The Ultimate List of WordPress Plugins

One of the most convincing reasons to use WordPress is how easy it is to customize your site by selecting the specific plugins you want to use. WordPress plugins serve a variety of purposes, from creating the site to marketing it to your target audience. With so many WordPress plugins available, use this list to select the top ones for your blog or website.  

Development WordPress Plugins

If you are developing a new blog or website for your organization, you’ll absolutely need these WordPress plugins to build a reliable, personal online destination for users.

• Visual Composer: An easy-to-use drag and drop page builder for WordPress allows you to simply create your own layouts without any knowledge of code.
• CSS Hero: Customize any WordPress theme without the hassle of writing or deleting code.  
• Contact Form 7: Set up and customize multiple contact forms on your WordPress site.  

Security WordPress Plugins

Once you’ve launched a new site, you want to select the best WordPress plugins for security so you and your clients never worry about privacy issues.  

• Sucuri: This plugin provides a firewall that monitors and protects your site from DDoS, malware, XSS attacks, brute force attacks, and any other type of threat.
• UpdraftPlus: Too many businesses make the mistake of not backing up their website. With BackupBuddy, backup and restore your WordPress site with ease.  
• Defender: This plugin scours your site for any vulnerabilities and offers you solutions with a just a click of the mouse. Also, schedule scans, so you never forget to monitor your site for any potential security issues.
• iThemes Security: A multifunctional security plugin, iThemes Security strengthens users credentials, remedy common issues, and stops automated attacks.  

Marketing WordPress Plugins

You’ve built and secured your WordPress site. Now it’s time to get your name out there via marketing strategies. With these top WordPress plugins for marketing, make it simpler to execute your tactics and integrate them into your site.

• Yoast SEO: Optimize your entire site for search engines with Yoast SEO. XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs, canonical URLs, meta descriptions, titles, and more are handled with this outstanding SEO plugin.  
• All in One Schema.org Rich Snippets: Provide search engines with more thorough page summaries using this plugin. Include star ratings, images, and more with Rich Snippets.   
• Constant Contact: Email marketing is an important tactic for any company, and the Constant Contact seamlessly integrates into your WordPress site. When coupled with lead generation tools like, OptinMonster, capture site visitors who left before taking any actions.
• OptinMonster: With this plugin, grow your email marketing list by gathering data about site visitors. Remember to use with an email marketing plugin, like Constant Contact.  
• Social Warfare: Add social share buttons to any portion of your website with this straightforward plugin.
• Google Analytics +: Google Analytics measures important metrics needed to guide your marketing efforts. Connect your Google Analytics account to your website with this plugin.  

Performance Optimization WordPress Plugins

Not only is it imperative to have a well-developed website, but you also need one that functions optimally.

• W3 Total Cache: Increase website performance by reducing download times with this powerful plugin.
• MaxCDN: To ensure images and other static files load quickly on your site, you’ll need a content delivery network, such as MaxCDN.  Without a CDN, images and static files take much longer to load and cause users to navigate away from your site.
• Hummingbird: Use this plugin to scan your site to find trouble spots where file compression, minification, browser caching, Cloudflare integration, and performance monitoring can improve page speed. With a few clicks, optimize speed, so visitors stay engaged whenever they navigate to your site.

Miscellaneous WordPress Plugins

If there are other components of your business that require additional website setup, the following WordPress plugins can make the process much less time-consuming.  

• BirchPress: Users can book and pay for appointments through your website using this plugin.
• LearnDash: Create and sell online courses that include lessons, quizzes, and assignments for students with LearnDash.
• WooCommerce: Customize your digital storefront so shoppers can purchase from your business at any time.  

Keep in mind that this list of WordPress plugins just covers the essentials. Depending on your business goals, other plugins might be necessary. Not sure which plugins you’ve already installed on your site or what additional ones you might benefit from downloading? Contact Proactive WP to discuss your options.