The best WordPress plugins for blogs are those that have ease in functionality, give a great user experience, adds value to your website, and is easy to use and configure.
WordPress plugins are apps that allow you to add new features and functionality to your WordPress website. Exactly the same way as apps do for your smartphone. Plugins are essential for WordPress websites. If the WordPress core is the bread and butter of a website, plugins are the strawberry jam. They turn a generic website into something irresistible.
WordPress plugins are small software apps that integrate and run on top of the WordPress software. This allows you to create almost any kind of website with WordPress (not just blogs). Each WordPress plugin installed on your site is registered in your WordPress database. You can activate and deactivate them at any time you want.
For example, you can:
- Start an online store with WordPress using the WooCommerce plugin
- Create a job board with WordPress using the Job Manager plugin
- Build a business directory with the best directory plugins for WordPress
- Start a coupon website like RetainMeNot
- Build your photography website using the Envira Gallery Plugin
- Create a Wiki website using the Knowledge base plugin
- Start your own podcast website using WordPress
- … and tons more.
Plugins can perform pretty much any function desired on a website. From e-commerce solutions to photo galleries, plugins give WordPress users the ability to create custom websites. This is one of the main reasons why WordPress is the most popular content management system available.
Here are some of the WordPress plugins that I use. And the best thing about them is that you can get them at WordPress.org for free.
Pretty Links This plugin is used to cloak affiliate links.
Wassup Real Time Analytics This plugin is used to track traffic that comes in to my website. I really like this one. I can tell where my traffic is coming from.
WPBackItUp is a plugin that backs up all the files on my website. So if something should happen I can just give me backup files to Hostgator and they will reinstall it for me.
404 Redirect This plugin allows me to redirect my traffic if they go to the wrong page on my website. So if a visitor types in the wrong page, they will be redirected to another page that is up and running. This is one way to not leave any money on the table.
Facebook comment plugin This plugin allows users to leave comments on my blog. This creates more engagement with my visitors.
WP-Ban The BAN Users WordPress Plugin has been developed to enable administrators to quickly BAN (aka disable, suspend…) users from logging into their WordPress user account, as well as the option to change the status of all their posts.
All-In-One SEO Use All in One SEO Pack to optimize your WordPress site for SEO. It’s easy and works out of the box for beginners, and has advanced features and an API for developers.
TinyMCE Advanced this plugin will let you add, remove and arrange the buttons that are shown on the Visual Editor toolbar. You can configure up to four rows of buttons including Font Sizes, Font Family, text and background colors, tables, etc. It will also let you enable the editor menu.
Anti-Spam Bee Say Goodbye to comment spam on your WordPress blog or website. Anti-spam Bee blocks spam comments and trackbacks effectively, without captchas and without sending personal information to third party services. It is free of charge, ad-free and 100% GDPR compliant.
I hope you see the value in these best WordPress plugins for blogs. Now it’s time to define what a WordPress theme is.
In WordPress, a theme is a collection of templates and stylesheets used to define the appearance and display of a WordPress powered website.
They can be changed, managed, and added from the WordPress admin area under Appearance » Themes. There are several free and paid WordPress Themes available. WordPress.org has a large collection of free ones in their Themes Directory.
Each one comes with a different design, layout, and features. A user needs to choose the one that suits their taste and requirements for their website. There are those that are designed to serve specific kind of websites, e.g. WordPress Photography Themes are designed for photographers and photography websites.
When choosing your theme keep the user experience in mind. You want your theme to be mobile responsive, you want it to load quickly, and above all else, you don’t want your theme to be full of clutter.
You want your website to be easy to use and the user needs to be able to find what they are searching for as quickly and painlessly as possible. Your website’s theme gives the user a first impression of you, so choose wisely.