WordPress came out in 2003 and is currently considered one of the largest publishing systems in the world. 

Focused on accessibility, performance and security, it is constantly developing over time to offer a unique user experience.

This created the need to include new features, which was possible thanks to the inclusion of WordPress plugins. 

In this article, you will learn about some of the main plugins to use in your blog. But first, learn about their importance!

Understand the importance of using WordPress plugins

Why use WordPress plugins? This question is usually asked by website and blog creators on this platform.

We could summarize the answer as: Without them, your pages won’t offer a fully satisfying user experience, in addition to having gaps that can hurt you up ahead.

With the right plugins, you can use improved features, not only increasing your blog’s security, but also making it more functional and optimized.

This affects your ranking in search engines such as Google, in addition to ensuring that your pages don’t become obsolete, stay functional and have the proper visibility.

Learn about the 13 must-know WordPress plugins

You don’t know which WordPress plugins you should choose? Check out the list below and learn about the main options!

1. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is considered one of the main WordPress plugins when it comes to SEO. The purpose of the tool is to help you optimize your article for search engines.

In fact, it’s worth emphasizing that this plugin is hosting original, being in operation since mid-2008.

There are two versions available: the free and premium versions. The difference between them is that the latter offers insights, multi-focus keyword optimization, in addition to link suggestions.

However, even the free option has a series of features, among which are the SEO analysis and text preview of the search engine page.

2. MailChimp for WordPress

MailChimp is considered one of the largest email marketing services. It’s a tool that helps build customer loyalty on your website.

With this WordPress plugin, you can create personalized email lists. To do so, just optimize the page registration features.

The plugin allows the configuration of registration forms in newsletters. This way, you can insert banners anywhere you wish on your website.

There’s also the option of adding such forms in the comments or checkout pages, thus increasing the chances of conversion.

3. Simple Photo Gallery

As the name suggests, Simple Photo Gallery is an easily integrated plugin that allows you to insert photo galleries on a WordPress website. The idea is to create more harmonic visual effects for pages.

For example, if your page’s theme doesn’t render your photos correctly, the plugin makes this happen in a simple manner. In addition, you can rely on features to adapt the images to your requirements.

4. Cloudflare

A website’s security is serious business, especially when it involves personal and confidential data not only of the company, but also of its users.

Therefore, if your page needs a more robust security system, the recommended WordPress plugin is Cloudflare.

WordPress dominates a large part of the websites currently created on the web; therefore, it’s no wonder that it has a few vulnerabilities.

So, if you’re looking for a way to speed up and promote your website’s security, Cloudflare is a good solution. In addition to preventing DDoS attacks, it helps promote the SEO, as well as speed up the page’s load time.

5. Jetpack

Jetpack is a multi-utility tool. Your website won’t always support so many plugins; therefore, having a single plugin with various features is a way of optimizing your page’s loading for your reader.

This tool works as a multifunctional kit, which includes design, statistics monitoring, social media sharing and even preventing cyber attacks. Its interesting aspect is that all features are offered for free.

6. Akismet

Have you seen those spamming comments, which in addition to disrupting your brand’s images, also hinder your page’s loading? They will no longer be a problem when you install the WordPress plugin called Akismet.

It basically performs data analysis. To do so, it compares comments and the sending of forms with a global spam database, preventing your website from publishing malicious content and facilitating its management.

7. Contact Form 7

Contact forms are a feature that have to be present in every website. After all, it’s through them that visitors can contact you. Contact Form 7 is one of the most popular and downloaded WordPress plugins.

Among its main features is the possibility of attaching files, fill in the boxes and features such as Captcha and Akismet itself, thus preventing spam contacts.

8. Google XML Sitemaps

Google is currently the main search engine. Being well positioned on it is the chance to be recognized by the market and get more hits, as well as conversions to your website.

The interesting thing about installing the Google XML Sitemaps plugin  is that it’s a type of report — sitemap —, which is updated and sent to search engines automatically. This way, Google for example, doesn’t have to guess when you index a new page to your website.

9. Responsive Select Menu

The responsiveness of a website is crucial for browsing, especially in mobile devices. With the Responsive Select Menu plugin, it’s possible to present the navigation menu in an organized manner for smartphones and tablets for example, turning the menu bar into a selection box.

Keep in mind that this not only facilitates browsing the website on any device, as well as helps improve users’ experience, increasing the chances that they’ll spend more time browsing your pages.

10. Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights

Still focusing on Google products, we have the Google Analytics plugin. Basically, it allows the analysis of all website traffic with a few clicks. This will allow you to make decisions based on concrete data, making them more effective.

In the case of the product offered by MonsterInsights, the plugin also makes advanced analysis of different information on the website, such as hits, file downloads, among others.

11. Redirection

Another WordPress plugin in which it might be interesting to invest. Redirection means assigning to a new or different place or purpose — and this is basically what the tool does.

It manages 301 directions, but also 404 and others, fixing any part of your website that might have a broken link.

Thus, there’s a direct contribution in reducing errors, improving your website’s ranking. It must be emphasized that, in addition to being free, this plugin serves for websites that have thousands of redirections, i.e., it’s the ideal choice for your pages.

12. VaultPress

Every good website has to have a backup, so that the information contained in it cannot get lost. In addition to being present outside the website, its storage must have maximum security, which is offered by the VaultPress plugin.

To do so, it makes daily backups of the website, ranging from comments, media to form panels, and stores them on servers. Additionally, it will protect your website from malware attacks and possible damage that may jeopardize your pages.

13. YouTube Embed Plugin

Videos can increase a brand’s reach by 54%, according to OptinMonster. Accordingly, when your website has the YouTube Embed Plugin, the chances that it’ll appear in the top search results increase considerably.

With this new tool, you can create channel galleries — or even playlists —, and also make live streams, customizing them any way you want.

It’s an option to make your pages more interactive and also add value when they are presented to search engines.

Invest in WordPress plugins

WordPress includes thousands of plugin options so you can index your website. However, you need to carefully choose the options so that the pages don’t become sluggish and take too long to appear for users.

Our tip is to always consider not only your page’s needs, but also the experience of users you wish to reach.

Thus, it’s important to know what the current and future goals of the website are in order to select the best WordPress plugins and optimize your page as best as possible. 

Also, in terms of strategy, every good website currently includes inbound marketing on their plans. If you want your brand to have a greater impact on the market, take your time to consider this option. Would you like to learn more? Check out our tips on inbound marketing strategies!