15+ Best Must Have WordPress Plugins for 2011
Having written couple of tutorials on various useful wordpress plugins, it’s time to list down the best & the must have wordpress plugins that we too adore and use religiously. Without these wordpress plugins, a wordpress website is almost lifeless and incapable of getting anywhere.
The below list of these must have wordpress plugins is categorized on basis of areas of application.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is extremely important for your website to get anywhere in search engine rankings even before it gets indexed. You might like to read What is Search Engine Optimization? Does my Website Really Need it? first and then use the All in One SEO Pack, SEO Friendly Images and SEO Slugs Plugins. Refer these plugins’ articles below:
- All in One SEO Pack WordPress Plugin Tutorial
- Best SEO Image Optimization Tool – SEO Friendly Images?
- Is SEO Slugs the Best WordPress SEO Tool for Title Slug Optimization?
Search Engine Indexing
It’s very obvious that if you don’t get indexed, you can just as well label your website “private property”. Use the XML Sitemap Generator Plugin, the Dagon Design HTML Sitemap Generator Plugin and the cbnet Ping Optimizer Plugin:
- Best Free XML Sitemap Creator
- Best HTML Sitemap Generator Plugin for WordPress
- PING Optimizer for Your Blog Ping List
Speed Improvement – Caching
You should use W3 Total Cache. Read here: W3 Total Cache – Best WordPress Cache Plugin Ever.
Backup & Maintenance
Without a database backup, you risk losing your website and all the precious data that it might have built up over months and years. Also, if you don’t maintain a website properly, it’ll have many broken links which would increase exponentially over time. Use WP-DBManager & Broken Link Checker Plugins.
Monetization
Everyone likes to make money. Use the WP125 and RSS Footer Plugins to start monetizing your website.
Customer Relationship Building
Without suitable networking and linking and bonding to your online community, you can’t hope to get too far in terms of gaining traffic to your website. Enhance your email capabilities and provide a suitable contact form to allow people to contact you when they wish to. Use Mail From & the Contact Form 7 Plugins.
Website Branding
Start branding your website since it gives your website a unique identity and since most people like to form associations with brand rather than with generic websites. Use Fluency Admin Plugin or Custom Login Code.
Social Media Networking
To get more traffic to your website, you should leverage the power of advanced social media networking providers: Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious etc. Use their widgets and plugins to spread the word for your articles. You can use Simple Social, Sexy Bookmarks & DiggDigg Plugins. Also use the special “Like” Button/Box from Facebook and Widget from Twitter separately on your website.
Powered by these over 15 best must have wordpress plugins for 2011, your website can accelerate to a whole new dimension.
Reader Comments
Hi Sunil,
You have a wonderful blog. But can you please tell me what are the plugins you have used in this blog for showing the social bookmarks and like buttons. If you have customized it, can you help me with how to customize plugins like diggdigg so that it exactly looks like one in your site. Also if you could let us know about the email subscription plugin you have used in this site.
Again your site looks awesome. And thank you so much for your help.
Thanks & Regards,
Souvik
Posted by Souvik Bose on Jul 7, 2011 | Thu | 18:30 IST
Sorry for attending your comment late Souvik. I have been busy with other things meanwhile. You may like to chat with me @ 98108 71574.
Posted by Sunil Sheoran on Jul 26, 2011 | Tue | 18:10 IST
Great plugin tips. Thanks.
Posted by Galax on Oct 24, 2011 | Mon | 21:51 IST