Plugins are vital to a WordPress website. Plugins add functionality, which is not standard in WordPress. Especially when it is not easy to code this functionality yourself, plugins are a godsend. Over the years I have used many plugins around. Some of them suit me so well I install them on every WordPress site that I manage.
That is why I wrote my personal top 10 of WordPress plugins!
Imagify
Everyone should install this plugin right after activating WordPress! Imagify makes sure your images are optimized the moment you upload them to the media library. Automatically! The free plan gives you 25 mB each month.
When you install Imagify, any images you upload after install will be optimized instantly. That saves you a lot of trouble. You can download and install it later and still optimize the images in your media library.
Autoptimize
Autoptimize is a plugin that allows you to optimize CSS, Javascript and HTML. CSS and Javascript files are merged into one large CSS and Javascript file. This reduces the number of HTTP requests significantly. Your website will load much faster.
Autoptimize is easy to set up. You may have to play around with the advanced options to get the optimum settings. Some CSS or JavaScript files don’t like to be merged. If your website doesn’t look or function correctly after optimizing, you will have to exclude some files from being optimized.
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
I like to keep the database as clean as possible. That is why I always install the plugin Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions! After setting it up correctly, you can make sure the database will be as clean and optimized as you want it to be. You can start it manually, but also clean the database periodically and fully automatically.
Easy Social Share Buttons
After a long search (and finally paying for it) I discovered this plugin for social sharing. The possibilities are too many to mention here. Just try the social share on this site. The plugin provides very little additional load, which is obviously important. A very useful option is Click-to-tweet! If you want, you can keep track of statistics.
Google XML Sitemaps
This plugin creates a sitemap, you can submit to Google and Bing. You define which content should be included in the sitemap, the rate of change sets and the priority. After that it goes all by itself!
Contact Form 7
Contact Form 7 doesn’t need any introduction. One of the most used form plugins. Easy to use and versatile. For me, no other!
BackWPup
I have used BackWPup for just a few months now, but it became my favorite backup-plugin quickly. It is set up very easily with as many different backup tasks as you want. The backups will be put in a folder on the web server, or sent to a cloud service like Dropbox. I use Dropbox, which is synchronized with my home computer. Works like a charm! I don’t mind that this plugin doesn’t have a restore functionality. The need for a complete restore will not be that often. More likely it will be used for partial restores, like when you messed up functions.php….
Crayon Syntax Highlighter
This plugin is still pretty new to me, but already a favorite. Ideal to show code on the website and have visitors copy the code.
Shield
After trying all kinds of security plug-ins, this is the one that stayed. Especially because the settings are clear and uncluttered. With other plugins, I ran into problems with functionality, such as the comments. With Shield I have no problems and I believe adequate protection!
Yuzo – Related Posts
Showing related posts at the bottom of your posts is always a good thing. You invite your visitors te read more posts, and it is good for SEO. Yuzo has a lot of options. The developer claims to have made the lightest related posts plugin! I have no reason to doubt that.
Do you have favorite plugins? Please share them in the comments section!
