule backups by which to maintain the integrity of your database, as well as keep an eye on anyone who has permissions to check your files and folders. This plugin also provides firewall configuration, file changes scanning, and more.
Google Analytics Counter Tracker
Monitor the traffic going into your sites with Google Analytics, then display the information over an easy-to-follow graph.
Caching your site’s content will exponentially quicken access to it. Easy to configure (practically one click), Comet Cache also gives you options by which to control how the cache would be cleared.
(Yes, the ‘by Supsystic’ is part of the title.) This is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop contact form builder that even the least experienced user can master easily.
Want to add social media sharing buttons to you webpage? This plugin allows for quick linking across sites and allows for edits to the button labels. It can also tally the shares from each link.
This is a free photo gallery that permits customizability, giving you many ways to display photos. With Photo Gallery, you can add an unlimited number of photos to an album and even edit each photo’s thumbnail.
Popular with eCommerce sites, this free plugin allows a user to market and sell any product. It gives you control over shipping information, including thousands of destinations, and a large number of payment methods, from Paypal to major credit cards to bank transfers.
There is an avalanche of WordPress plugins available to a user, each helping to tailor a specific and intended character and appearance for a web page.
These are only a few of the many plugins that can make website building so rewarding. Take some time — and due diligence — to explore those that can assist you best. And, feel free to comment below on the plugins you can’t live without! I’d enjoy hearing about your experiences with WordPress plugins.
