Plugins are little “apps” that you install on your web hosting server after you’ve installed WordPress. There are plugins for just about every aspect of a website. It’s important that you read the reviews to make sure the plugin will work for your specific needs.
Here are my 10 favourite plugins to use:
Yoast SEO
Make the lights turn green and you’re SEO-golden! Super easy to use, whether you have the free or paid version. Bonus tip: Google and use the Hemingway Editor, which will help you avoid using passive language or too many adverbs in your copy. This will make your content shine.
Anti-Spam
This is a helpful plugin that helps to block spam in the form of random comments on your posts from bots.
Coming Soon CC
If your website isn’t quite ready to show to the world yet, this plugin offers visitors a way to join a mailing list for when the big reveal happens. Just deactivate the plugin when you’re ready to go live, and then delete it.
Google Analyticator
This plugin adds code from your website to Google Analytics so that you can analyze your website data and traffic.
Google XML Sitemaps
This plugin helps search engines like Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, and Bing to better index your site, making it easier to be found… and that’s what we ALL want.
Classic Editor
When WordPress updated to Gutenberg, all bets were off when it came to working in the backend. I hated the way everything was laid out, and it took some time to find the editing tools I was used to. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone, and I definitely felt thankful when I found this gem! It brought back the classic editor most of us know and love.
Cookie Notice
With the onset of GDPR in May of 2018, it became standard practice to have a cookie notice on all websites, to let your audience know you can see some of their information, just from their visit to your website. This is a good, simple, plugin to have.
UpDraft Plus – Backup/Restore
This plugin stores the latest two backups, overwriting the older of the previous backups.
iThemes Security
This is the mother of all plugins to have. A website will never be 100% safe from hacking but an added band of protection can’t hurt. It has a firewall, anti-virus, and high-speed cache, and will notify you by email if there are any problems. The first few emails might freak you out, it usually just means you need an update.
WP Meta and Date Remover
This plugin is good if you don’t want the date shared on your blog posts.
If you’re looking to get some help with your plugins, keeping them updated, this is just one of many ways I can help you. Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk!
