Useful WordPress Plugins
This is a revised list of WordPress Plugins that I shared with my class.
MUST HAVES
Akismet Anti-Spam (Part of Jetpack)
iThemes Security
Jetpack by WordPress.com
UpdraftPlus – Backup/Restore
Wordfence Security
Yoast SEO
EXTRAS
Google Site Kit
Add Categories to Pages.
Admin Menu Tree Page View
CMS Tree Page View
NextGEN Gallery
PDF Embedder (Embed Any Document)
The Events Calendar
TinyMCE Advanced]
Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
USEFUL
Broken Link Checker
Classic Editor
HTML Import 2
List category posts
Media Library Assistant
My Standard WordPress Plugins
I’ve used WordPress for nearly 10 years now and I’ve installed and uninstalled many plugins. But I found myself coming back to many of the same plugins again and again. So, I started saving these plugin packages on my hard drive. As I built a new WordPress site I would FTP the plugin files I wanted to use to the new site’s Plugins directory.
Then WordPress introduced the Favorites feature. So I “favorited” all my favorite plugins on wordpress.org and when I select Add New on the Plugins page I can select Favorites and there are all of my old friends!
Dear WordPress: Please make it easier to install a group of plugins from the Favorite screen. A little check box and an “Install All Selected” button would be great!
Here’s a link to my list. And below are a few that I think are extra special or really useful.
- Yoast SEO: If the WordPress world were a tree this would be the big banana. Best for search engine optimization.
- Admin Menu Tree Page View: I like how I can see all my pages with one click.
- Add Category to Pages: What I wish WP did out of the box.
- Compfight: Finding legally useful images is a breeze.
- Google Analyticator: WP Dashboard view of howz it goin’.
- iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security) & Wordfence Security: My personal one-two security punch.
- Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (YARPP): Because I’m lazy and I like me a little automagic every once in a while. (OK, I like automagic all the time.)
Working on a Client Site
Well, it could happen. Someone might ask you to build a site for them. That person is called a “client.” This post at WPMUDEV, “Customizing the WordPress Admin Experience for Novice Clients” talks about some cool plugins you can use on client sites. Coincidence? I think not.
BTW, many of the plugins mentioned are on my Favorites.
Funny like a heart attack: CMS Learning Curves
So true. (I am such a WordPress fanboy.)
Translation and Localization
Weird. It turns out that English isn’t the only language in the world. According to this post, “Preparing translation and localisation work for websites” at the Gather Content website, the European Union member states have a total of 24 official languages and about 10% of the U.S. age 5 and older speak Spanish.
We need to remember that the web is a big place and, whether we like it or not, we live in a time where being “international” isn’t a choice.