Having a successful website isn’t all about the written content put on it. There are many behind-the-scene plugins that are essential for any new website owner. These help to create a seamless experience for users, while ensuring the safety of the overall site. Let’s take a look at the most vital plugins every website owner should be installing.
BackupBuddy
This should be the first plugin installed on any site. As a website owner adds content to their site, it’s important to have a backup copy in case something goes wrong. BackupBuddy allows website owners to schedule automatic backups of their website that get stored on the cloud. Make sure this plugin gets priority at the set up of any new website. It’s stressful enough when a website gets hacked, but when there is no backup things can be tragic.
Sucuri
This software works to monitor the security of a website. It provides website scans, real time alerts, and malware removal. Sucuri is an essential tool for any website owner to know exactly what is going on with the security of their website at any given time.
Login Lockdown
Along the same lines of keeping a website secure, Login Lockdown is another essential plugin. This plugin limits the number of incorrect login attempts for the WordPress dashboard. Hackers try to get into the WordPress dashboard of a site by using an automated software that inserts random passwords from a long list the hacker generated. By having this plugin installed, the hacker will be locked out of the login form after a specified number of incorrect attempts.
W3 Total Cache
Site speed is an imperative factor in not only ranking in the search engine results of Google but also for retaining users on a particular website. If a website runs too slow, users typically don’t have the patience to wait and will go to another site. With W3 Total Cache a website can have optimized performance and speed allowing for easier browser caching, quicker downloading from compressed pages, and allowing for a content delivery network for static site files.
SEO Yoast
This plugin allows for a website owner to set specific titles, web addresses, and meta descriptions for both pages and posts. This will allow the website to show up on search engines with the exact description the website owner desires. SEO Yoast also provides and sends a sitemap of the website to Google for indexing purposes.
Floating Social Bar
When one makes a website they’re looking to gain as many visitors as possible. It’s no surprise that social media is going to be one of the fastest ways to get a large following. In order to get more visitors from social media, it’s a good idea to have familiar social media icons users can quickly click to share or like a certain page on the website.
There are countless social media sharing plugins available. However, Floating Social Bar has proven to be the best. This plugin allows the website owner to add a select number of social networks into a floating bar that follows the user on the page. This plugin is highly optimized to ensure there is no decrease in the loading speed of the website.
Google Analytics
Keeping track of user information is essential for any website owner. This information reveals so much about the number of users, their gender and age, the pages users are entering from the most, and so many other essential facts. A website owner can use this information to craft new content for their audience, work on converting pages that are losing visitors, and much more. This plugin allows for the website owner to connect their Google Analytics account with the website to receive this essential information.
Akismet
This plugin is typically already installed on many WordPress sites. It works to filter out spam from genuine user comments on the website. The website owner has full control to review all comments that Akismet marked as spam and can moderate the comments at their own discretion.
Disable Comments
Sometimes a website owner will create pages or posts where they would rather not have any room for commenting from users. For example, on an About Us or Company Address page there isn’t any need for comments from website visitors. This plugin will allow the administrator to turn off comments on individual pages or posts. In addition, if the website is not geared toward user interaction, the website owner can use this plugin to disable comments on all pages and posts of their website.
Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
Increasing the amount of time users spend on a website will not only allow them to learn more about the website but also make Google look more favorably on the site. This can be tough to do, especially with a new site as the owner is still honing their abilities to engage readers. Using the Yet Another Related Posts Plugin or YARPP will typically increase a user’s time on-site. This plugin works by displaying thumbnails of related pages on the website under each page of content. This allows users to gain more information about the subject while staying engaged on the same site.
Above are ten of the most essential plugins that any website owner should install on their site. These will ensure the proper security, functioning, and user engagement of the site. There are many other plugins on the market that website owners can install as they continue to expand their sites, however, these ten should be installed from the time one makes a website.
