Every WordPress site is different. Every client I speak with has different needs for his site. But, there is a basic set of plugins all WordPress sites should be kitted with from the beginning.
I probably shouldn’t share this list of plugins. It will help my lesser competitors but, hey, I’m here to help you as well as make money and I hope my competitors will at least backlink to me in gratitude for my help (few ever do – web developers tend to be ignorant, unfriendly and unreliable people. I’m glad me and my team are different).
So, to give your site a head start on its competition — and it needs one, most sites are older — here’s a top list of default WordPress plugins all sites need from the get-go.
Basic WordPress Plugins
These plugins boost security, the post editor, social sharing, statistics, speed and SEO. They are the basic plugins needed to make WordPress really work.
No set of plugins will replace good, engaging content, a sleek and sexy WordPress theme and white hat SEO practices to get a site the hundreds of thousands of visitors it deserves but these will put you on the right track. Install them through Dashboard > Plugins > Add New.
- TinyMCE Advanced
- Better WordPress Security
- WordPress File Monitor Plus
- Bulletproof Security
- Firewall 2
- SEO Ultimate
- BWP Google XML Sitemaps
- cbnet Ping Optimizer (download the zip file)
- Jetpack or StatPress Visitors (for stats)
- Google Analyticator (for stats)
- Quick Cache (for page load speed)
- Disqus or LiveFyre (for comments)
- Sociable (for social sharing)
- FD Feedburner
- Table of Contents Plus (on page content index)
- WP jQuery CDN
All the plugins listed above are free from the WordPress repository (and GitHub in the case of cbnet Ping Optimizer). As a WordPress developer I have premium plugins and themes so when you like premium themes or plugins, ask me to install them for you. It’ll cost you less.
The jQuery script that comes with WordPress Jetpack prevents some sliders and gallery applications from working. If this happens to you, swap it for the non official one.
WP jQuery CDN lets you change the default jQuery loaded by WordPress (if to load it at all) but it doesn’t stop or change Jetpack’s jQuery loading or the jQuery provided other plugins and your theme.
FD Feedburner is only needed when your theme doesn’t provide an option to use an RSS feed other than the one provided by WordPress.
Don’t think I’ve given all my knowledge away. When I build sites for clients, I use experience and expertise to choose and expertly install the right plugins for a site’s needs. You’ll have to torture me, pester me or pay me to learn which ones they are. I like torture and money so both together will get you an answer quicker ;)
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A good number of plugins are available but WordPress runs faster with fewer plugins. So you better install a plugin intended for what your website needs.
True enough.