If you’ve heard about the WordPress content management system, you’ve probably heard about WordPress plugins. And you might be thinking to yourself, “What on earth are plugins and why do I need them?”
WORDPRESS PLUGINS?
The WordPress codex describes plugins simply as the following:
Plugins are ways to extend and add to the functionality that already exists in WordPress.
WordPress was designed to be lightweight, while plugins would offer custom functions and features specific to each website’s needs. Users can install these plugins through their WordPress admin panel and often this is a one-click install, requiring little customisation. Basically plug it in to your website and you’re good to go – apologies for the pun.
These plugins can perform a range of functions such as contact forms, slideshows, galleries, social media features, anti spam, security, SEO tools and more.
HOW MUCH ARE THESE PLUGINS GOING TO COST ME?
A majority of plugins are free, but some do offer a paid version of their plugin that has more features and support. Often the free version will meet most user’s requirements, but you may find that you need a certain feature that is only available in the paid version.
SO WHAT PLUGINS DO I NEED?
Every website will have different requirements and needs, so different plugins will be required. Some websites may want to display a gallery of the latest home they’ve renovated and some may want to take online bookings for their cleaning service. It all depends on the user’s needs what plugins are used.
Below are some of the plugins Digital Meal recommends and uses in its own websites:
CONTACT FORM 7
Contact Form 7 is a free plugin that allows you to create your own contact forms and add them to any post, page or widget on your WordPress website. The forms are simple to create and all the usual form elements are available, such as text areas and check boxes. Contact Form 7 also ties into Google Recaptcha, which adds a captcha feature to deter bogus enquiries from bots and spammers.
Plugin Link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/
Cost: Free
METASLIDER
Slideshows are a great way to grab a visitor’s attention and can be used to show off your companies new products, specials, completed projects, awards and more.
Metaslider is the most popular WordPress slideshow plugin, allowing you to create slideshows easily and add them to your website. Metaslider has 4 different slider types to choose from, a range of transition effects, intelligent image cropping and works responsively on all devices such as mobiles and tablets.
Slideshows are a powerful marketing tool that captivate a visitor’s attention. Is your website utilising one?
Plugin Link: https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/ml-slider/Â
Cost: Free (Premium paid version available)
WP SMUSH
Everyone loves visiting websites that utilise beautiful images to promote their business. Whether its a pristine lake in the mountains or a stunning 3 storey mansion, these images usually have a few things in common – they’re large files, they probably haven’t been optimised and they’re slowing the website down.
WP Smush is an image optimisation plugin that resizes and optimises images you upload via your WordPress admin panel. It utilises image compression techniques to reduce the size of images while keeping the clarity, cutting down the affect these images have on website page load. The faster your site loads, the more Google and other search engines will like it.
Remember, everyone loves beautiful images – but no one likes a slow website.
Plugin Link: https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/
Cost: Free (Premium paid version available)
WORDFENCE SECURITY
Security is an important feature in any business today and even more so when it comes to websites. Visitors want to know their information is safe and secure while using your website and not being leaked to prying eyes.
Wordfence is a security plugin for WordPress that protects your website from potential hackers. It allows you to monitor live traffic to your website and alerts you if a hacker is trying to access your website, such as multiple attempted logins to your WordPress admin panel using an incorrect password or username.
Plugin Link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordfence/
Cost: Free (Premium paid version available)
YOAST SEO
SEO is fast becoming one of the most important parts of a website. A strong SEO strategy will generate you more business and place you ahead of the competition.
Yoast SEO allows you to add information important to SEO to your website pages such as meta descriptions and titles. The plugin also gives you an analysis of each page, telling you which areas of your content can be improved to help target your “focus keyword”. Yoast SEO also provides an easy XML sitemap, which is great for search engines trying to quickly index your website.
Plugin Link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/
Cost: Free (Premium paid version available)
There you have it! 5 WordPress plugins that perform different functions but will help make your site a cut above the rest.
