Favorite WordPress Plugins
WordPress is my favorite – and I bet yours – website building platform!
It’s an easy learning curve to get up and running with this content management system and by adding just the right plugins it becomes a small business owner’s secret weapon.
WordPress websites / blogs come in all shapes and sizes, from a simple small business brochure-style site to a more complex e-commerce product-driven store. The fact that you can start out simply and build on the content as well as the functionality is what makes it so “responsive” – both in its capabilities and how it appears to users across all devices.
It’s very important as we move into 2014 to make sure your website is using a mobile friendly design. Do you know that tablets are outselling desktops?
I’d like to share some of my favorite plugins that you can install to maximize your website and draw your target audience to you. Using these plugins within your website will add important functionality to build your online brand visibility.
Susan’s Favorite WordPress Plugins
All in One SEO Pack – Once installed and enabled, it adds a new section to all your pages and posts, so you can add those all-important Titles, Descriptions and Keywords (Long-tail Keyword Phrases).
Google Dashboard for WordPress – Install this and connect it to your Google Analytics account. It will then load your analytics right on your WP dashboard!
Contact Form 7 – This is the easiest contact form I’ve ever seen! Just install, add the short code they provide to a page, and that’s it.
Site Map Generator – Google will absolutely love your website if you add a site map and help them sort your content.
Sociable for WordPress – Helps others share your content… but remember to add those SEO details, so they are sharing the right copy.
Akismet: Blocks spam, period. (When you install WordPress it should be there, just activate.)
Three bonus plugins for those a bit more WordPress savvy:
Portfolio Slideshow Pro – Create awesome galleries to post on pages and easily add photos and make them all consistent with captions and more. (Not Free, but awesome!)
Seriously Simple Podcasting – Add a new podcast section to your site so you can publish your mp3s, by uploading or pulling the mp3 from your talkcast website. Audio is climbing dramatically as a media choice, as more and more people multitask.
Anthologize: Been wondering what to do with all those blog posts you’ve written in the past two years? How about sorting some out and turning them into a book?
I would love to hear from you! Which plugin is your favorite and why do YOU love WordPress?