Wondering what must-have free plugins to use for every new WordPress blog?
WordPress plugins offer different functionality and customization for every site owner. However, with more than 49,000+ plugins to choose from the WordPress Plugins Directory alone, it can be very difficult finding the best and essential to your blog.
In this article, we’ll share with you essential WordPress plugins that will help your blog perform at its best.
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The 9 Essential WordPress Plugins For Your New Blog
No matter what type of website you are working on, these plugins are essential in different aspects:
Security & MaintenanceSEO OptimizationWordPress BackupsWeb Performance OptimizationBuilding Subscriber ListAnti-Spam ProtectionImage OptimizationWordPress Database OptimizationSocial Media Sharing1. WordPress Security — Wordfence
WordPress is undeniably a secure website platform, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. By installing WordPress security plugin like Wordfence, you can make sure your site is far from getting hacked.
Wordfence is a free security plugin that you can use to protect your website from hacks and malware.
Download Wordfence (FREE)
Features
WordPress FirewallWordPress Login SecuritySecurity ScanningBlocking FeaturesMonitoring FeaturesIPv6 CompatibleAlternative Plugins
iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)All In One WP Security & FirewallSucuri SecuritySEE ALSO: 17 Ways To Secure Your WordPress Website From Hackers in 2017
2. Search Engine Optimization — Yoast SEO
SEO is very important for every site owner. It can help you get a lot of traffic and improve your search engine rankings.
Google and other Search Engines use algorithms to rank your web page accordingly in Search Engines Result Page(SERP). However, these algorithms are not that perfect. They still need your assistance in order to understand the content that you have written. That’s where search engine optimization takes place.
With the use of SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, you can make sure that you are following best SEO practices.
Though, as we all know, Google and other leading search engines are emphasizing more on great content and user experience, on-site SEO still plays an important role.
Most importantly, as emphasized by Neil Patel, the use of H1 tag in this article.
Download Yoast SEO (FREE)
Features
Focus Keyword and Content AnalysisPost Titles and Meta DescriptionsRobots Meta ConfigurationReadability CheckCanonical LinkBreadcrumbsPrimary CategoryPermalink CleanupXML SitemapsRSS EnhancementsEdit robots.txt and .htaccessAlternative Plugins
All in One SEO PackSEO UltimateSEO by SQUIRRLY
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3. WordPress Back Up — UpdraftPlus
As a website owner, you should back up your website regularly (and when necessary). This will surely save you countless hours if something bad happens to your site. Making a complete backup in WordPress will not take more than 40 minutes.
UpdraftPlus is one of the best, highest-ranking free backup plugins which we highly recommend.
It is fully functional for backing up and restoring your website or blog. However, if you need more features, than what the free version has to offer you can switch to premium here.
Here’s to help you decide better between the free and premium UpdraftPlus.
Download UpdraftPlus (FREE)
Features
UpdraftVault StorageRemote Storage OptionSecurity FeatureReport, Monitor and ScheduleRestore, Recover and MigrateWordPress Network and MultisiteAlternative Plugins
BackWPupBackupBuddy (Premium)VaultPress (with Jetpack)(Premium)4. Web Performance Optimization — W3 Total Cache
Let’s face it, nobody likes to wait. The same rules apply to your website. Nobody cares how good your site may be. If your website takes too long to load, then, surely that visitor will leave in an instant. And you don’t want that to happen, don’t you?
In fact, statistics show that 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. Here’s how KissMetrics explains that:
With the use of caching plugin like W3 Total Cache, it will help improve your website’s speed. It’s because it saves the static content of your site to the users’ computer.
Download W3 Total Cache (FREE)
Features
Caching (page, database, object, browser, fragment)Minification (HTML, CSS, JS)Database MinificationCDN supportSettings import/exportAlternative Plugins
WP Super CacheWP Fastest CacheWP Rocket(Premium)
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5. Build Your Email List Subscriber — MailChimp for WordPress
Building your email list is important. It can help you increase repeat visitors. It can also help to promote products, send offers, made a follow-up, send updates and more.
Here’s what these experts have to say about why an email list is so important.
MailChimp for WordPress is a free plugin that you can use. All you need to do is install the plugin and connect with a MailChimp API Key.
Download MailChimp for WordPress (FREE)
Features
Sign-Up FormsSign-Up IntegrationsE-Commerce IntegrationForm StylingReports & LoggingAlternative Plugins
Email Subscribers & NewslettersThrive Leads(Premium)Bloom(Premium)6. Comment Spam Protection — Akismet
We hate SPAM! But chances are, your WordPress website could be prone to comment spam. This is normal, especially nowadays. As a website owner, you could do a lot of ways to stop this.
Say goodbye to comment spam and hello to Akismet anti-spam plugin.
Akismet is absolutely FREE of charge for personal websites and blogs of up to 50, 000 comments per month.
Download Akismet (FREE)
Features
Automatic Comments FilterComment History StatusDisplay URL in CommentModerators Can See Approved CommentsDiscard FeatureAlternative Plugins
WP-SpamShield Anti-SpamAntispam BeeShield SecuritySEE ALSO: 8 Best WordPress Anti-Spam Plugins To Keep Your Website Clean
7. Image Optimization — WP Smush
Image optimization is as important as performance optimization, it can help speed up your WordPress site or blog.
In addition, a fast website can also boost your SEO.
WP Smush plugin can be the perfect option. It’s an easy, fast, user-friendly and best-performing image compression plugin ever for WordPress.
The plugin allows you to compress JPEG, GIF and PNG images up to 32MB individually or in bulk using a dedicated server.
Download WP Smush (FREE)
Features
Use Advanced Techniques To Optimize ImageSets Maximum Width and HeightScale Large Image AutomaticallyProcess JPEG, GIF, and PNG Image FilesAsynchronously Auto-Smush FeatureSmush Standard Web-sized Images 1MB or SmallerGlobal and Individual Settings for MultisiteUse Smush API to Smush ImagesAlternative Plugins
EWWW Image OptimizerKraken Image OptimizerShortPixel Image Optimizer
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8. WordPress Database Optimization — Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
Your posts, pages, comments, theme settings, plugin settings, etc are stored in a WordPress Database. By the time you update your website, your database will get larger which could cause bad performance of your site.
By removing unnecessary data, you can improve the efficiency of your WordPress database and make your site load a bit quicker.
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions is exactly what this plugin does.
Download Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions (FREE)
Features
Deletes Posts and Pages RevisionsDeletes Trashed Posts, Pages, and CommentsDeletes Spammed CommentsDeletes Unused TagsDeletes ‘Expired Transients’Deletes ‘Pingbacks’ and ‘Tackbacks’Deletes ‘Orphan Postmeta Items’Optimizes Database TablesSchedule Optimization FeatureMultisite compatibleAlternative Plugins
WP-OptimizeP3 (Plugin Performance Profiler)WP-DBManager9. Social Media Sharing — Social Warfare
How social sharing affect search rankings? Here’s how Orbit Media explains that:
Social Sharing shows your popularity, authority, and reliability of your content.
Social Warfare plugin can help your content be shared the way you want it. Get more shares and drive more traffic back to your website with this free plugin.
Download Social Warfare (FREE)
Features
Free Social Sharing OptionsSocial ProofPopular Posts Widget based on Social Share CountsClick to Tweet QuotesSupport Shortcodes to Manually Place Share ButtonsContent ProtectionPin All the Images FeaturePowerful Share CustomizationSocial Warfare Sharing Options, Custom Design and PlacementsSocial Authorship, Twitter Cards, Rich Pins and MoreLink Shortening, Analytics Campaign and Button-click TrackingAlternative Plugins
Share Buttons by AddToAnyAddThis Sharing ButtonsEasy Social Share Buttons by appscreo (Premium)More Helpful Resources
37 Essential WordPress Plugins You Should Know (and Install If You Haven’t Already) by WPMUDev24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites in 2017 by WPBeginner10 Surprisingly Useful WordPress Plugins Every Blog Should Use in 2017 by ShoutMeLoudBlog Plugins: Top 10 Must Have WordPress Plugins (2017) by Start Blogging OnlineList of the Best and Must Use WordPress Plugins by TipsandTricks-HQConclusion
With these free WordPress plugins installed on your blog, you will be free to focus on something more important.
Worry no more keeping your site secure, getting rid of spam comments, content sharing, keeping in touch with your readers, backing up your website, etc.
Did we miss any plugin that you think is essential too? Let us know in the comment section below.
Reference(s):
SEO Best Practices: On-Page SEO Checklist by OrbitMediaOn-Page SEO: Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimized Page by BacklinkoHow to Create the Perfect H1 Tag for SEO by Neil PatelComparison of UpdraftPlus free and UpdraftPremium by UpdraftPlusHow Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line by Kiss Metrics7 Experts On Why Building Your Email List Is So Important by Campaign MonitorHow Does Social Media Affect SEO? by OrbitMedia
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The post 9 Must-Have FREE Plugins for Every New WordPress Blog appeared first on WPMakeSite.com.
WordPress plugins offer different functionality and customization for every site owner. However, with more than 49,000+ plugins to choose from the WordPress Plugins Directory alone, it can be very difficult finding the best and essential to your blog.
In this article, we’ll share with you essential WordPress plugins that will help your blog perform at its best.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The 9 Essential WordPress Plugins For Your New Blog
No matter what type of website you are working on, these plugins are essential in different aspects:
Security & MaintenanceSEO OptimizationWordPress BackupsWeb Performance OptimizationBuilding Subscriber ListAnti-Spam ProtectionImage OptimizationWordPress Database OptimizationSocial Media Sharing1. WordPress Security — Wordfence
WordPress is undeniably a secure website platform, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. By installing WordPress security plugin like Wordfence, you can make sure your site is far from getting hacked.
Wordfence is a free security plugin that you can use to protect your website from hacks and malware.
Download Wordfence (FREE)
Features
WordPress FirewallWordPress Login SecuritySecurity ScanningBlocking FeaturesMonitoring FeaturesIPv6 CompatibleAlternative Plugins
iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)All In One WP Security & FirewallSucuri SecuritySEE ALSO: 17 Ways To Secure Your WordPress Website From Hackers in 2017
2. Search Engine Optimization — Yoast SEO
SEO is very important for every site owner. It can help you get a lot of traffic and improve your search engine rankings.
Google and other Search Engines use algorithms to rank your web page accordingly in Search Engines Result Page(SERP). However, these algorithms are not that perfect. They still need your assistance in order to understand the content that you have written. That’s where search engine optimization takes place.
With the use of SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, you can make sure that you are following best SEO practices.
Though, as we all know, Google and other leading search engines are emphasizing more on great content and user experience, on-site SEO still plays an important role.
Most importantly, as emphasized by Neil Patel, the use of H1 tag in this article.
Download Yoast SEO (FREE)
Features
Focus Keyword and Content AnalysisPost Titles and Meta DescriptionsRobots Meta ConfigurationReadability CheckCanonical LinkBreadcrumbsPrimary CategoryPermalink CleanupXML SitemapsRSS EnhancementsEdit robots.txt and .htaccessAlternative Plugins
All in One SEO PackSEO UltimateSEO by SQUIRRLY
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
3. WordPress Back Up — UpdraftPlus
As a website owner, you should back up your website regularly (and when necessary). This will surely save you countless hours if something bad happens to your site. Making a complete backup in WordPress will not take more than 40 minutes.
UpdraftPlus is one of the best, highest-ranking free backup plugins which we highly recommend.
It is fully functional for backing up and restoring your website or blog. However, if you need more features, than what the free version has to offer you can switch to premium here.
Here’s to help you decide better between the free and premium UpdraftPlus.
Download UpdraftPlus (FREE)
Features
UpdraftVault StorageRemote Storage OptionSecurity FeatureReport, Monitor and ScheduleRestore, Recover and MigrateWordPress Network and MultisiteAlternative Plugins
BackWPupBackupBuddy (Premium)VaultPress (with Jetpack)(Premium)4. Web Performance Optimization — W3 Total Cache
Let’s face it, nobody likes to wait. The same rules apply to your website. Nobody cares how good your site may be. If your website takes too long to load, then, surely that visitor will leave in an instant. And you don’t want that to happen, don’t you?
In fact, statistics show that 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. Here’s how KissMetrics explains that:
With the use of caching plugin like W3 Total Cache, it will help improve your website’s speed. It’s because it saves the static content of your site to the users’ computer.
Download W3 Total Cache (FREE)
Features
Caching (page, database, object, browser, fragment)Minification (HTML, CSS, JS)Database MinificationCDN supportSettings import/exportAlternative Plugins
WP Super CacheWP Fastest CacheWP Rocket(Premium)
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
5. Build Your Email List Subscriber — MailChimp for WordPress
Building your email list is important. It can help you increase repeat visitors. It can also help to promote products, send offers, made a follow-up, send updates and more.
Here’s what these experts have to say about why an email list is so important.
MailChimp for WordPress is a free plugin that you can use. All you need to do is install the plugin and connect with a MailChimp API Key.
Download MailChimp for WordPress (FREE)
Features
Sign-Up FormsSign-Up IntegrationsE-Commerce IntegrationForm StylingReports & LoggingAlternative Plugins
Email Subscribers & NewslettersThrive Leads(Premium)Bloom(Premium)6. Comment Spam Protection — Akismet
We hate SPAM! But chances are, your WordPress website could be prone to comment spam. This is normal, especially nowadays. As a website owner, you could do a lot of ways to stop this.
Say goodbye to comment spam and hello to Akismet anti-spam plugin.
Akismet is absolutely FREE of charge for personal websites and blogs of up to 50, 000 comments per month.
Download Akismet (FREE)
Features
Automatic Comments FilterComment History StatusDisplay URL in CommentModerators Can See Approved CommentsDiscard FeatureAlternative Plugins
WP-SpamShield Anti-SpamAntispam BeeShield SecuritySEE ALSO: 8 Best WordPress Anti-Spam Plugins To Keep Your Website Clean
7. Image Optimization — WP Smush
Image optimization is as important as performance optimization, it can help speed up your WordPress site or blog.
In addition, a fast website can also boost your SEO.
WP Smush plugin can be the perfect option. It’s an easy, fast, user-friendly and best-performing image compression plugin ever for WordPress.
The plugin allows you to compress JPEG, GIF and PNG images up to 32MB individually or in bulk using a dedicated server.
Download WP Smush (FREE)
Features
Use Advanced Techniques To Optimize ImageSets Maximum Width and HeightScale Large Image AutomaticallyProcess JPEG, GIF, and PNG Image FilesAsynchronously Auto-Smush FeatureSmush Standard Web-sized Images 1MB or SmallerGlobal and Individual Settings for MultisiteUse Smush API to Smush ImagesAlternative Plugins
EWWW Image OptimizerKraken Image OptimizerShortPixel Image Optimizer
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
8. WordPress Database Optimization — Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
Your posts, pages, comments, theme settings, plugin settings, etc are stored in a WordPress Database. By the time you update your website, your database will get larger which could cause bad performance of your site.
By removing unnecessary data, you can improve the efficiency of your WordPress database and make your site load a bit quicker.
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions is exactly what this plugin does.
Download Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions (FREE)
Features
Deletes Posts and Pages RevisionsDeletes Trashed Posts, Pages, and CommentsDeletes Spammed CommentsDeletes Unused TagsDeletes ‘Expired Transients’Deletes ‘Pingbacks’ and ‘Tackbacks’Deletes ‘Orphan Postmeta Items’Optimizes Database TablesSchedule Optimization FeatureMultisite compatibleAlternative Plugins
WP-OptimizeP3 (Plugin Performance Profiler)WP-DBManager9. Social Media Sharing — Social Warfare
How social sharing affect search rankings? Here’s how Orbit Media explains that:
Social Sharing shows your popularity, authority, and reliability of your content.
Social Warfare plugin can help your content be shared the way you want it. Get more shares and drive more traffic back to your website with this free plugin.
Download Social Warfare (FREE)
Features
Free Social Sharing OptionsSocial ProofPopular Posts Widget based on Social Share CountsClick to Tweet QuotesSupport Shortcodes to Manually Place Share ButtonsContent ProtectionPin All the Images FeaturePowerful Share CustomizationSocial Warfare Sharing Options, Custom Design and PlacementsSocial Authorship, Twitter Cards, Rich Pins and MoreLink Shortening, Analytics Campaign and Button-click TrackingAlternative Plugins
Share Buttons by AddToAnyAddThis Sharing ButtonsEasy Social Share Buttons by appscreo (Premium)More Helpful Resources
37 Essential WordPress Plugins You Should Know (and Install If You Haven’t Already) by WPMUDev24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites in 2017 by WPBeginner10 Surprisingly Useful WordPress Plugins Every Blog Should Use in 2017 by ShoutMeLoudBlog Plugins: Top 10 Must Have WordPress Plugins (2017) by Start Blogging OnlineList of the Best and Must Use WordPress Plugins by TipsandTricks-HQConclusion
With these free WordPress plugins installed on your blog, you will be free to focus on something more important.
Worry no more keeping your site secure, getting rid of spam comments, content sharing, keeping in touch with your readers, backing up your website, etc.
Did we miss any plugin that you think is essential too? Let us know in the comment section below.
Reference(s):
SEO Best Practices: On-Page SEO Checklist by OrbitMediaOn-Page SEO: Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimized Page by BacklinkoHow to Create the Perfect H1 Tag for SEO by Neil PatelComparison of UpdraftPlus free and UpdraftPremium by UpdraftPlusHow Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line by Kiss Metrics7 Experts On Why Building Your Email List Is So Important by Campaign MonitorHow Does Social Media Affect SEO? by OrbitMedia
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The post 9 Must-Have FREE Plugins for Every New WordPress Blog appeared first on WPMakeSite.com.
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