There are over 50,000 authorized plug-ins for WordPress. So it’s safe to say there’s one for almost anything you could imagine.
But how many of these WordPress tools are actually useful?
With so many tools available, there are bound to be some that are buggy, outdated, or just plain useless.
Keep reading to learn what to look for in a WordPress plug-in and for some of our recommended plug-ins to get you started.
Are WordPress Tools Worth It?
The short answer is: yes.
WordPress tools and plug-ins will make your blog more impactful and your life more efficient. As a website owner, anything that can be automated or simplified gives you more time to work on the things that matter most.
Many WordPress tools and plug-ins are designed to make it easier to do something — whether that improves your search engine rankings, improve your web design, or sharing your content on social media.
Choosing the Right WordPress Tools
Not every website management tool will be right for your website or blog. The hardest part of using these tools can be deciding which are worth it and which are not.
That being said, there are some tools that practically every website should be using:
Yoast SEO
If you don’t already have a large following outside of the Internet, SEO — or search engine optimization — is the main way to get visitors to your website.
The whole idea behind SEO is getting your website pages to “rank” in as many relevant searches as possible. The key word there is relevant.
You want visitors who are looking for content like yours to be able to find it. If you’re blogging about DIY fashion projects, it won’t do you much good if your website shows up in the search results for “best dog training.”
Yoast SEO is the most popular (for good reason) tool for this. It lets you know how well your website is designed to be found by searchers and what can be done to improve its visibility.
WPBakery Page Builder
Gone are the days of needing a coding expert to create an attractive website design. WPBakery Page Builder (formerly known as Visual Composer) is a program that lets you intuitively add, drag, and drop different elements on your website.
By adding this plug-in to your WordPress theme, you can build image carousels, embed videos, add forms, and much more with just a couple clicks of your mouse. The program will automatically translate all of these design choices into code — you won’t have to touch a drop of HTML or CSS.
Jetpack
Jetpack is a multi-faceted WordPress tool that will upgrade many of your website’s features. Some of Jetpack’s capabilities include faster load times, built-in social media sharing, and custom CSS.
Jetpack is especially helpful if you plan on including a blog on your website. With this plug-in, you have access to features like posting from e-mail and reader subscription services.
Managing Your WordPress Website
WordPress has made it possible for small business owners to manage much of their own online content — even from the backend.
For everything you can’t do on your own, we offer WordPress management services so you can ensure your website stays secure and updated through it all.
