There are just some plugins I can’t seem to avoid. I’m so closely tied to them that they have become part of my workflow.
I’m going to list them off here.
But before I do, I just want to mention one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made. And that is trying to use all free plugins. You get what you pay for.
So nowadays I support the developers of a good plugin. But having said that, most of these plugins are free.
Let’s get to it.
(1) Coming up a number #1 is Beaver Builder.
I love this so much I just couldn’t live without it. Yep, I used the free version for a while. It is great but the paid version is so much more awesome. You can check it out here.
(2) Then there’s Yoast SEO.
Seriously, where would any of us be without it. I know there are competitors on the market but I always find myself using this one. Don’t forget to setup it up properly.
(3) PODS.
Okay, so this one is a little harder to explain but pods lets you create custom post types. I use it to create my “optin” post types and “delivery” post types. I then use yoast SEO to ensure I’m not letting Google index my delivery posts and pods settings to hide from search.
(4) Ultimate Beaver Addons.
This is a paid addon for beaver builder which gives you options like additional layout bling and the ability to create popup optins. It also comes with templates too.
(5) Ithemes Security.
I admit I abandoned this plugin when I felt betrayed by Ithemes. But I’m coming back around to it. It has some great features to protect your site like masking your sensitive parts.
(6) Genesis Dambuster.
If you are using Beaver Builder, and I am, then dambuster is a must. It allows you to have edge to edge effects on Genesis themes when building out your pages.
(7) mPress hide from search.
Did you know that WordPress places every single page in a searchable index. MPress Hide from Search prevents people from finding your page when it is searched for.
Although be aware that a 404 error might list all your pages anyway. Hence the reason I use pods and custom post types.
There are likely more but I use those ones above fairly religiously. I could have mentioned a caching plugin or slimstat. I often use these for speed and quick analytics. There’s also imsanity for resizing large uploads automatically and easy image sizes for creating additional … sizes.
In fact, quite honestly, I can have up to 30 plugins on a site. But they all play nicely.
Did you feel like a plugin didn’t make the cut here? Please let me know below.
