Plugins are little apps that extend the functionality of WordPress. The core of WordPress is designed to be lean, to maximize flexibility and minimize code bloat. Plugins offer custom functions and features so that each user can tailor their site to their specific needs. Since WordPress is an open source program, there are lots of people that develop plugins and offer them to the WordPress community, most of them for free.
Here are the ten essential WordPress plugins that I always include with each newly installed WordPress Website we build. For instructions and information on downloading, installing, upgrading, troubleshooting, and managing your WordPress Plugins, see Managing Plugins. You will want to activate each plugin that you import and then most of them have some easy configuration to take care of before they work. You can find their configuration areas on the dashboard after they are activated.
- Akismet - Essential as a spam catcher. Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not and lets you review the spam it catches on the “Comments” admin screen. This is really important. This plugin comes with each WordPress.org installation, but you must get a WordPress.com account (skip the choice to get a blog and just get the account) in order to get an API ( application progam interface) number from your WordPRess.com profile page. You then add this number to the Aksimet plugin on your website for it to start working.
- WordPress.com Stats – There are a lot of statistics programs out there including Google Analytics, which we also suggest using. But this little program will show up on your Dashboard and give you a quick and easy snapshot of how you are doing each day. It is a great motivator. It also used that same API number that I mentioned above. So kill two birds with one stone. Get the API number and add it to Stats to make it start collecting data on your site.
- WP-DB-Backup - allows you easily to backup your core WordPress database tables to your server or to your e-mail. It backs up your content but it does not back up your theme files and modifications to them that make your site look a certain way. (You need to back up the wp-content file another way to protect that prior to an upgrade). But it will save your content on a regular basis, which is great. What I really recommend is a premium plugin called Backup Buddy which does a complete backup of your database and the site files. It is less than 50.00 for the year and will keep you completely protected if you set it up correctly.
- Gravity Forms- This is a premium contact form plugin that I love!!! We use it for most simple forms. It allows you to flexibly design the form and add it to the site. You can manage multiple contact forms as well. In addition, it had addons that allow it to work with Freshbooks and MailChimp.
- NexGEN Gallery – This gallery plugin allows you to add a variety of different gallery effects and a slideshow option. It makes a nice display without text or distraction. You also may want to check out WP Cycle which is another slideshow that works really well.
- Google XML Sitemaps - This plugin will generate a special XML sitemap which will help search engines crawl your blog. It makes it easier for crawlers to see the complete structure of your site and retrieve it more efficiently. You do not have to add it to the navigation. It can sit undisplayed and still works fine. The plugin supports all kinds of WordPress generated pages as well as custom URLs. Additionally it notifies all major search engines every time you create a post about the new content.
- Google Analyticator – This plugin helps you to get Google Analytics to track the stats on your site. Google Analyticator adds the necessary JavaScript code to enable Google Analytics logging on any WordPress blog. This eliminates the need to edit your template code to begin logging. Google Analyticator also includes several widgets for displaying Analytics data in the admin and on your blog.
- Sexy Bookmarks – This plugin is one of a couple of social media plugins we use depending on the style of the site. This plugin has fin icons that move up when you hover over them. They are very visible and help get readers of your blog to send your posts to social networking sites. It is not good for a more conservative site.
- Add to any – This plugin is a more conservative social media pusher. It comes in various sizes and for a clean site without a lot of clutter it works fine to prompt people to send articles to social media sites.
- Scribe - Scribe is not free but is a heck of a way to learn to write posts optimized for certain key words that you would like to be found on a search. If you are writing posts you might as well learn to write them to get SEO. After a few months you will get the hang of it and not need it anymore. They offer a starter version at 17.00 per month.
