Having worked with WordPress for years, I can tell you that the right plugins can make all the difference. Plugins extend the functionality of your website and can make managing it a breeze. Here are 10 essential WordPress plugins that I recommend for new website owners.
1. Yoast SEO
One of the best SEO plugins out there, Yoast SEO helps you optimize your posts and pages for search engines.
- Add meta titles and descriptions
- Generate XML sitemaps
- Set canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content
2. Akismet Anti-Spam
Akismet helps keep spam comments at bay.
- Automatically checks and filters out spam comments
- Status history for each comment to help you track which comments were caught or cleared by Akismet
3. Wordfence Security
Wordfence is a comprehensive security plugin that protects your site from hacks and malware.
- Includes a firewall and malware scanner
- Protects your site against brute force attacks
4. UpdraftPlus
UpdraftPlus simplifies backups and restoration.
- Backup your files and database into the cloud
- Supports Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and more
5. Contact Form 7
Contact Form 7 allows you to add contact forms to your site easily.
- Create and manage multiple contact forms
- Customizable email contents
6. WooCommerce
If you’re planning on selling anything on your site, WooCommerce is the plugin you need.
- Comprehensive ecommerce platform
- Sell physical and digital goods
7. Smush Image Compression and Optimization
Smush optimizes images, improving your site’s performance and loading times.
- Compress, optimize and lazy load images
- Incorrect size image detection
8. WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache improves your website’s speed by generating static HTML files from your dynamic WordPress website.
- Serve static HTML files to 99% of your visitors
- Automatic cache management
9. Elementor
Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to create beautiful pages without any coding knowledge.
- Live editing
- Responsive design
- Over 80 design elements
10. Broken Link Checker
This plugin checks your website for broken links – a nuisance for visitors and a detriment to SEO.
- Monitors links in your posts, pages, and comments
- Detects links that don’t work
Each of these plugins brings something unique to your website, helping to enhance its functionality and performance. As a new website owner, getting to grips with these plugins will put you on the path to managing a successful WordPress website. Remember, the key to mastering WordPress is to learn as you go. Good luck!
If you have trouble maintaining WordPress like this, it is a good option to entrust it to a professional service such as WP center.
For more information, check out this article comparing WordPress maintenance services.