Update 2020: There were originally 12 WordPress Plugins listed here but now only 6 are regularly maintained.
Hey guys! This is a guest post from James Adams.
There are over ten thousand plugins that you can add to your new WordPress blog.
There are plugins which will optimize your content, manage your pictures, and connect you to the social networks.
Which ones are the best? Following is a list of ten WordPress plugins that you should place on your site.
image by bobbigmac
1. All in One SEO Pack
Make your posts more search engine friendly by installing the All in One SEO Pack. No problems for beginners, simply install it and it runs. Creates META tags. Custom post types are supported, and it has a built-in API. Advanced users can tweak this plugin to their heart’s content.
2. Google Analyticator
With Google Analyticator you can integrate Google Analytics so that you can track who is referring traffic to your blog.
You can see what users view, what pages they view on your site before they complete a goal, how long they stay on your site, and where they go when they leave.
image by lumaxart
3. Add to Any
This plugin allows others to share your posts and pages with any service. Integrate this service through Google Analytics.
Optimize your selections from over a hundred social networks, including Twitter, Google Buzz, Delicious and Facebook. Maximize the chances of your posts going viral.
4. WP Super Cache
Optimize your blog by serving up static html pages instead of loading the information each time. This reduces the server load. An essential plugin if you are expecting a lot of users to your site.
image by Dunechaser
5. Google XML Sitemaps
Google XML Sitemaps makes it easy for the search engine crawlers to look at your site. It pings Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com with any changes that you have made to your blog. Tweak your plugins, customize your parameters and priorities.
6. Akismet
Akismet is essential to preventing spam comments from your blog.
It will hold those posts for moderation to let you determine whether you have received a visit from the spam bots.
It is activated by using your Akismet API Key. There is a counter which will tell you how much spam Akismet has captured.
image by heggarty_david
7. SEO Automatic Links
Interlink your posts and make your blog rise in the page rankings on Google.
This plugin works automatically to connect phrases, tags, categories and pages within your blog. You can set the links themselves to open in new windows for those who want to stay on your blog.
8. LinkWithin
If you want to help your users find other posts on your blog that are related to the one they’re reading, then this plugin is a great way to show related posts.
There are other plugins that list related posts, but they tend to be most text-based, and easy to miss. However, LinkWithin provides a visual interface that engages users. Install LinkWithin and boost your pageviews instantly.
image by AJC1
9. FeedBurner FeedSmith
By integrating FeedSmith you can automatically make your RSS feed redirect to FeedBurner, which means you can get really useful data on how many subscribers you have, who is using your feed, how your feed is being read. FeedSmith is indispensable.
10. Digg Digg
Although the name suggests that this plugin is for Digg only, it isn’t. Digg Digg allows you to add social shared count and voting buttons for super high traffic websites including Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Twitter and Facebook. Using this plugin can help your best content go viral as it makes sharing easier.
11. Ozh’ Admin Drop Down Menu
If you’re serious about your blog then you’ll probably spend a lot of time in the backend administering posts, pages and media. This plugin makes it much faster to navigate, hence making admin less of a chore.
12. WP Security Scan
This plugin is an essential part of defending your blog from hackers. It will scan your blog’s setup and advise how to make it more secure by making your password stronger, ensuring you have the correct file permissions, changing database prefixes, etc. A must have for any WordPress blogger!
Installed plugins should make your blog run smoothly and more efficiently. With Add to Any, you can share posts easily. With the All in One SEO pack, you will make your posts more SEO friendly. Stats allows you to track your visitors without confusion. These plugins are easy to use and will make your blog shine.
This guest post was written by James Adams, a writer who covers developments in technology and analyses new hardware for Cartridge Save.
Hi Gloson,
Thanks for sharing 12 best wordpress plugins for new bloggers.This post is really help for neophytes.
Thats really helpful for every blogger, I’m using some of them but still i can chose 2-3 more plugins from this list which will defiantly help me.
Hi Gloson,
These are some really interesting plugins and it’s a good recommendation for newbies.