More popular than any other content management system in the world, more than one in four websites globally use WordPress for their infrastructure. A huge part of the reason behind this is WordPress’ immense customisation potential and the endless supply of plug-ins available for download.
With so many plug-ins to choose from, it can be difficult to know the ones you really need. Adding too many plug-ins to your website can actually slow it down, so you want to be careful when choosing. Which WordPress plug-ins should every installation absolutely have? We’ll walk you through a few must-have choices.
WordPress SEO by Yoast
Arguably the most essential WordPress plug-in used by webmasters and bloggers alike, WordPress SEO by Yoast is an all-inclusive solution that helps improve SEO. From optimising your SEO titles and headlines to improving breadcrumbs, this plug-in helps guide you in the right direction in regards to content and website structure. This free plug-in is a must-have solution and one that comes standard with many vanilla installations offered by hosting companies like Certa Hosting.
All-in-One WP Security and Firewall
WordPress security is a huge concern: because of the sheer number of people using the platform, there are many hackers and exploiters seeking to gain access to older versions of WordPress. Even if you regularly update your website, the All-in-One WP Security and Firewall plug-in is a must-have option for all WordPress sites. With dozens of options that help lock down your website and prevent prying eyes from gaining access, installing this useful tool is frankly non-negotiable.
W3 Total Cache
Improving site speed and performance should be at the top of your priorities as a blogger or webmaster. With the W3 Total Cache plug-in, you can make all of this and more happen with little to no effort. The W3 Total Cache plug-in works to optimise a variety of technical aspects of your website for both visitors and search engines alike. Not only can it help crawlers find your content more effectively, but it’ll ensure that your pages load more rapidly for visitors, too!
Gravity Forms
Subscription forms and other comparable elements designed to capture information are practically essential in this day and age. With Gravity Forms’ plug-in, you’ll be able to easily integrate all of your forms anywhere on your site. Not only does it make it simple to create new forms in just minutes, but you’ll be able to quickly add those forms to any and all pages. For those looking to find easy form building functionality, this plug-in is essential.
Social Media and Share Icons
Any website in the modern era that wants to be truly successful needs a social media presence. Creating profiles and pages on sites like Instagram and Facebook is a must, but you also want any content you’re producing on-site to be published and shared by others as well. Enter the Social Media and Share Icons WordPress plug-in: it ensures that every post and every page is fully integrated with social media sharing options that make it easy for people to share your content. The number of mentions and shares for your website doubles with any social media integration, so you definitely don’t want to pass this up.
While there are plenty of custom WordPress plug-ins that any individual website may need, these five are pretty much non-negotiable regardless of your niche. We hope that these will bring your brand or business great fortune in search engine, social media and beyond in the coming months and years!