The top powerful WordPress plugins to use for your website

Congratulations! You’ve finally decided on a hosting platform for your brand-new website. But you may be wondering what’s next.

Let’s get into the top 10 plugins you want to consider using on the backend of your website. 

1. Manage WP or Updraft Plus

A backup plugin is the first plugin you should activate. The last thing you want is to lose all your hard work, especially if you are moving to a new hosting platform later on. 

Obviously, a backup plugin allows it to store a version of your data just in case you need to recover all your work. 

Manage WP has a free version. The downside is that it only backs up your website monthly. If you want a daily backup, you will have to pay a monthly fee of $1.99. 

You can pick and choose what you want for a low monthly fee. It might be worth the investment.

UpdraftPlus is an excellent alternative. You can do a lot with the free version. For instance, you can set a schedule in the settings tab. 

You can set or restore manual backups from previous occasions. Now that you have your backup plugins, it is essential to add a security plugin.

2. Wordfence

Wordfence has a free and paid version. However, the free version gives you more than enough tools to block people trying to access your website or catch malicious activity.

Even though your WordPress hosting provides backup and takes security precautions, it doesn’t hurt to have extra safety measures in place. 

Make sure you update the plugins to keep up with the latest version.

Now that you know the two essential plugins, it’s time to move on to a plugin that blocks spam comments.

3. Akismet anti-spam

There’s nothing worse than logging into your website and seeing a bunch of spam comments. 

Including an anti-spam plugin on the backend will filter out spam comments automatically for you. Consider the Akismet anti-spam plugin as an option to use.

4. Yoast or Rank Math SEO

Even though getting traffic takes time, you can use an SEO plugin to make the process a lot easier for you. 

The Yoast plugin helps you optimize each of your posts. For example, if you have written a post and a paragraph is too long, the Yoast SEO plugin will tell you. 

You’ll know exactly what improvements you should make to give your post the best possible chance at ranking.

Another alternative is Rank Math SEO. The Rank Math SEO plugin highlights focused keywords and provides feedback on what posts need an update.

Yoast and Rank Math SEO have free and premium versions. Choose the one that works best for you.

Next up is selecting an image optimization plugin for your website.

The quicker you can upload your images, the better.

5. Smush

Are you ready to speed up your loading time? Use the plugin Smush, which resizes, converts, and compresses images. 

As a result, you’ll have a faster loading time.

6. Sassy Social Share

After writing your blog post, I know you are going to want to share it. But how can people share your post?

Add a social-sharing plugin.

Use the Sassy social sharing plugin. You can add any social share button and customize it the way you want it.

7. Google Analytics

Throughout your blogging journey, you should keep track of how many people visit your website.

The Google Analytics plugin provides valuable insight by tracking who comes across your website.

You’ll learn who your targeted audience is and create ways to attract more traffic. 

8. Pretty links

Speaking of attractions, you don’t want to use a long URL in a post.

Pretty Links is a plugin that can shorten, track, and manage URLs on or off a WordPress website.

On top of that, you’ll gain insight into where that click came from.

9. Lasso or Affiliatable

Since I’m on the topic of affiliate links, you are going to want to promote certain products using an image and description.

The lasso plugin will monitor each affiliate link that you display on your site.

Don’t want to break the bank or have no room in the budget?

Try the superb alternative plugin known as affiliatable. Simply google affiliatable and click on affiliatable.io.

Sign up.

Download.

Add it to your WordPress plugins.

Check your email!

Connect the link to your website.

There is a lot you can do with the free version. If you make income from your blogging business, you might upgrade later on.

But the key is to start somewhere that doesn’t put you in debt.