You’ve installed WordPress, added a beautiful theme, and now you’re salivating over thousands of plugins WordPress has to offer. But before you install a single plugin, read on!
Folks love to install plugins, sometimes several that do essentially the same thing. What’s the harm, you think. Well, for one, plugins use up resources and can slow down your site. They can also potentially open up security holes. They can cause conflicts. In short, they can wreak havoc if you’re not careful.
Fear not, I’m here to help! But first, do me a favor and uninstall the Hello Dolly plugin.
With that out of the way, here’s a recommended list of essential and powerful plugins. Click on each to read about configuration and usage details. It isn’t exhaustive, as every website has its own custom needs, but it’s a great starting point. Just remember that some information can eventually become outdated so be sure to always check the provided links for the latest documentation.
- Adaptive Images for WordPress: delivers the right image size for a user’s device.
- Akismet (or try the free Antispam Bee): helps prevent spam comments.
- BackupBuddy: local and remote backup solution for your website.
- FooBox Image Lightbox: opens images and videos in a nice, simple overlay when they are clicked.
- Gravity Forms: a premiere form builder with advanced options.
- iThemes Security: adds layers of security to your website.
- Magic Liquidizer Responsive Table: makes your HTML tables mobile responsive (only needed if you use HTML tables in your site).
- Redirection: helps redirect old pages to new ones so you don’t lose SEO rankings.
- Widget Context: allows you to show/hide widgets on certain pages.
- Yoast SEO: premiere plugin for search engine optimization.
- GA Google Analytics: simple way to add your Google Analytics code.
If you need assistance in determining what plugins your website needs, please feel free to contact us.
