Must-Have WordPress Plugins for Starters

 

WordPress plugins are small software programs that add specific functionality to a WordPress website. They can be considered add-ons or extensions easily installed and activated on a WordPress website to extend its functionality.

Plugins are written in the PHP programming language and interact with the WordPress software to add various features, such as forms, contact pages, galleries, and more. They can also improve the websites’ performance, security and SEO.

WordPress plugins can be easily installed and managed through the WordPress plugin repository, a built-in feature of the WordPress platform. You can install them manually by uploading them to your server via FTP. There are thousands of free and paid WordPress plugins available, and they can be searched and filtered by keyword, popularity, and rating.

There are many WordPress plugins available, and the specific “must-have” plugins will depend on the needs of your particular website. However, here are some popular WordPress plugins that many users find helpful:

1. Yoast SEO: This plugin helps optimize your website for search engines with features such as keyword optimization, meta tag creation, and XML sitemap generation.
2. Akismet Anti-Spam: This plugin helps protect your website from spam comments by checking comments against a global spam database.
3. WPForms: This plugin allows you to easily create forms on your website, such as contact forms, survey forms, and more.
4. W3 Total Cache: This plugin helps speed up your website by caching pages, posts, and other data, reducing the time required to load your website.
5. BackupBuddy: This plugin allows you to easily create backups of your website, which can be helpful if your website is hacked or experiences other issues.
6. Advanced Custom Fields: This plugin allows you to easily add custom fields to your website’s posts, pages, and other content types.
7. Gravity Forms: This plugin allows you to easily create forms on your website, such as contact forms, survey forms, and more.
8. WP Smush: This plugin allows you to optimize your images, reducing their file size without losing quality, which can help speed up your website.
9. All in One SEO Pack: This plugin helps optimize your website for search engines with features such as keyword optimization, meta tag creation, and XML sitemap generation.
10. Contact Form 7: This plugin allows you to easily create contact forms on your website, allowing visitors to get in touch with you.

This list is not exhaustive, and you should research and test them before using them on your website; also, it’s worth noting that it’s essential to keep your plugins updated to ensure they are compatible with the latest version of WordPress and to receive security updates. Installing too many plugins can also slow down your website and cause conflicts, so only use the necessary plugins.