Simple Free WordPress Plugins All WordPress Newcomers Should Know About
WordPress is supposedly the content management system that makes it easy for anyone to create their own website. For people without a tech savvy background however even getting WordPress up and running can be a chore in itself.
Although there are thousands of awesome WordPress plugins available the better they are the more complicated (and expensive) they likely will be. Fortunately the are some free options available that you may or may bot be aware of.
If you’re someone who doesn’t what to invest a lot of time learning WordPress (or hiring a freelance web developer) here are the simplest FREE WordPress plugins designed to make your life easier…
1. Backing Up Your Website – All In One WordPress Migration
Backing up your website can be one of the biggest pains in the a#@ for all WordPress developers, especially if you are attempting to do it manually. All In One WordPress migration was originally created to help website owners transfer their WordPresss sites from one domain to an other. To our delight however it also offers a handy backup feature which allows you to save and restore your website at any time. Better yet you can also instantly save a copy to your desktop computer, FTP server or Dropbox account as well.
2. SEO Setup & Performance – Yoast SEO
When creating any WordPress website optimizing your pages for SEO is critical to performing well in Google and other search engines. Yoast SEO allows you to easily add keywords, titles and meta tags to each page of your website without adding your own meta tags. Everything is displayed at once with one easy interface so you can compare your keyword data easily on screen.
3. Online Submission Forms – Ninja Forms
It’s rare a website doesn’t need an online form nowadays, whether it’s a simple contact form or a request for an online quote. Setting up forms the old fashioned way (through HTML and PHP coding) use to be tedious, with Ninja Forms however it’s a breeze. Ninja Forms offers a simple drag and drop interface with preset fields you can easily add or delete to each form you create.
4. Adjust The Order Of Pages Or Post – Simple Page Ordering
Have you ever wanted to adjust the order of your posts or pages in your blog and wondered why there is no easy way to do this? Trying to do this manually can be a real hassle so their is an easy fix with Simple Page Ordering. Once activated you can easily rearrange the order of any page or post with a simple drag and drop feature.
5. Make a Copy of the Same Page Or Post – Duplicate Post
If you’ve created a nice page in Wordpress and don’t want to make it over again Duplicate Post does the trick. This plugin allows you to duplicate any page or post within your website with a simple click. This is a feature you figure would come with any WordPress theme but often doesn’t to people’s frustration.
6. Page Breaks & Spacing – Spacer
Formatting your web pages can still be one of the trickier parts of developing in WordPress. Spacer allows you to add as much or as little space between each line, paragraph or header of your website. This allows you to get rid of some of the awkward spacing that makes websites uglier, still one of our favourite plugins to date.
7. Add Columns To WordPress Layout – Columns Shortcodes
If you ever wanted to divide the content of your website pages into various columns this is the plugin for you. Columns Shortcodes easily allows you to add as many columns as you want with one simple shortcode. Column layouts will be mobile friendly and will function properly in all major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Safari).
8. Photo Gallery or Portfolio – Envira Gallery
The are a ton of photo gallery plugins available on WordPress, some that work better than others. One of your best free options is Envira gallery because of how easy it is to add images or create multiple galleries at once. Envira gallery is very simple to use and looks much better than a free plugin often should. The plugin also allows you to add titles and descriptions to each photo.
9. Social Media Sharing – Cresta Social Share Counter
Its great to give your website visitors the option to share your best content through social media. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram any good website will offer this feature. One of the best free social sharing plugins is called Cresta Social Share which easily allows you to add attractive social buttons to all your website pages.
Optimize Page Images – WP Smush
Reducing the file size of your images is one of the best ways to improve the load time of your website. Luckily there is a plugin that does the work for you with impressive results. WP Smush optimizes all of your images in bulk with a single click. Better yet the quality of each image is not sacrificed in the process.
Jeff Moyer – Advance Web Solutions Owner
Jeff is a Calgary Web Developer, SEO expert and internet marketing specialist. He has over 10 years experience in the digital marketing industry being featured in several high profile newspapers and online blogs. To contact Jeff regarding his services or with any other inquiries visit us online or call (403) 374-2727
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10 Free WordPress Plugins Any Beginner Should Be Aware Of