WordPress Plugins
Plugin choices will be driven by what you plan to do with your site. With that in mind, I think every site – regardless of its function – may benefit from these:
01. All in One SEO (opens in new tab)
All in One SEO Pack is a WordPress SEO plugin to automatically optimize your WordPress blog for Search Engines such as Google.
02. Custom Content Shortcode (opens in new tab)
Display posts, pages, custom post types, fields, images, attachments, comments, files, menus, widget areas.
03. Jetpack by WordPress.com (opens in new tab)
Jetpack adds powerful features previously only available to WordPress.com users including customization, traffic, mobile, content, and performance tools.
04. Ninja Forms (opens in new tab)
Forms created with a simple drag and drop interface. Contact forms, Email collection forms, or any other form you want on your WordPress site.
05. Simple Follow Me Social Buttons Widget (opens in new tab)
Add follow me social buttons. Uses font icons, ready for Retina Display.
06. Simple Lightbox (opens in new tab)
Simple Lightbox is a very simple and customizable lightbox that is easy to add to your WordPress website.
07. Duplicator (opens in new tab)
Duplicate, clone, backup, move and transfer an entire site from one location to another.
08. Groups (opens in new tab)
Groups is an efficient and powerful solution, providing group-based user membership management, group-based capabilities and content access control.
09. Login-Logout (opens in new tab)
Widget with login, logout, admin and register links. Replacement of the default Meta widget.
10. MailChimp Forms by MailMunch (opens in new tab)
The #1 MailChimp plugin to get more email subscribers. Easily add MailChimp sign-up forms as popup, embedded widget or sticky top bar.
11. Users Ultra (opens in new tab)
Users Ultra is the ideal plugin for creating advanced user communities and networks in a few minutes. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Google.
Conclusion
These recommendations are just that – recommendations. They're not meant to be the definitive guide to creating a website. They're simply a list of resources I wish I had when I was working on justwritecode.net (opens in new tab) and roundaboutfm.com (opens in new tab). With any luck, this post will save you a little time – and money.
As a bonus for reading this post until the end - you did do that, right? - here's a tip on where to find some awesome images for your site: Pixabay (opens in new tab).
Words: Tammy Coron
Tammy Coron is an iOS developer, backend developer, web developer, writer, and illustrator. She blogs at Just Write Code. (opens in new tab) Why not download her game, Crow's Quest (opens in new tab) – it's free!
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