Essential Plugins for WordPress website: Plugins are an important part of all kinds of WordPress websites so it’s also important for your blog. Plugins make the difference in your WordPress blog features, website traffic, loading speed, and user experience. There are lots of security, SEO, page builder, social media and pop up plugins that make any new blogger or new WordPress blog owner confused.
Even after that, there are lots of information available and it becomes very difficult to select which one is best for a long time. And what will help to grow your blog traffic and as well as income? And in all of this, it consumes lots of time that can be used in writing.
So, keeping this in mind, I am writing this post and sharing with you the top plugins that I am already using in my own blog, client’s websites, and suggested to friends.
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And to help you and contribute to the WordPress community I am writing top best or I can say essential plugins in the detailed review in this post due to their effectiveness and quality.
And without a doubt, these plugins work well for you and I will explain to you all in this post and how these plugins are so much important to use in your WordPress website.
So let’s start:
1. SEO Plugin: Yoast SEO – WordPress Website SEO Plugin
Yoast SEO is one of the best WordPress SEO plugins for almost any type of blog. Just install this plugin and it will help you to optimize your website to get more visitors from Google, Bing, social media.
By installing and activating the Yoast SEO plugin, you will get some of the top SEO features to your blog to get more traffic:
- Keyword Analysis and Suggestions.
- Readability analysis for more engagement with readers.
- Quality SEO score that helps to optimize your post and pages with more quality.
- Create a customizable sitemap.xml file to submit on Google/Bing search console or webmaster tools.
- Help you to optimize all the websites, posts, categories, and images by suggesting essential SEO practices that you can utilize to the SEO of your post in quality.
Yoast SEO plugin also has the training, a blog, and a complete guide for each point that you’re using. It means not only you get the plugin that automates your SEO but also helps you to get the knowledge about search engine optimization.
It’s free to use for everyone, but you can also upgrade to its premium plans for the more advanced search engine optimization methods to get more traffic from Google, Bing, and social media.
I have used various other SEO plugins in the 1st year of my blogging and WordPress, but after using all of them, I found Yoast SEO plugin is the best plugin for my website. And it’s very easy to use and set up and most important for beginners who don’t have much time and knowledge to learn SEO things.
I am using it for 6+ years on my own websites including this one, and also using it in my client’s eCommerce and business websites as well. It’s all due to it’s so much rich and high-quality SEO features. While I am writing this post, it was installed and activated on 5+ Million WordPress websites and it has got 5-star feedback from 25686 people and these figures are growing every minute.
So, if you’re confused about which SEO plugin is best or not for your WordPress? Which one help to optimize my website effectively for search engine then believe in me and many other reviews, facts and use Yoast SEO Plugin confidently.
2. Caching Plugin: WP Fastest Cache Plugin
While there are many good plugins such as WP super cache, W3 Total Cache but I like WP Fastest Cache plugin is the best caching plugin among all for WordPress Websites.
Caching is an important factor behind the speed of the WordPress blog website. I like to use WP Fastest Cache due to it’s easy to use functionality and post/page caching quality and the configuration is to the point and easy to understand for all kinds of users. And more importantly, it won’t suggest or irritate you with too many upgradations notifications.
In this plugin you will also get SSL, CDN support, you can block caching through short code on specific pages such as the home page and it’s easy to clear the caching.
So, if you’re looking for a caching plugin that serves the post/page faster to your users and to improve the google search engine ranking then the WP Fastest Cache plugin is the best for you. I am using it for 3+ years on websites as well as client’s websites. It helped to improve my blog website SEO.
While I was writing this post, it was installed on 1+ million WordPress websites and rated 5 Stars by 3118 users. That’s enough to analyze its caching factor on the WordPress website.
3. CSS Customization Plugin: SiteOrigin CSS
Siteorigin CSS WordPress plugin is one of my favorite plugins to customize WordPress website header, footer, posts, pages, images, links, and text. I am using it for 4+ years and I have not got any problem in modifying my own and client’s websites and CSS.
It’s really helpful to customize almost all kinds of CSS code/HTML classes.
By using this plugin, you will be able to do the following things:
- You can resize your logo.
- You can change the background color of your header.
- You can edit desktop and mobile menu colors, font, styles, and many other things.
- You can change articles fonts, paragraph alignment, text size, heading size, colors, and many other things.
- It’s also effective to modify a particular object or class on the WordPress website.
- Look at this website, I have customized it with the help of the site origin CSS plugin.
So without any doubt, I recommend using site origin custom CSS plugin to make design and responsive changes in your WordPress website and blog.
4. Free Social Media Sharing Plugin: Sassy Social Share
Before the Sassy Social Share plugin, I have used 50+ plugins on my own blog website and also on the client’s websites, and to research and test them, roughly I think it has taken my 100+ hours.
But since the Sassy Social Share plugin I never ever thought to search for another free social media share plugins, even I am using it in the premium theme where sometimes the share button is available.
In this Sassy Social Share plugin, you will get lots of options such as:
- You will get both a standard horizontal and floating interface in social sharing. The floating interface is going to the bottom of the screen in mobile devices.
- In this plugin you will be able to change the social media icon styles, size, colors, border-radius, sharing counters, borders, and many more things.
- You can choose and sort out the icons in your own style such as which one comes first and last.
- You have the options in this plugin to use custom URL in sharing, the home page, and the current page.
- You can integrate Facebook apps id, Twitter user name.
- You can also set and change the language.
- You can also shorten your URL for social sharing.
- You can make any changes to social sharing text.
- You can also modify it with custom CSS plugins according to your theme style.
- And not only that they have a complete guide on frequently asked questions and documentation.
So, if you want to increase your social shares, conversion, and traffic from social media websites then I suggest you use a sassy social sharing plugin.
While I was writing this post, it was installed on 100000+ WordPress websites and rated 5 Stars by 292 users. That’s enough to analyze its social factors on the WordPress website.
5. Rename Login URL: Rename wp-login.php
If you want to change your website wp-admin/wp-login.php URL easily and safely for security purposes then rename wp-login.php is the plugin that will solve your problem without pressuring the space, speed of your WordPress website and you just have to save your login address in a notepad file in the computer. Currently, while I was writing this post, it was activated on 100000+ websites.
6. Free Rating Plugin: Rate my Post – WP Post Rating
I started using WP Post Rating in the last few months. And you won’t believe it but it really helped me to get a higher CTR from the search engine. It’s because due to this plugin people can see the post ratings. And it helps search engine users to find out which search results are more effective for them.
Not only there so good features in this plugin such as:
- You can set up your custom text messages.
- Your readers can feedback if someone rated your posts with a lower rank to explain the reason.
- You can also use it on pages.
- You can set up a social sharing/follow up button if someone rated your posts with 5 stars.
After using the WP Post Rating, I am sure that it will help you to grow your blog traffic and the quality of your posts too. It’s because when you get good or bad feedback you will able to improve your writing, posts, blog, pages, and many other things and it will definitely grow your traffic and revenue from the website. Currently, I am not using it due to personal reasons.
7. Header and Footer Plugin: Insert Headers and Footers
Day by day in premium and free WordPress theme, Header is optimized and presented in a group of many other header’s styles. It was not possible for a new WordPress user or blogger to modify and even insert the JavaScript code, bootstrap, fonts files, CSS files, and approval links in the header and footer. Poorly managed header code creates a burden on the server ram to load the page quickly.
And also, when you change the theme, you also have to copy all the header code to the new theme header files. And in this process, many lost their files and code. And it cost time and peace of mind, especially for non-technical WordPress users.
To get rid of that, it’s better to use a separate page or plugin to load your all custom header code. So that next time when you change the theme your headers and footer code remain there and work along with the WordPress theme easily.
So, if you want to do it really quickly and easily, you can use Insert Headers and Footers plugin that allows you to insert header and footer code in your WordPress blog separately. Such as you can insert chat plugin code in the footer, you can add google analytics tracking code, apps code in the footer, and many other things. And you will be able to do it very easily and it also saves lots of time that you can use for writing instead of managing technical things.
8. Plugin to Prevent Spam Bots/Comments: Google Captcha (reCAPTCHA) by BestWebSoft
Google Captcha is the necessity of time to prevent spam bots, comments to infect your WordPress website. If you use google captcha then it will prevent spam comments and contact form messages.
You can use it in registration form, login form, comment form, contact form and it’s compatible with many other input forms.
So, if you want to block spam comments, bots then this is the best plugin that you can use in your WordPress blog, business, and e-commerce website.
9. WordPress Page Builder Plugin: Elementor
Elementor is one of the best WordPress Plugin to build any kind of pages in quick and easy ways. The page, grid, layouts, and setting elementor page builder are responsive for mobile, desktop, and tablet devices.
You will get lots of designing and customization features in the free that can help you manage and decorate the content for users.
You can use the bootstrap grid also with this plugin and it’s compatible with most of the WordPress themes.
I am using it for the last 8-9 months to showcase the product in a grid and it working so nicely. Not only that I have created the whole website of the client by using this plugin, and it saved $70 to $100 for the client. Even the client is able to manage and updates the settings on their own. It’s that easy to use. It’s easier than the Microsoft word application.
The top features of elementor plugin are the following:
- You can design and make changes in real-time or live or by seeing the change on the right side and it’s very fast. And it doesn’t make your server slow while you’re editing and making changes.
- You can also use it for posts settings, paragraphs and to showcase tables, reports, charts, images, social media icons, sliders, and many more things in a post.
- You can edit and design mobile and desktop views separately as well.
- You will get lots of video tutorials to learn to use it.
While I was writing, it was installed on the 4+ million WordPress websites and it’s a very big figure and its rated 5 stars by 4855 people that are its evidence behind the quality, usefulness, speed, and responsiveness of elementor WordPress page builder plugin.
10. Free Related Posts Plugin: Contextual Related Posts
Contextual related posts plugin is one of the most useful plugins to showcase related content in posts/pages and sidebar. You can modify its design and style by using a custom CSS plugin. You can use shortcode, and you can add more than 1 related posts widget in the sidebar and you can include and exclude the categories as per your choice.
You can also use contextual related posts plugin in between posts to showcase related pages and posts.
You can customize which HTML tags to use for displaying the output in case you don’t prefer the default list format
Extendable code: CRP has tonnes of filters and actions that allow any developer to easily add features, edit outputs, etc.
You can use this plugin if you want to reduce your bounce rate and improve users’ time on your website. That will turn into revenue for you. It’s fast and easy to use and customize.
When people find related posts, they will learn more. It’s the best plugin for affiliate marketers and bloggers using google display ads or AdSense to get more page views and higher ctr.
11. Contact Form 7 Plugin
Contact form 7 is one of the evergreen plugins to enable your WordPress website users to contact you. It’s easy and compatible with other plugins as well. It’s easy to modify and setup. You can create as many fields as you want. And you can also use it as a shortcode on all kinds of posts and pages.
Not only that you can customize its appearance, colors, styles, fonts, and many other things. While I was writing, Contact Form 7 is active on 5+ million websites and it’s evidence of its effectiveness. Not only that if you get any problem in setup and installation, but then there are also lots of tutorials available to use as best as you want in your WordPress website.
I am using it for the last 6+ years on many websites and I am fully satisfied. If you want an error-free contact form, fast, responsive then the contact form 7 plugin is the best plugin that you can use in your WordPress blog, business, and eCommerce website.
12. Old Post Writing/Management Style Classic Editor
Classic Editor is maintained by WordPress Team and it’s very effective and easy to edit the post. The need to use this plugin is due to the complexity of WordPress’s current post/page editor updates. That’s why it’s installed and used by 5+ million people on their WordPress website.
The current WordPress page/post editor is not that effective, easy, and SEO friendly as their classic editor. That’s why to help the users they have to produce a classic editor for those who don’t like the current WordPress editor. And I think 90% of non-technical WordPress users don’t like to use classic editor.
13. Broken Link Checker Plugin: Broken Link Checker
Broken Link Checker is a very important WordPress plugin to use on your website and it helps you to fix the broken post/page/internal and external links effectively.
There are various top-quality features in this plugin that helps you to monitor current links in posts/pages and you will be notified through mail when it detects the connection between one post to another is broken. By using this plugin, you can identify, remove, rebuild the broken link in a post and pages very easily.
Properly functioning links are important to increase the pages views, reduce bounce rate, and help the readers. But if the links are broken then it will impact the SEO, keywords ranking, and traffic to your website. So, if you want to maintain the links in your big or small blog then this is the best plugin that anyone can use and understand easily.
14. WordPress Website Backup Plugin: WordPress Backup and Migrate Plugin – Backup Guard
While there are also many other good plugins for backup and restore. But I found Backup Guard is the best WordPress Website Backup Plugin that provides you easy to use the option to backup, restore.
You can take a full backup of your website and you can also choose database backup or custom backup. You have a complete option to choose which folder or file you want to backup and when. You can download the backup to your computer and you can also backup it to cloud storage space such as Dropbox and the best feature is to set up monthly backup.
15. Advertising Plugin: Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads
Ad Inserter WordPress plugin is the best plugin to display all kinds of ads such as Google AdSense, media.net, and many others. It works very well with all kinds of ad codes and networks.
You can use specific ads in pages, posts. This plugin provides you complete freedom to use your creativity in display advertising.
Not only you can set up ads in various ways, but you can also block ads on certain posts and pages. If you use Ad Inserter then I am 100% sure that you will be able to double your advertising revenue within a month.
While I was writing this post, it is active on 200000+ Websites for display, contextual, responsive, links advertising, and rated 5 Stars by 1515 people. And I think it’s less right now, but I am sure in the future the more and more people get aware of the functionality and the features of this plugin, they will definitely use it.
16. Plugin to chat with readers/customers: To Live Chat
Quick communication with website visitors is very important for higher conversion and sales. And when it comes to the best communication tool for the website then Tawk.To Live Chat is one of the best plugins that you can use for chatting.
It’s a fully functional plugin with live monitoring, chatting and you can use and respond to your readers and customer from even a phone. It offers iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OSX apps to keep communication options open. It’s not only compatible with WordPress websites but also on other frames and cms. Quick communication with website visitors is very important for higher conversion and sales. And when it comes to the best communication tool for the website then Tawk.To Live Chat is one of the best in its segment.
As per the shared details by the Tawk.To Live Chat 200000+ people using it to chat with visitors on their business, personal, and eCommerce website and the surprising thing is that it’s free.
So, I hope the above-shared plugins and details are very important for every new WordPress website and users. And I think it will help them to save lots of time searching and testing different plugins.
If you’re using any plugin for years and want to share your experiences then please comment or let us know. It will be very helpful for the WordPress Community.