One of the best things about WordPress is the opportunity it provides for fairly easy customization.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the theme my site operates on in its standard form…
Here’s my site:
Big difference, right?! Amy obviously worked wonders with the framework (thank heaven for a great site designer), but much of the customization and preferences on individual pages was made possible via great WordPress plugins. There really is a plugin for just about anything and everything.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard. Too many plugins can slow your load time and cause problems for your site. With the changes that have taken place around here, I’ve taken the time to go through all of my plugins and determine which WordPress plugins work best for me. I have about 30 plugins currently installed on my site.
As promised, I thought I would share a few of my favorite WordPress plugins for bloggers.
1. Askimet. I don’t have captcha codes, no need for comment moderation. Askimet prevents spam from showing up on my site and I really don’t have to worry about it at all.
2. Comment Luv. Since Comment Luv is available on both Blogger and WordPress, most bloggers are familiar with it. If you’re not familiar, this plugin grabs the commenters feed and posts a link to their last post. I’ve found so many great posts through comments on my site!
3. Comment Reply Notification. When I made the move to WordPress, one of my favorite timesavers was the ability to reply to comments both in the comment thread and via email all in one step. Needless to say, this one is a favorite.
4. Fanciest Author Box. This is a new plugin for me and I am enamored. When I switched over the site I really wanted a great way to feature my contributors…I love that this allows me to help share more of their content, as well as provide simple options for following their Facebook and Twitter accounts. I have Fanciest Author Box set up to appear at the end of my post…
5. Formidable. If you collect any information or have need of an online form. This is THE plugin. I’ve used it for several different things and it works like a dream.
6. Google Analytics for WordPress. If you’re looking to grow your blog, no tool is more important than Google Analytics. Google Analytics for WordPress is without a doubt the simplest and most complete Google Analytics tracking plugin I’ve come across. Plus, it makes installation sooo easy!
7. NRelate. Encourage extra time on site by suggesting additional articles of interest.
8. RPS Image Gallery. I’ve wanted to create some thumbnail images/project galleries for some time…I finally found a plugin that I like. I am still experimenting with it, but here’s what my linky gallery looks like so far…
9. WordPress Editorial Calendar. This is one of my very favorite plugins. It helps keep me organized! This is where I can schedule posts, see what’s coming up and drag and drop them into the schedule as needed.
10. WordPress SEO. Another big time favorite. This tool has taken my posts from mediocre SEO to great SEO. I use it on every single post and it’s simple…Fill out a few extra fields and you’re all done!
I am looking forward to discovering even more great plugins…Got a favorite? I’d love to know what plugins you like to use…
Patty Palmer says
September 24, 2012 at 9:48 amGreat round-up. I have/love most of them but a few I didn’t know about. Thanks!
Tauni says
September 24, 2012 at 6:13 pmThanks Patty. I figured that many of my choices were sort of stand-by…I guess that’s why they’re the best, but I am glad I had a few that were new to you as well. xoxo, Tauni
Laura says
September 24, 2012 at 10:08 amTauni!! Thank yo sooooo much I just installed the Editorial Calendar and am in LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
Tauni says
September 24, 2012 at 6:12 pmLaura, The editorial calendar is one of my favorites! I hope it works well for you!!! xoxo, Tauni
Emily says
September 24, 2012 at 11:03 amOkay, I feel better knowing I use about 90% of the plugins you mentioned. I do need to go through and clean up, getting rid of those I don’t use so they don’t slow down my site. I am off to check out Formidable–that one intrigues me!
Tauni says
September 24, 2012 at 6:11 pmEmily, You had a higher ACT score than I, so basically I figure you will always know about 90% of the things I know + about 10% of the things I do not…I do love Formidable. You will have to let me know what you think. xoxo, Tauni
Jess from Cox's Corner says
September 24, 2012 at 11:57 amI am so glad you posted this! Thank you!
Tauni says
September 24, 2012 at 6:09 pmYou’re so welcome Jess. I hope you find a few that are helpful. xoxo, Tauni
Kara says
September 24, 2012 at 1:21 pmThanks so much Tauni! There are a few on your list that I had never heard of. I am installing them now. 🙂
Tauni says
September 24, 2012 at 6:09 pmKara, Oooh good luck with each. I hope you find that they are helpful! xoxo, Tauni
Kirsten says
September 24, 2012 at 9:53 pmWhat a great round-up of plugins! Thank you, Tauni. I NEED to add the editorial calendar one to my blog. It falls by the wayside much much much too easily.
Tauni says
September 25, 2012 at 9:11 pmKirsten, The editorial calendar is absolutely one of my favorites! I love it. Thanks so much. xoxo, Tauni
Gina says
September 25, 2012 at 9:02 amThere are a few i will be checking out… thanks!
Tauni says
September 25, 2012 at 9:07 pmGina, Glad I could share a few new plugins with you! Thanks for stopping by. xoxo, Tauni
Elisabeth says
September 25, 2012 at 5:14 pmThanks. I uploaded a few of the plug-ins. It’s nice to read what others are using and how it’s working for them.
Tauni says
September 25, 2012 at 9:06 pmThanks Elisabeth. I need a new Twitter plugin. I may have to try the ones you suggested. I hope that the plugins you downloaded work great! xoxo, Tauni
Elisabeth says
September 25, 2012 at 5:19 pmOops! One I discovered recently is “Really simple Facebook Twitter share buttons”.
Ami Allison says
September 26, 2012 at 8:27 amThanks so much, Tauni! This really helps me out!!
amy cornwell says
September 26, 2012 at 3:10 pmThank you sooo much! I installed about half of them, excited to see how they help my blog. Thanks for sharing!
Kristin says
September 26, 2012 at 8:45 pmReally Tauni, you are the best in the business. Just sayin.
Christy @ My Invisible Crown says
September 28, 2012 at 10:19 amI love love this post! Thank you so much. I’ve begun using almost all of your top ten! Thank you so much for sharing. 😀
jeannett says
October 2, 2012 at 10:56 amyou need to write an SEO 101 post. I know nothing about it. And it scares me to just start googling…
Tauni says
October 2, 2012 at 4:40 pmHaha. I will think about it Jeannett. I just hate to put it out there, because I am certainly not an expert…xoxo Tauni
Amber Price says
October 19, 2012 at 3:24 pmThis has been helpful. I installed a couple of those and look forward to trying them out. Thanks!
Jo-Anna says
October 24, 2012 at 8:27 amLove this post! I just switched over to WordPress and it’s all new to me! Thank you for the info!
Jo-Anna
Tauni says
October 25, 2012 at 12:08 amOh fun Jo-Anna. Good luck on the new platform – I think you will love it! xoxo, T.
Ann Marie @ white house black shutters says
November 9, 2012 at 11:11 amLOVE the fanciest author box! Just bought it and downloaded a few others mentioned. I thought I’d let you know that they offer an affiliate program, so you might want to sign up and change your link?
Great post! I’m always curious to what plugins others use and love. Thanks, Tauni!
Tauni says
November 9, 2012 at 7:20 pmThanks for your comments Ann Marie. I am glad that you found some of the tools helpful. I really should sign up for the affiliate program. I was too lazy when I first posted this article 🙂
xoxo, Tauni
Nicole says
March 13, 2013 at 9:33 amI am in the process of setting up my wordpress site so that I can move my blog over. This is a great list to get me started – Thanks!
Christi says
May 18, 2013 at 10:04 pmThis was so helpful! Thank you, I love your website, new favorite!