Must-have WordPress Plugins

In every WordPress installation I do, there is a set of plugins that I always install. Some sites have different needs than others, so there are a few that I install on some and not on others. Here is a list of my favorites, most of which are in use on this very site.

• Yet Another Related Posts Plugin

This handy plugin lists posts that are related to the current post that the reader is perusing. It adds to more readership by showing your readers more relevant content that they may enjoy. This plugin is highly customizable and easy to use, which makes it a winner in my book.

Visit the Yet Another Related Posts Plugin Page

• All-In-One SEO Pack

A lot of my customers are greenhorns when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. My solution to their problem is the All-In-One SEO Pack. This plugin makes it easy to fill out the meta data necessary on posts and pages. It automatically generates keywords and descriptions for your pages and posts. This plugin is another that allows for lots of customization, but it works right out of the box. It is ad-supported, but has a pro version that will remove ads and allow for custom taxonomy support.

Visit the All-In-One SEO Pack Plugin Page

• W3 Total Cache

Whether your site is large or small, you can benefit from W3 Total Cache. This plugin improves site performance, lowers site load time and just plain makes the end user experience better which can lead to increased conversion rates. It is another one that has lots of customization. It does require you to enable different parts before it works so it doesn’t quite work out of the box, but almost.

Visit the W3 Total Cache Plugin Page

• Google Analyticator

I integrate all of my clients’ websites with Google Analytics. It is a great tool to see how people are using your site. I use Google Analytics to create custom website reports for my clients. For people that need to integrate Google Analytics, but don’t want to mess with all the code, Google Analyticator is the solution for you. It even includes a widget to add to your admin dashboard and some front end widgets to show off how many visitors see your site on a daily basis.

Visit the Google Analyticator Plugin Page

• Twitter Tools

If you have Twitter account (who doesn’t these days?), you can use Twitter Tools to fully integrate your account with your site. This slick plugin allows you to archive your Twitter tweets, create a blog post from your tweets (including a daily or weekly digest), create a tweet on Twitter whenever you post in your blog with a link to the blog post, post a tweet from your sidebar or admin screen and more. Once you connect it to your account, it works beautifully.

Visit the Twitter Tools Plugin Page

• WP Maintenance Mode

If your site runs on WordPress, updates are inevitable. When your site goes down for updates, you want to be able to put your best foot forward and let your customers know that your site will be back soon. This plugin allows you to do that automatically and flawlessly. It is just one of those things that adds a bit of polish and professionalism to your site.

Visit the WP Maintenance Mode Plugin Page

• TinyMCE Advanced

If you want some extra functionality when writing blog posts and pages, then this plugin is for you. This plugin adds Advanced HR, Advanced Image, Advanced Link, Advanced List, Context Menu, Emotions (Smilies), Date and Time, IESpell, Layer, Nonbreaking, Print, Search and Replace, Style, Table, Visual Characters and XHTML Extras. It also extends some of the options in image dialog boxes and adds custom CSS classes from your stylesheet to the drop-down list. You can easily add tables to your posts by using this plugin too.

Visit the TinyMCE Advanced Plugin Page