10 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Bloggers
When moving your blog over to WordPress, there are so many things you can do to tweak your blog. Out of the box, WordPress is great! But by adding some plugins, you can make it even better.
When friends come over to WordPress, they always ask me, “What Plugins should I install?”. In a sea of plugins, you could get lost. I always start them off my ten must haves!
1. Akismet: If you want to keep the SPAM away, you must install Akismet. Akismet is a hosted web service that saves you time by automatically detecting comment and trackback spam. Each time a new comment, trackback, or pingback is added to your site it’s submitted to the Akismet web service which runs hundreds of tests on the comment and returns a thumbs up or thumbs down. As a result, you don’t have to waste your time sorting through and deleting spammy comments from your blog.
2. All in One SEO: There are several good SEO plugins for your blog. All in One SEO was recommended to me when I made the switch over to WordPress and I have just stuck with it. All in One SEO takes the key areas of your site and allows you to add the keywords which will bring visitors to your site.
3. Comment Luv: I used to be so jealous of WordPress blogs when I still over on Blogger. One of the reasons? Comment Luv! I thought it was cool that when you commented on another blog a link to your latest post would appear. You better believe this was one of the first plugins I installed when I made the switch over.
4. Digg Digg: There are so many social sharing plugins to choose from! I decided to go with Digg Digg when I saw it on another blog. I love that it floats on the side of the post and stays on the side as you scroll down. It’s so easy to customize for the social media networks you want your posts to be shared on.
5. Fancier {or Fanciest} Author Box: Another thing I loved about being on WordPress was the ability to have a cute little author box under my posts. I have tried Better Author Bio and then I stumbled upon Fancier Author Box. I loved it so much that I upgraded to Fanciest Author Box {the first plugin I have ever payed for}. I really like the tabbed style where you can share your bio, your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and your recent posts. You can also add other Social Media account as well.
6. hRecipe: If you share recipes on your blog, you want to make them look pretty! hRecipe gives you fast, efficient recipe formatting… with an SEO advantage. Your recipes look good, and people searching for recipes are attracted to Google Rich Snippet recipe display, which can mean better clickthrough to your blog.
7. InBound Writer: If you are trying to work on your SEO, InBound Writer can help you! With the InboundWriter plugin, you get real-time SEO intelligence streamed directly into their WordPress editor. See what words and phrases your target audience is searching for and sharing online, and how well those words rank on the search engines.
8. nRelate Most Popular: nRelate is a great way to display your most popular content from your blog. nRelate will pull your most popular content and display it at the end of your posts. This will help readers stay on your blog and find other posts they may like.
9. Pinterst Pin It Button for Images: This is by far my most favorite Pinterest plugin! Sure, the Pin It Button is nice. But sometimes, with it being at the button of the post, it may be missed. When I saw the Pinterest Pin It Button for Images in use, I knew I had to have it! When you hover a picture on the blog, a “Pin It” button will appear. {Don’t worry, if you are on Blogger, here is a great tutorial from Kevin & Amanda on how to add it as well!}
10. WP to Twitter: There are so many social media networks that you want to share your posts on these days. Adding WP to Twitter helps make it easier for you to share a post when it’s published. You can write your Tweet ahead of time. When your post is published, your tweet is pushed out to Twitter!
I have seen a few posts lately regarding bloggers Must Have Plugins. You have a few that I haven’t heard of and I’ll be checking out especially the InBound Writer. Have a great weekend!
InBound Writer has really helped me when writing posts. Now, that I have used some of their suggestions, I put them in automatically now. It really helps with SEO!
Thank you! I already have most of these but I’m checking out 3 others that I don’t have 🙂
I am fixing to do a redesign of both blogs and I have only one of these. SEO is without a doubt my downfall. I am going to have to get the author bio thing.. I love that.
Love the Author Bio! It was a good investment.
Great suggestions! I need to check into some of the SEO plugins, so InBound Writer is first on the list and I do love your author box!
I use some of these but see I need to switch a few! Thanks for the tips!!
You’re welcome!
I could kiss you right about now! I’ve just made the switch over to WP.org and was feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of plugins to choose from. I’ve added some of your suggestions and hope this will help streamline my blog a little better! Thanks so much for the insight Steph!
It really is overwhelming! Start by adding a few and seeing if you like them. Then add a few more.
I have a few of these installed but NOT activated. I should really look into that LOL
Yeah, activating them might be a good idea! 😉
I have Inbound and All in One SEO, though I haven’t used them at all. Time to do so. I like the pin it for images. It’s so frustrating scrolling through to see if someone’s include a pin it button on their post.
You will love InBound Writer! The free version gives your 3 free posts a month. I usually use it for the posts I am either stuck with it when it comes to SEO or ones I really want to maximize.
Steph,
I would say a plugin that allows threaded comments if your WordPress version doesn’t have the capability automatically is essential. Being able to reply and follow conversations is huge.
Also, a plugin that allows people to subscribe to follow-up comments like you have is also a must.
Thanks for this post!
Jeff
Threaded comments are a most! I love the follow up feature for comments.
Great list – I can definitely see some that I need. Thanks!
Glad I could help!
Love this! I’ve been trying to figure out which author box plug-in that is and there’s a few there I hadn’t heard of at all. Thanks for sharing!!
You should have just asked! I found it on someone else’s blog and I peeked at their source code to figure it out!
I didn’t notice that you had it or I would have.
🙂
These are really useful tips. I’m very much looking forward to use commentLuv, as soon as i will be selfhosting my blog.
Love CommentLuv! I used to be so jealous of WP before I moved over because of it.
This is a great list! Though I’ve been having some trouble with my Akismet lately… 🙁
I have been getting a lot of SPAM lately, but at least it’s going to SPAM. Those spammers are trying to outsmart it I think.
CommentLuv went through a really, really buggy phase last year and I uninstalled it.
My must-have plugin is Share This. It’s the least annoying social plugin that I’ve used in my 12 years of blogging.
I’m thinking of moving from blogger to WordPress but I’m so scared. My old blog is still sitting over at WordPress but my domain is through blogger. If I get the balls to make the switch I will have to refer back to this page for sure!!!! Good tips.
Hello!
I stumbled upon your blog, and you gave me some great ideas! I am new to all this blogging and plug-in stuff, so your post is exactly what I needed. Thanks so much for sharing your suggestions! 🙂
I’m not sure if I’ve told you this yet, BUT I LOVE THIS POST. I’ve referred to it many times and shared it as well. Reading it again (for like the 10th time) I realized I hadn’t commented yet. Rock on with your plugins, Steph!
You will be happy to know that I am working on a Part 2! There are so many more to share!
Wow!! Love all the great suggestions. There is just so much to think about when you’re starting a blog. I really only understand a little bit of this! Do you have any experience with Ultimate TinyMCE?? It sounds like something a newbie like me could really get into. Also, do you have any suggestions for a e-mail subscription plugin? I had one on my blog, but I took it down because of technical issues.
Hi Steph,
The sign of a value-adding blog post is when the reader can take action based on the content.
I love this post as I can (and will be) adding some plugins based on your recommendations. I already have and enjoy nRelate, looking forward to adding commentluv. Great resource roundup.
Thanks!
– Danielle
Maui’s Marketing Coach
mmmsocialmedia.com