Essential WordPress Plugins for Every Website

Every Website Should Be Using These WordPress Plugins for Security, Performance, and Backups

WordPress websites need the right plugins to improve performance and functionality. Our list of essential WordPress plugins covers security, performance, backup, and functionality. These plugins offer firewalls, two-factor authentication, SSL certificates, image optimization, caching, and backup, which can speed up your website, secure it, and add functionality to make it stand out.

Essential Plugin Categories

• Security
• Performance
• Backup
• Functionality

#1: WordPress Security Plugins

An insecure website is bad for you and your visitors, and a surefire way to get your site removed from Google. However, securing your site with a WordPress security plugin is not that hard, it just takes a little effort on your part. There are many good plugins available to secure your site, but we recommend WordFence since it offers several great features to help keep your site secure. For more recommendation check out our article on the Top WordPress Security Plugins for 24/7 Website Protection.

WordFence plugin features:

• WordFence’s web application firewall protects against SQL injections, brute-force assaults, and XSS attacks.
• The plugin’s powerful malware scanner continuously scans your website for malware. WordFence alerts you to malware.
• Two-factor authentication, login restriction, and CAPTCHA protection are among WordFence’s login security options.
• WordFence sends real-time email and SMS alerts for suspicious website activity.
• If you suspect malicious traffic, you can block certain countries from accessing your website.
• WordFence lets you block IP addresses, user agents, and referrers that repeatedly access your website.
• WordFence monitors your website’s files for unauthorized changes and alerts you immediately.
• WordFence scans your website’s user accounts for data breaches and prompts you to reset passwords.
• Two-factor authentication can add security to your website’s login.
• WordFence works with WordPress Multi-Site, making it easy to secure multiple sites from one dashboard.
• WordFence scans your website’s plugins for known vulnerabilities and alerts you.
• WordFence’s Threat Defense Feed updates your website’s security in real time.
• WordFence provides a firewall, malware scanner, login security, security notifications, advanced blocking, file integrity monitoring, leaked password protection, two-factor authentication, and plugin vulnerability scanner. Its real-time threat defense feed protects your website from new threats and vulnerabilities.

Installing WordFence is easy, just go to your dashboard, click plugins, add new, then type WordFence in the search box.

Our Top 7 WordPress Security Plugins

Let’s dive into some of the handy security features packed with WordPress plugins. One major feature you should look for is a firewall working at the server level (see WordFence above). Pretty cool, huh? This isn’t your everyday firewall; it’s the kind that puts a steel-clad barrier between your site and those pesky cyber threats. Some plugins also got this handy malware scanner that’s a real lifesaver.

That’s not all, though; how about security activity auditing? It’s like having an all-seeing eye, keeping track of all the action on your site. Plus, you’ve got this thing called file integrity monitoring. Imagine getting a heads-up whenever a cheeky intruder tries to tweak your site’s files. Some plugins even bundle all these fantastic features, plus stuff like 2-factor authentication, into a sweet little package. So, with all these features at your disposal, you can be confident your WordPress site’s as secure as a bank vault. Sit back, chill, and let your plugin handle the heavy stuff.

1. Wordfence Security: A top-tier choice when it comes to security plugins. Its real-time threat defense feed keeps your website safe around the clock from malicious attacks and potential security breaches. Read the detailed description above for more information on this essential WordPress security plugin.
2. iThemes Security: Designed to secure and protect your WordPress site, iThemes Security fights off automated attacks and strengthens user credentials. It’s a virtual bouncer, keeping the bad guys at bay.
3. Sucuri Security: Going beyond the standard, Sucuri offers multiple layers of defense. Their active security monitoring and malware cleanup service make your WordPress fortress almost impregnable.
4. All In One WP Security & Firewall: Exactly as its name suggests – a comprehensive solution. This plugin balances functionality and user-friendliness, making website security less of a chore and more of a delight.
5. Jetpack Security: From the creators of WordPress itself, Jetpack Security ensures your website flies high above the turbulent seas of web insecurities. It’s your website’s personal superhero.
6. BulletProof Security: Armed with login security, database backup, anti-spam and more, BulletProof Security shoots down potential threats before they even have a chance to harm your site.
7. SecuPress Free — WordPress Security: Making security easy, SecuPress is the friendliest bodyguard your website could wish for. Its intuitive interface and powerful features make securing your WordPress site a breeze.

#2: WordPress Performance Plugins

Studies show people expect a page to load in only 2-3 seconds and that there is a dramatic increase in page abandonment rates for every additional second it takes your page to load. Studies also show that people are hesitant to return to a site after experiencing issues such as slow loading times.

How Do I Improve The Performance of My Website?

The first thing you need is obvious but not covered here in this blog post, and that is a good web host. However, the good news is you do not need an expensive host or a dedicated server.

We have optimized many websites to load fast on shared servers with cheap hosting accounts. You need the right combination of plugins and a web host that will allow you to install plugins and possibly edit your .htaccess file.

Essential Performance Plugins

• Cache
• CSS Minify
• JS Minify
• Compression (gzip)

There are of course other types of performance plugins that may or may not be useful for your site, but we are focusing on “essential” plugins here in this article and these are four areas you will need to address to ensure your site loads fast.

W3 Total Cache

This is our favorite WordPress performance plugin since it addresses all of the areas listed above. However, we do not always use this plugin for compression, as we occasionally have issues with this particular feature. We recommend enabling gzip compression and doing a Google PageSpeed test to determine if it works appropriately for your site.

At My Island Designs, we are big fans of W3 Total Cache and have used it to achieve very good Google PageSpeed and Pingdom website speed test scores for countless sites.

You can install W3 Total Cache from within your WordPress dashboard. To configure this plugin, we recommend reading “The Ultimate Guide To W3 Total Cache Settings.”

The Top 5 WordPress Cache Plugins

In the fast-paced world of the web, speed is king. Users crave quick, responsive experiences, and search engines reward websites that deliver them. If your site runs on WordPress, an effective cache plugin is your secret weapon in this race against the clock. Here, we’ve curated the top 5 WordPress cache plugins that combine performance, simplicity, and robust features to give your site that much-needed speed boost. Let’s dive in to find your next speed enhancer.

1. W3 Total Cache: This WordPress plugin is like the Swiss army knife of caching. It does it all, from minifying your HTML, CSS, and Javascript files, caching database queries, and enabling a content delivery network for your static files. Its comprehensive feature set makes it a favorite among WordPress power users.
2. WP Super Cache: If simplicity is your game, WP Super Cache is your name. This WordPress cache plugin focuses on delivering the most bang for your buck with as little hassle as possible. It’s easy to set up and delivers speed improvements right out of the box.
3. WP Rocket: WP Rocket is your ticket to the fast lane. Unlike many other plugins, it offers a user-friendly interface and configuration process. In addition, it comes with various features like Lazy Load, Preloading, and Database Optimization, to speed up your website’s load times dramatically.
4. Cache Enabler: This cache plugin takes a lightweight approach to speed up your website. It’s ideal if you’re looking for a straightforward solution to set up and offers minimal clutter. The bonus? It’s one of the few plugins that supports WebP!
5. LiteSpeed Cache: You’re in luck if your web server runs on LiteSpeed. This cache plugin offers an all-in-one site acceleration plugin, featuring an exclusive server-level cache and a collection of optimization features. Its deep integration with LiteSpeed servers makes it incredibly efficient. We highly recommend using this plugin if your website is hosted on a LiteSpeed server. Although many of the features will work on other servers, we have personally used it on LiteSpeed servers, and the results were amazing.

WordPress Compression Plugin

Gzip compression reduces the size of files delivered to a visitor’s browser, which decreases page load time. Compression is also one of the tests Google PageSpeed performs, which may also be used as a ranking factor.

If your Cache of choice does not compress all of your content, we recommend using the GZip Ninja Speed plugin for compression, and it can be added to your site from within your dashboard.

#3 WordPress Backup Plugins

All-in-One Migration: Backing up your site is an essential part of maintaining your WordPress website. If your site is every hacked or crashes due to a WordPress or plugin update you will be glad you have a backup of your files and database.

We recommend regular backups, but the frequency depends on how often you update your site. However, you will certainly want to backup your site after any major changes to ensure all your hard work is not lost.

What we love most about All-in-One Migration is that it not only creates a backup of your site, but it is also a great tool for migrating your site to a new host or from a local server to a web host.

The following are the key feature of All-in-One WP Migration:

1. WordPress Migration Made Simple – All-in-One WP Migration enables you to migrate your entire website in a matter of minutes and with just a few clicks. Everything is handled by the plugin, including the database, media files, themes, plugins, and settings.
2. Unlimited Site Size – You can migrate sites of any size without restrictions, making even the largest websites easy to transfer.
3. WP Compatibility – It works with the majority of WordPress hosting providers and servers, making it a versatile solution for website owners.
4. Multisite Migration – The plugin allows you to migrate WordPress Multisite networks, including all subsites, users, themes, and plugins.
5. WordPress Custom Domain Support – During the migration process, you can update your website’s domain name, ensuring that your site’s links and URLs are updated accordingly.
6. Backup and Restore – The plugin includes a backup and restore feature that allows you to save a copy of your website before migrating and restore it if something goes wrong during the migration process.
7. WP Cloud Storage Support – Supports cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Amazon S3, making it simple to backup and transfer website files.
8. Compatibility – Compatible with popular WordPress plugins such as Yoast SEO, Gravity Forms, and Contact Form 7, ensuring that the functionality of your website is not affected during the migration process.
9. Updates Links and URLs – Automatically update all links and URLs in your website’s content to match the new domain name or server.
10. Does Not Require Technical Expertise – All-in-One WP Migration is intended for non-technical users and does not necessitate any coding or technical skills in order to transfer your website.

Please Note: Some of the features listed may require purchasing a license. However, the free version is quite capable. To ensure this WordPress plugin is right for you, you can download it or view complete details here: All-in-One WP Migration

Top 5 WordPress Backup Plugins

When one embarks on the journey of running a WordPress site, the importance of backup plugins becomes abundantly clear. These are the life-saving tools that ensure the longevity of your digital masterpiece. They’re the superheroes of your WordPress world, swooping in to save the day when things go haywire.

1. UpdraftPlus: Among the giants of WordPress backup plugins, UpdraftPlus holds a special place. Its intuitive interface, coupled with advanced features like incremental backups, makes it the knight in shining armor for many WordPress site owners. It offers a free version, but to experience its full capabilities, we recommend taking the premium route. Its support for multiple cloud storage options and easy restore function makes it a must-have for every WordPress site.
2. VaultPress (Jetpack Backup): If ever there was a Superman among WordPress backup plugins, it would be VaultPress. Now known as Jetpack Backup, this plugin offers automated daily backups with unlimited storage space. What sets it apart is its real-time synchronization feature, ensuring that every change, every tiny tweak, is safely preserved. With its one-click restore functionality, it’s no less than a magical elixir for WordPress site owners.
3. BackupBuddy: For those who believe in the power of customization, BackupBuddy could be their WordPress guardian angel. It stands out with its personalized backup content feature, giving you control over what to include or exclude in your backups. Add to this its reliable support team, and you’ve got a trusty aide ready to assist you in your hour of need.
4. BoldGrid Backup: BoldGrid Backup, a brainchild of BoldGrid, is a versatile and dependable player in the backup plugin arena. Its auto-rollback feature can reverse an update gone wrong, bringing back the status quo, and saving your site from potential mayhem. What’s more, it allows easy migration of your site, making it a reliable buddy for those often daunting host-transitions.
5. Duplicator: Last but definitely not least, Duplicator offers its unique set of backup and migration features. It stands tall with its ability to clone and migrate websites, even without any downtime. Perfect for developers who regularly build and test sites, or for those embarking on a host migration, Duplicator assures seamless transfers and backups to keep your WordPress journey smooth sailing.

Read our article How to Create Reliable WordPress Backups to learn more about backing up a WordPress website and why it’s so important.

#4 WordPress Functionality Plugins

This topic is very broad and will be different for every WordPress website. However, we have created a list of some of our favorite plugins that added functionality to the front and backend of some of the website we have created.

One Essential Plugin

Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress is a popular tool that helps users optimize their websites for search engines. It handles your meta-tags, including the Title and description tags. These tags are essential for SEO, especially the Title tag. Yoast SEO has a lot of indispensable tools that analyze the SEO of each page and post, which helps you optimize your website without over-optimizing, which can incur the wrath of search engines like Google and Bing.

Here is a list of some key features it offers:

• Focus Keyphrase Analysis: Yoast SEO helps you identify and target the right keywords for your content by providing suggestions and recommendations based on the focus keyphrase you enter.
• SEO Analysis: The plugin provides real-time content analysis, offering suggestions on how to improve your content’s readability, keyword usage, and overall SEO performance.
• Readability Analysis: Yoast SEO evaluates the readability of your content using the Flesch Reading Ease score and provides suggestions for improving it, such as sentence length, paragraph structure, and use of subheadings.
• Breadcrumb Navigation: The plugin enables you to create and customize breadcrumb navigation for your website, which helps users and search engines better understand your site’s structure.
• XML Sitemaps: Yoast SEO automatically generates an XML sitemap for your website, ensuring search engines can easily index your content.
• Schema Markup: The plugin adds structured data to your website, improving the way search engines understand and display your content in search results.
• Canonical URLs: Yoast SEO helps you prevent duplicate content issues by automatically adding canonical URLs to your pages and posts.
• Title and Meta Description Templates: The plugin allows you to create customizable templates for your title and meta description tags, ensuring consistency and optimal character length.
• Social Media Integration: Yoast SEO enables you to control how your content appears when shared on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter by customizing Open Graph and Twitter Card metadata.
• Internal Linking Suggestions: The plugin helps you improve your site’s structure by providing suggestions for internal linking opportunities based on your content.
• Redirect Manager: Yoast SEO includes a built-in redirect manager that helps you easily create and manage redirects, ensuring a smooth user experience and minimizing the impact of broken links on your site’s SEO.
• Import and Export: The plugin allows you to import and export your Yoast SEO settings, making it easy to apply your preferred configuration across multiple websites or migrate to a new WordPress installation.
• Multilingual Support: Yoast SEO is compatible with popular multilingual plugins, ensuring your multilingual website is optimized for search engines.
• Integration with Google Search Console: The plugin connects your website with Google Search Console, allowing you to view important crawl errors and indexing issues directly from your WordPress dashboard.
• Content Insights: Yoast SEO provides insights into your content’s most frequent words and phrases, helping you understand your content and identify potential keyword opportunities.

15 More Essential WordPress Plugins

In the ever-evolving landscape of website creation, your toolkit can be the key to a seamless experience. Embark on a journey with us as we unveil the top 20 WordPress plugins that can transform your site into a digital powerhouse.

1. Elementor: Breathe life into your vision with Elementor. This advanced drag-and-drop builder offers an extensive range of templates, making website customization a breeze. Unlock limitless creativity and design possibilities with this plugin.
2. Contact Form 7: Stay connected with your audience using Contact Form 7. This plugin enables you to create and manage multiple contact forms, ensuring your audience can reach you whenever they need to.
3. WooCommerce: Elevate your online store with WooCommerce. It’s a comprehensive e-commerce plugin that provides complete control to sell anything, anywhere. From payments and shipping to inventory management, it’s an e-commerce game-changer.
4. Jetpack: Supercharge your WordPress site with Jetpack. This plugin offers an array of features from performance enhancements to automated social media posting, making it a one-stop solution for your website’s needs.
5. Smush: Ensure crisp and fast-loading images with Smush. This plugin compresses and optimizes your images without compromising quality, boosting your website’s performance.
6. Akismet: Keep the conversation clean with Akismet. This anti-spam plugin examines and filters out any potential spam comments, keeping your website’s discussion area pleasant and relevant.
7. Broken Link Checker: Maintain your website’s credibility with Broken Link Checker. This plugin monitors and detects any broken links or missing images, ensuring a seamless user experience.
8. Google XML Sitemaps: Streamline the way search engines understand your website with Google XML Sitemaps. This plugin generates a sitemap, helping search engines to index your site more efficiently.
9. Gravity Forms: Create impressive forms with Gravity Forms. This plugin offers a plethora of form-building options and integrations, empowering you to build complex, powerful forms with ease.
10. MonsterInsights: Get valuable insights with MonsterInsights. This Google Analytics plugin allows you to understand your audience better, enabling you to make data-driven decisions for your website.
11. TablePress: Showcase your data effectively with TablePress. This plugin allows you to create and manage tables with ease, presenting your data in a visually appealing manner.
12. MailChimp for WordPress: Grow your mailing list with MailChimp for WordPress. This plugin seamlessly integrates with your site, allowing you to gather and manage your subscribers efficiently.
13. Redirection: Manage 301 redirects and monitor 404 errors with Redirection. This plugin ensures your site runs smoothly, preventing any potential issues caused by changed URLs.
14. WPML: Go global with WPML. This multilingual plugin allows you to translate your website into multiple languages, reaching a broader audience.
15. All in One SEO Pack: Boost your search engine visibility with the All in One SEO Pack. This powerful plugin offers a comprehensive suite of SEO tools, enabling you to optimize your website for maximum exposure.

In the vast ocean of WordPress plugins, the ones listed above are essential buoys guiding your journey. These power-packed tools simplify your tasks and offer an improved user experience, driving your website to the pinnacles of success.

Other Recommended Plugins

• Better Search & Replace: This is an excellent tool that we use to search and replace text and URL’s within the WordPress database. For example, this tool can be used to replace all instances of a HEX color code when redesigning your site.
• Caldera Forms Purchased by Ninja Forms: This is our favorite form builder. It has tons of useful features and allows you to build both simple and complex forms easily.
• Newsletter: Add a newsletter to your website using this WordPress plugin. This is a great way to stay in touch with visitors to your site.
• Font Awesome 4 Menus: This plugin allows you to add font icons to your menu, just like you see here on our site. The great thing about this plugin is once it is installed you will have the ability to add the icons anywhere on your site using the code found at http://fontawesome.io/icons/
• My Privacy Policy and Terms Generator: A plugin that does exactly what its name says, it allows you to easily add a privacy policy and terms of services page to your site. Every website should include both of these pages. The “My Privacy Policy and Terms Generator” Plugin for WordPress is offered by My Island Designs, the site owner. Visit the WordPress Website Design Plugins for Web Designers page to view this and other plugins we offer, which are available only on this website.

Final Thoughts on Essential Plugins for WordPress Websites

A fast and secure site is crucial if you want to be found on major search engines like Google and Bing, and the essential WordPress plugins listed in this article can help. It is also vital to any marketing campaign since visitors are unlikely to wait for a slow site to load, and first impressions are just as important online as offline. Creating great content wastes your time if your visitors never see it, so follow the links below to test your site.

Summary

1. Only Download Plugins from WordPress.org.
2. Secure Your Site With a Reputable Plugin.
3. Install Performance Plugins to Improve Page Speed.
4. Test Your Site Using Google PageSpeed & Pingdom Tools.