Install Essential Plugins
I have tried and tested many WordPress plugins. However, this process is not a one-time process. Every now and then, you need to remove the outdated plugin and pick another plugin that offers a better feature to let your blog grow.
I understand that searching for the right plugins is not an easy task. But don’t worry I have created a list of plugins that I use on my blog to make your work easy.
Let me the list of basic must-have WordPress plugins to start with based on my experience and research.
Do remember, these are all basic must-have plugins to start with. Apart from this, there are many plugins available to make your work easy. I will publish a detailed article regarding that later.
I would suggest you not add so many plugins which lessen your website loading speed. So start with these basic plugins and later on, you can add additional plugins one by one according to your need.
Make sure to bookmark this page and keep checking to see the updated list of plugins.
Recommended Plugins
- RankMath: It is a free SEO plugin that helps you to optimize your content for higher rankings. I would recommend using Rank Math, as it offers many more features than Yoast SEO.
- Jetpack: This is a multi-purpose free WordPress plugin. It contains many features like stats, a contact form, a social sharing button, etc, and many more.
- Akismet: It is useful in handling spam comments.
- WPRocket/ W3 Total Cache: It is a cache plugin that makes your posts and pages load faster.W3 Total Cache plugin is free and WP Rocket is a premium plugin.
- Shortpixel: This plugin compresses images without degrading their quality which helps in faster loading.
- UpdraftPlus: It is one of the popular WordPress backup plugins. It comes in both free and paid versions. It provides all the features to back up your WordPress blog.
- WPForms: It helps to create forms easily using the drag and drop method. (For example, Contact Form)
- Easy Table Of Content: This plugin displays a table of content in your WordPress posts and pages.
- Share Buttons: It is an advanced plugin for integrating social media share buttons.
Get Ready With Images
Images play an important role in your website. Without images, your readers will be bored of seeing a flood of text. It does not only help you to break up the long blocks of text but is also visually appealing for readers and conveys the message quickly.
Apart from blog posts, you may need a few images for the home page, about page, etc before launching your blog.
If you are good at Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. you can design your own images. For Beginners, who have no idea about Photoshop or Illustrator, I would suggest you start with Canva.
Canva is a free graphic design platform. You can easily design images, and videos for your blogs, social media, etc. You don’t need any prior knowledge for this.
There are many advantages of designing your own images. The best one is, that you don’t need to worry about copyrights.
Also, there are many websites available to download your free images. Some of them are,
But Wait!!
You can’t just use any image from the Internet for your blog. You have to use the images that are legally allowed to use on your blog.
Sometimes, It is required to give credit to the creator of the image or the website where you got it.so please check.
Unsplash or Pixabay provides good quality free images that you can use without having to attribute anything to the owner of the image.
Social Media Pages
Social media plays an important role in your blog traffic. List out all social media you are going to link with your blog and create pages for your blog.
