I love plugins because they add so much to our blogs in so many ways. There are so many to choose from, some are essential and some are just plain fun.
The following are my top ten at the moment, the ten that I would not get rid of I could only have ten. Thankfully we can have many more than that!
Always remember to install each new plug-in one at a time and test it out to see how it works with your theme and how it affects all aspects of your blog including the effectiveness of other plug-ins. You will also need to regularly check your plug-in list and delete the ones that you don’t use anymore because a lot of plug-ins will make your site run slower (though luckily there is a plug-in for that!)
10 Must Have Plugins for Your Blog
Broken Link Checker: This plugin checks your blog for broken links which can lower your SEO ratings.
CommentLuv: Thank your readers by showcasing their most recent post under their comment!
Do Follow: Give back links to those who leave you comments. WordPress blogs are automatically set to No Follow without this plugin.
Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin: The best anti-spam plugin around! Your readers don’t have to deal with the captcha (a lot of people won’t comment on a blog if it has captcha) nor will legit comments be thrown in the spam folder as with Akismet.
Login LockDown: This plugin will block an IP address for an hour after 3 failed login attempts. This will help to deter hackers.
Smart Sharing: Make it easy for others to syndicate (share on social media) your content. The share buttons are visible at all times on your posts and you can choose which buttons you want.
Thank Me Later: Send a thank you email to all first time commenters. It’s highly customizable so you can say and link to whatever you want.
Tweet Old Post: Have random blog posts tweeted at any interval of your choosing. I’ve gotten quite a few comments this way.
W3 Total Cache: Optimize the speed and user experience of your blog easily with this plugin.
WordPress Database Backup: Receive a backup of your blog daily via email!
To your success,
Hi Stacy! DoFollow for life lol! I also love CommentLuv it really does get your blog noticed : )
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Karla, thanks for your comment! Isn’t it crazy that we need a plugin for DoFollow?
[Reply]
Stacy,
You have a very nice, clean, and active blog. I will use some of the plug in’s that you are requesting. Thanks so much
Rob
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Thank you, Rob. I hope that I’ve helped you to find some plugins that help you out!
[Reply]
I love plugins too and have a list of my favorites as well. Thanks for listing the “Thank Me Later” plugin. I wasn’t sure what that one was called, but I want to start using it
.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Leanne,
Thank Me Later is a great plugin! If you know some basic html you can really have a lot of fun with it!
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi Stacy,
great list. Plugins are really cool because they make blogging so much easier, for the author and the visitors. Of course, we need to handle them with care because they might affect our blog’s performance or even crash it.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Hi Oliver,
Great point about handling the plugins with care. I have found that installing one at a time is helpful because if one causes issues at least I know which one is the problem!
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi Stacy,
Nice to have a list of plugins that you recommend. With so many to choose from, it is good to know which ones are favored by other bloggers.
I have not heard of the Login Lockdown but it certainly makes a lot of sense to have it installed to be more secure.
Thanks for sharing.
Nelly
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Hi Nelly,
I too love hearing what plugins other bloggers enjoy. That is how I have found a number of the ones that I have listed!
Stacy
[Reply]
This is brilliant Stacy. I’m going for Growmap now! Some of these I already have. I like to contact later one too.
Marty invites you to read… What about envy and emotion
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Marty,
You’ll have to let me know how you like the GASP plugin. I love it, I hardly ever get any spam comments anymore!
Stacy
[Reply]
[...] A great post from Stacy here from anyone running a WordPress blog. Good tips here for plugins. Click here [...]
Thanks for sharing your list of fave plugins. I just switched over to wordpress and this post helped me to know what to use. I was so lost with all this plugin stuff.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Tisha,
I’m glad that I can help. I know how overwhelming it can be in the beginning! I have an older post with some other plugins that I like, check my Blog Tips page for that!
Stacy
[Reply]
Stacy, thank you so much for sharing this list.
I am looking to change from Blogger to WordPress and will be revisiting this post again in order to use these plugins.
Blessings
Carole in the UK invites you to read… What I Need To Keep Order In My Day
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Hi Carole,
Thanks for stopping by! I have another list of plugins that I posted last year, it’s in my Blogging Tips page.
Stacy
[Reply]
uploaded several of those. Thanks so much. I’m really learning a lot today from you!
michelle invites you to read… Survivor-You get the lion baby
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
March 4th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
You can also check my blogging tips page, though I do need to add some more stuff to it there is still a lot of great info there as is!
[Reply]
[...] Grow with Stacy recommended the BEST plug in for spam. So good, in fact, that I have not gotten one, NOT ONE, [...]
Stacy, I installed the WordPress Backup plugin, but my husband didn’t seem satisfied with the file that was stored on our hard-drive. Is it only an SQL database file and is that normal? Does it truly backup the entire blog so if my site crashes, I can go to the SQL file and reload everything into FTP client? As a precaution, my husband copied all of my FTP files and we stored all on the computer and then I backed those up using a separate drive. But it took awhile to copy all of the FTP files. Thanks for any feedback!
[Reply]
First time commenting on your site. Can’t wait to see your email!!!
Seriously, these are excellent suggestions. I’m working on revamping our blog section and these will be some great starting points.
Bryce Christiansen invites you to read… 10 Online Productivity Tools to Make Life Easier
[Reply]
Hi there Stacy! Thanks a lot for sharing these tips! I’m going to look for some of the plugins!
Andrew Walker invites you to read… New York Bar Store Coupon Code
[Reply]
i love your blog..nice and wide and very friendly
Tanisha invites you to read… Mike Dillard The Elevation Group
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
December 12th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Thank you, it’s very nice to have you here, Tanisha!
[Reply]
Stacy-
I love plugins too. I use some of the ones you have listed. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on any RSS Feed plugins? Please let me know if you do.
thanks
sean
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
February 21st, 2012 at 5:05 pm
Hi Sean,
I’m not currently using any RSS feed plugins. What are you looking for?
Stacy
[Reply]
Thanks for the DO Follow plug-in recommendation. Installing it now.
Lisa invites you to read… How Blogging Has Saved Me Money
[Reply]