WordPress plugins are bits of software that can be uploaded to extend and expand the functionality of your WordPress site.
The beauty of WordPress is that even if you’re not technically minded, it doesn’t take too long to get yourself started and create a blog. Also, plugins makes your blogging life easier.
In this post, I have given 6 recommended WordPress plugins you should consider installing on your new blog. However, you should know that the more the plugins you install the slower your blog/website becomes so be careful.
6 WordPress Plugins to Install On a New Blog
Note: In the download page of each plugin, there’s always an “how-to-setup” tab. For example for the first plugin here you can learn how to use it here.
1AccessPress Social Share
AccessPress Social Share is a Free WordPress plugin to allow anyone easily share website content (page, posts, image, media) on major social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Digg ) by the use of the latest APIs on your website!
A perfect plugin to make any content on your website social-share-friendly, and increase your social reach dramatically!
2TinyMCE Advanced
If you find that there are too few features when you write an article? This plugin is for you: it adds a new range of features to choose from to best lay out your valuable content.
I use this plugin to add colors to my font. For example, the download button was hyperlinked and given that blue color with the Tiny MCE advanced plugin. Just highlight first, then pick a color.
3Akismet
Akismet checks your comments and contact form submissions to prevent your site from publishing malicious content. You can review the comment spam it catches on your blog’s “Comments” admin screen.
At first, when you don’t have visits, there are also no comments at this time it is not necessarily useful.
But when one day, you log and discover twenty comments with suspicious links, which really are probably for advertising for products (probably fake). You might need to install it.
4Disqus
Disqus is the web’s most popular commenting system trusted by millions of publishers to increase reader engagement, grow audience and traffic, and monetize content.
The Disqus for WordPress plugin lets you and developers easily add Disqus to your sites, replacing the default WordPress comment system.
5Contact Form 7
This plugin quickly helps you set up a contact form to receive messages from your blog visitors. It supports CAPTCHA and Akismet spam filtering, so your mailbox isn’t flood with spam.
There is nothing much more to the plugin, it just functions and that’s all you’ll need to start out. And with this contact form people will be able to get in touch with you.
We use Contact Form 7 on Oasdom as well and a sample contact form can be found here
6Google Analytics by Yoast
Having an analytics solution in place is key to understand your visitors’ behavior.
With Google Analytics by Yoast you can check the most important performance indicators for your site directly from the WordPress dashboard. It also has one of the easiest setups
There you go. 6 free WordPress Plugins to install. However, that doesn’t mean you have to or install all of them. Pick what seems useful, test it and keep it if it makes sense.
How can you install a WordPress plugin? Learn the 2 ways to do that here.
Want to add to the list? Use the comment box below.
Hi Oasdom, thanks for the lessons. I have really learnt alot lately from you.
I have some questions please:
1. does the theme of a website affects its loading speed?
2. what’s the impact of servers on loading speed?
3. Whether shared or dedicated, which hosting company can you recommend for optimal loading speed?
Thanks for your always useful answers.
Hi Ken, thanks for your comments and questions.
1. Yes, it affects. That’s why you have to go for a theme that’s popular, highly reviewed and frequently updated. A good example is Divi theme, made by elegantthemes.
2. Generally, a slow server affects the blog/site speed. So a hosting company with fast server, and 99% up time is what you should go for.
3. I’ll recommend Bluehost (they have both dedicated and shared hosting packages. As the name dedicated shows, you’re in for a fast server and site speed experience.) Also, Namecheap. Namecheap is so cheap for Nigerians, with great customer service, cheap fees and without compromising quality.
Hi Oasdom, i enjoyed every step of ur lesson, u are the best, but my question is this; after buying domain name, hosting, posting contents and started getting traffics etc. how do i make money into my bank account? please answer this question for me is very important, i have been trying so hard for u to answer my question these days. Am looking forward to Ur response. thank u.
Hi Shaibu, thanks for your comment in here. I guess I’ve tried to reply through mail.
I have always said it Shaibu, No one should start a blog for the sole purpose of making money. Your blog must solve people’s problems, create value, present solutions to the needs of your target audience. Then you’ll be amazed, people will pay you for your work, for value you presents and solutions (in form of products and services) you present. All these tips are strategies have been covered in our online marketing article series. Keep an eye on your email and I’ll send this out (that’s if you haven’t gone through it already
Hi
This article/lessons have been so amazing and i have learnt quite a lot of things thanks so much.
My question is, after downloading the plugins will you have to pay for each and every one of it before you configure?
My 2nd question is, is it adviceable to pay for your blog themes and plugins before writing and publishing context on your blog or should you publish quite a number of context before purchasing themes and probably plugins.
Awaits your your reply
Thanks
Hi Lifestyle, first let me say thanks for your comment and for following the course till the lesson.
After downloading plugins, you don’t need to pay for each before you activate/configure them. Unless you’re going for a premium plugin where you have to pay before you download it at all.
For the second question, the decision is all yours. There are cool free themes out there and there are premium themes also. But installing a theme without having any content won’t give you a detailed display of your contents unless you download some demo contents of the theme you intend to install.
I’ll advice you have at least 6 to 7 blog posts before installing either free or premium themes.
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