Essential Plugins for New Bloggers

Whether you are starting a brand new blog or trying to optimize an already existing site, you’ll want to explore some WordPress plugins that will help your site go from good to great. You may have heard that content is king, but making sure you have the best tools to make sure your content converts, is seen, and looks great will be made entirely possible by the best WordPress plugins! Try out these 7 best WordPress plugins for bloggers as you amp up your site!

Yoast SEO

When it comes to SEO (search engine optimization), you’ll hear a lot of bloggers say they want to be green! They’re referring to the dots on the Yoast plugin to indicate both readability and SEO are “good”. Most bloggers will get by just fine with Yoast’s free version of their popular plugin. Here are some fantastic features that come ready to go with Yoast SEO free.

One keyword or phrase

Let Google know just what your page is about

manual checks of page updates

Google page previews

Readability check with Flesch Reading Ease score

Ability to set primary category

No duplicate content

Works with block and classic editor

Updated for Google’s algorithm

Google Analytics

It’s no secret that Google runs the world! Make sure to install a Google Analytics plugin to make sure all Google insights are tracked properly on your blog. After installing your Google Analytics tracking code, using a WordPress plugin like this one by Exact Metrics will help you see real-time data right from your blog! Track custom events, see what posts and pages your users are spending time on, and key demographic information about your readers. If you work with a marketer or other brands, they often want to see your Google Analytics reports. Make it easy with a Google Analytics WordPress plugin.

Akismet Anti-Spam

Before I started using Akismet, the amount of spam comments promoting services or just trying to hack my site were ridiculous! I had to rely on reading through and moderating comments before approving them. Akismet catches almost all “spammy” comments and shows URLs, so it’s easy to see if seemingly relevant comments actually contain links that you don’t want to click on or share with your users. Akismet is simple to install through WordPress, and it’s completely free!

Pretty Links

If you use any affiliate links on your blog, you’re going to want to install the Pretty Links plugin. Applicable for most affiliate links, Pretty Links is a plugin for WordPress that will allow you to create redirect links from any site that attributed to your blog’s domain. You’ll get control over what your links say and where they go. Pretty Links has a small cost involved, but it’s definitely worth it. No longer will your readers be following random letter and number affiliate links. Something like https://www.affilatesite.com/ref=skdgskdlfjldsfjkls&8 becomes https://yoursite.com/product. It couldn’t be easier or prettier!

Elementor Page Builder

Elementor is a drag and drop page builder that doesn’t require complex knowledge of web design and coding. Whether you are using the Classic Editor or Gutenberg, Elementor allows for live design, easy mobile editing, and more than 100+ templates. Here are some awesome designer benefits to Elementor!

Box Shadows

Background Overlays

Hover Effects

Headline Effects

Animations

Shape Dividers

Gradient Backgrounds and much more

One of my favorite things about using Elementor is that the templates and block designs look like a professional did it. There’s no need to hire a fancy web designer when you have this WordPress plugin!

Wordfence Security

Think of Wordfence as your firewall to protect from hackers and malware. Every day, my Wordfence discovers someone trying to break down my wall! However, this steadfast security system alerts me, and keeps hackers away. Another thing I love about Wordfence is that it alerts me of any problems that could diminish security on the site. If I need to update a plugin, Wordfence sends me an alert, for example. I wouldn’t run my site without Wordfence!

Mailchimp for WordPress

If you are getting started with Mailchimp, you’ll want to make sure to have a WordPress plugin to make sure you have everything you need in place to optimize your email service provider. This plugin will allow you to easily integrate your Mailchimp account, sign-up forms, and other applicable services that align with Mailchimp. If you’re ready to dive into email marketing, don’t forget to check out our course to become an email marketing pro! When building your WordPress blog, don't forget these must-have plugins to make sure you are best reaching your target audience! What are your favorite WordPress plugins?