The world is at your fingertips when operating your website on the WordPress platform. Figuring out what plugins you will need for your new website or updated website can be tricky.
First answer these five questions for yourself:
What type of website are you creating/have?
What type of content will be on your website?
Will the content be sharable?
How will you get users to stay on your site?
What actions do you want visitors to take while on your website?
Obviously the process of creating a website involves a lot more discussion with business owners, marketing directors and developers, but these 5 questions can help get the important questions answered.
The next to this process to creating a new website or updating a current one is to install the necessary plugins in order to give purpose to your website. Below I have complied a list of 9 must-have WordPress plugins that you should consider for a website.
Top 9 must-have WordPress plugins:
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WordPress SEO by Yoast
The most popular SEO tool on WordPress, Yoast helps you write better content suited for search engines. The checklist-esque plugin helps you present your site to Google in the best possible way.
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W3 Total Cache
Another one of the most popular WP plugins, W3 Total Cache helps customize and improve each user’s experience. It increases server performance, reduces download times and provides transparent content delivery network integration.
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Disqus
Do you want people to engage with your website’s content? Disqus, or “discuss” offers a range of social login options, share buttons, user tagging and other user-friendly features. The plugin is a tool for web comments, discussions as well creating a more interactive site.
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Akismet
Keep the spam out with the Akismet plugin. The tool catches comments that seem suspicious and allow you to review the comments before posted to your site.
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Broken Link Checker
Check your posts, comments and other various site content for broken links and missing images. The plugin will notify you if any are found. Worry no more about the dreaded broken link!
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Shareaholic
I’m personally not a fan of the floating share bar, so I think this WP social share plugin is a happy compromise. Sharaholic is the easiest, most effective way to grow site traffic, effectively engage users and gain insights all in a visually appealing way.
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Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
Introduce visitors to other relevant content on your site by displaying pages, post and other custom content related to the post they are currently on. Yet Another Related Post is a great way to increase page views and engagement on your site.
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Google Analytics +
You won’t even have to leave your WordPress dashboard with the addition of this plugin. Google Analytics + allows you to view and track statistics connected to analytics. It even lays out the hard numbers in aesthetically pleasing charts and graphs.
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WP eCommerce
This free plugin is essential for any ecommerce website. Whatever it is you wish to sell online, WP eCommerce is ready to help.
How Can StrataBlue Help You Manage WordPress Plugins?
Not sure which plugins you should be installing on your site? Give us a call if you’d like to learn more – Tyler Moore will be the one to handle your call, and, for what it’s worth, he’s pretty awesome to work with. Here’s his number: 317-207-0195. Or, if you’re shy like me, you can contact us by submitting an online form. Just click the button below and Tyler will follow up within 24 hours!
