What are the best WordPress plugins that every website needs to have? If you search the WordPress plugin directory, you will find at least 10 plugins for each function that you are looking for. For example, you will find up to 800 results for the term ‘backup’. How do you choose your plugins? Why do you need plugins? These are important questions.
Students ask me, what if I use more than one security plugin? I say you can but it depends. Others asked me, my website started to run slow, is it the plugin? Should I delete WordPress plugins that I don’t use?
At the end of this post, you will understand, what a plugin is, why you should choose the best WordPress plugins instead of using what you find.
- Blogging with WordPress 101
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- What is a Blog and How You Should Start a Blog- A Simple Guide
- What A Blog is and 8 Tips To Start a Successful Blog
What is WordPress Plugin?
A WordPress plugin is a code that contains a certain function that adds that can be added to the WordPress site. This function helps WordPress do something that the author needs without further coding and without necessary putting all the codes on the basic WordPress code.
For example, you may need security for your WordPress website. You don’t need to code or find software that protects your sire. Instead, you find a plugin on the WordPress plugin directory and add one or more your desired security plugins.
A WordPress plugin is the best tool for WordPress for two main reasons. One, it gives WordPress users flexible use of functions. Any website owner will have a choice to add a feature to a website that they only need.
How Many Plugins Should I Use in WordPress?
This is the not an easy question to answer. The fact is that too many plugins will slow down your websites. Too many code will slow your website. It is the same for plugins. If a website calls many funcitons to run then we expect a certain delay.
The best answer I can give you is to use only the plugins that you really really need. FOr example, if you are running an eCommerce, you may need SEO, security, payment plugins. You probably dont need calendar plugins of more than one security plugins.
To keep your website running smoothly, you need to minimize your plugins. Not only that, but you also need to choose only plugins that have a reputation on the plugin directory.
If you search for security in the directory, you will get hundreds of results. Choose the ones that fit your need and the ones that have the highest install. Bloggers don’t keep bad plugins.
In the above image, the first option has been installed more than 3 million times, the second one 600k times the last one only 100k times. these are on the top of the search result. But, almost all of these have a similar function. Then, which one would you choose?
Should I Delete Inactive WordPress plugins?
I would advise you to delete inactive wordpress plugins. If you dont use them, why keep them?
But do inactive plugins slow your WordPress site? The short answer is NO. Word press ignores the inactive plugins while loading your website for visitors.
Deactivating these would still be a choice but with some problem. These may not directly affect the performance of your site. Although this may not happen every day, disabled plugins still cause harm if they have a virus or harmful code. So, if you don’t feel you will use them in the near future, delete them. keep the admin board clean.
Best WordPress Plugins for SEO
SEO is a necessary part of a blog. Whatever you do on a website, you need to consider your SEO to rank organically. Today, many SEO plugins help you write an industry-standard content that gets attention from search engines.
With SEO plugins you will get a guide to better content, and optimized WordPress site.
Here are the top SEO plugins that you need to consider using. don’t use more than one plugin on a single WordPress site. Using more than one will not improve your SEO. In fact, it will only slow your website, and create a conflict between plugins.
Yoast SEO
Yoast has more than 5 million active installations and more than 27k five stars. This is on top of the SEO plugins on WordPress. This plugin tracks your content and makes sure than these have proper alt text based on your used keywords.
It also has functions to add XML to search engines, add meta description and title to your blog, and to your posts.
All in one SEO
This is a Yoast SEO rivalry. These have similar functions that includes, adding title and meta description, automatic optimization of titles, identify duplicate content, and already used keyword. and more.
If you don’t use yoast SEO, all in one SEO is a good choice.
RankMath
This is a relatively new plugin. It allows you to import any SEO data from other plugins. Therefore, you don’t lose your SEO if you want to change your plugin to rank math. It also allows you to generate an XML site map, and connect easily to google console.
Best WordPress plugins for Security
Security is the primary issue when you become a blogger. If you cant keep your website safe, you will lose it soon. Unfortunately, you will get hundreds of attack notice every year. This includes brute force attack to sign in to your blog, spams that seem automated.
You can not control every attack, and you cannot delete every spam comment. Instead, use the best WordPress plugin that will help you defend your blog and delete irrelevant interactions.
Sucuri WordPress Plugin
Sucuri security has been around for a while now. Sucuri security gives you options activity auditing, blacklist monitoring, post hack security actions, notifications for free. You will also get website firewall service for a limited free.
Wordfence Security Firewall and Malware Scan
Wordfence is another security plugin that is a must to have. It scans for malware in themes, plugins, and files. It monitors traffic and gives analysis. Its firewall application identifies and blocks malicious traffic. It checks IP and blocks suspicious IP.
Although the malware scanner seems to slow your website a bit while on task but it is clearly the best plugin for your WordPress site.
All In One WP Security & Firewall
All In One WP Security & Firewall is another alternative for your WordPress security. The plugin reduces security risk by scanning for vulnerabilities. It protects your website from a brute force login attack, protects you from spam, it forces logout of users after a configurable time period and scans IPs.
- Blogging with WordPress 101
- Blog Tips For Beginners That Makes Your Life Easy
- The Basics of SEO: Beginner’s Guide to SEO Success
- What is a Blog and How You Should Start a Blog- A Simple Guide
- What A Blog is and 8 Tips To Start a Successful Blog
Best WordPress Plugins for Google Analytics
Site Kit by Google
Sitekit is owned by Google, and it offers easy to understand stats directly on your WP dashboard. You will love the all google stats in one dashboard function. You will also get metrics for each page on your website.
Google Analytics Dashboard Plugin for WordPress
With 2 million active installs, this plugin has a rich feature to follow your website analytics. The owners claim that top businesses such as Yelp, Microsoft, Bloomberg use the plugin on their site.
The plugin gives you audience report, eCommerce report, forms report, behavior report. It also tracks has AdSense and affiliate link tracking options.
Google Analytics Dashboard for WP
This plugin is an alternative for your best WordPress plugins for google analytics. It gives you accurate tracking, real-time stats, eCommerce tracking, affiliate link tracking, ad tracking, google analytics for AMP, and popular post tracking.
GA Google Analytics
GA Google Analytics is another option for your best WordPress plugins for the analytics list. It is fast, and simple to use. It tracks analytics on pages.
Best WordPress Plugins for Backup
WordPress backup is another step that you should not overlook. Your host could go out of the business to get attacked at any time. Your website also could be attacked and you could lose everything overnight. NOt only that what if you mess up on your code, you accidentally delete something? Backup helps you reset your website to the previous version and continue from there.
With automatic backup, you can set and forget. And you know everything is safe.
UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin
Updraft is a very much known plugin on WordPress. It helps you backup your website automatically with a customized schedule and helps you download your database anytime.
you can also backup your website directly to third party services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and FTP.
All-in-One WP Migration
With more than 2 million active installs, all in one WP migration exports database, media files, themes, and plugins. The process seems complex at first sight, but it is easy to catch up.
Duplicator – WordPress Migration Plugin
With Duplicator, it is possible to copy, migrate, clone, or move the site from one location to another. You can pull down a live site to localhost for development, transfer wp site from one host to another. You also can manually back up a WordPress site or part of a site.
BackWPup – WordPress Backup Plugin
BackWPup has a bit lower installs than the other two best WordPress plugins for security. This doesn’t mean this plugin is not as good. In fact, you get almost every function that you get from the other plugins. You need to pay to restore your backups and encrypt them and restore them from encrypted backups.
Best WordPress Plugins for eCommerce
WooCommerce
Woocommerce is the best WordPress plugins for eCommerce. It is free, simple to install and use on WordPress. It has lots of free and paid add-ons that you can integrate with your website.
Best WordPress Plugins for Gallery
WordPress Gallery Plugin – NextGEN Gallery
This plugin easily integrates with WordPress, and it displays your images beautifully. It has a slideshow gallery, thumbnail gallery, list album, and more options. The PRO option adds lightboxes, proofing, and new gallery displays. it is a place to sell, print, and display your images easily.
Photo Gallery by 10Web
Photo Gallery by 10Web creates a responsive gallery and album to your website. It has layout options, album views, widgets, and extensions. It also has audio and video support.
FooGallery Image Gallery – Responsive Photo Gallery
FooGallery is also a good alternative. It offers different image gallery templates that are easy to customize. The lazy load function is a plus here. The admin offers a live preview of images, ‘drag and drop’ to rearrange images.
Best WordPress Plugins for Calendar and Events
The Events Calendar
This calendar plugin works both for in-person or virtual events. and support important features. You install, configure your settings, and you start creating events in minutes. You have options to create events with detailed info such as organizers and venues. It includes calendars, maps. You will have an option to add on the sidebar of your website.
All-in-One Event Calendar
Use this plugin to list your events and manage them in one place. It offers an option to filter schedules and events and even import a schedule from any other calendar plugin. Each event is SEO optimized as well. You only need to embed the code on your WordPress page.
Best WordPress Plugins for Instagram
Have you ever thought about how to integrate WordPress into an Instagram account? Well, that is not hard to do. You only need WordPress plugins.
Social Slider Widget
This plugin helps you to display Instagram feeds anywhere on your websites. The plugin is beginner-friendly and does not need an API key to work. It is responsive for mobile users. therefore, you can display the images in different sizes, sorted by popularity and date.
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
This plugin is easy to setup. Once done, it displays photos from multiple Instagram accounts in the same feed of separate feeds. The plugin is responsive for mobile users. You can customize the plugin in color, and font and image size to make it similar to your website. Use the short cut to add the images to any of your websites.
10Web Social Photo Feed
This plugin is a good alternative to the others. It offers a unique way of integrating Instagram images to your website. The result is unique and looks like website content. This is a great way to increase engagement on your website and Instagram account.
Social Feed Gallery
Social Feed Gallery is an alternative Instagram plugin. It does what others do, but the output is unique from others.
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget
WPzoom is a fully customizable and responsive plugin to display Instagram feed. It is also a good alternative for the best WordPress plugins for Instagram.
Must have Best WordPress Plugins
- Yoast SEO– This is an important plugin for SEO purposes. The alternatives are Rankmath and All in one SEO. These work fine as well.
- WooCommerce– If you need an eCommerce website on WordPress or to add a shop on your existing website, woo-commerce is the best free option.
- W3 Total Cache– This plugin is a must-have for a website to run faster. All in one SEO pack, Autoptimize, WP fastest cache, and LiteSpeed cache are good alternatives as well. Lightspeed cache claims that it is the best even better than wp rocket and w3 total cache. Many bloggers use WP optimize and autoptimize in addition to one of the cache plugins listed above.
- Google XML Sitemaps– even if you are using SEO plugins, you still may need to install Google XML sitemaps plugin. This is one of the best WordPress plugins you need to have. It easily tells google any change on your website. This shortens the process of ranking on google.
- Wordfence security is one of the best WordPress plugins for firewalls and malware. IThemes Security, All In One WP Security & Firewall, and Sucuri security are the best WordPress plugins as well.
- Contact Form 7– This plugin is not an option. This is one of the best WordPress plugins listed as free. This plugin creates forms and using copy and paste code, you create a contact page. You even can integrate into your email collection software such as Mailchimp.
- Smush is an image compression plugin. It minimizes loading time by decreasing image size. ewww image optimizer is a good alternative.
- BuddyPress- are you planning to add social features to your WordPress website. Do you need the audience to contribute, follow each other, chat with each other? Then, BuddyPress is a great option.
- MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress helps you integrate Mailchimp with WordPress.
- Updraftplus– This is a good plugin that manually or automatically back up your website to your PC drive, Google drive, or dropbox. Duplicator migrates your site to another hosting, backup, or clones your site.
Finally, About Best WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins are a must to have a well-functioning website. Most WordPress plugins are free, and some of these have a PRO version with a fixed payment.
The plugins listed are necessary for any website. This means unless you find it necessary, don’t use more than one plugin for each purpose. Use only one plugin for SEO.
