Every month, WordPress sites have over 400 million visitors. What started as free software for blogging in 2003, nowadays, attracts the attention of multi-billion dollar companies like Sony Music and Disney.
Since you’re here, you probably already have a WordPress website that you need to tweak for better functionality or to make it look better. Thankfully, there are over 50,000 WordPress paid and free plugins online at your disposal to spice things up for your site.
If you’re a WordPress website designer, you could do with a few plugins to improve your client’s site. However, with the myriad of plugins available today, it might be difficult to find the best plugins for a particular WordPress site.
You’ve stumbled on the right piece to guide you through finding the best plugins.
Read on to learn more about seven of the best WordPress plugins to consider for your website design
1. Jetpack
There’s something about Jetpack that gives it an edge over other plugins. Jetpack generally does everything better, and it’s kind of hard to pin down what exactly makes Jetpack stand out. Possibly it could be its versatility that makes it a must-have for anyone looking to improve their WordPress site.
Jetpack can enhance site performance, optimize your site’s appearance, grow your site’s traffic, and boost its security too. It is basically the father of all WordPress plugins with all you need for a perfect WordPress site.
What’s more, the team behind Jetpack is the same team that’s behind WordPress. So don’t expect any glitches or crashes with Jetpack. Also, it means that Jetpack works seamlessly with whatever update WordPress rolls out.
Once you download Jetpack, you don’t have to worry about any extra payments, but for Jetpack premium, you have to pay $9 every month.
2. Yoast
If you’re a WordPress veteran, you’ve probably heard about or already have Yoast. It’s an incredible WordPress plugin and sits right at the top with the likes of Jetpack among the best WordPress plugins.
Yoast is an incredible SEO tool to help your site’s ranking on SERPs. It has everything you need for an effective SEO strategy. Some of its features include tools for metatags optimization, image optimization, and content optimizations, among others.
If you have a problem with traffic influx, then Yoast is the app for you. Yoast is free to download, but you can settle for the premium version, which costs $89.
3. Beaver Builder
Beaver builder is a top contender for the best WordPress page builder plugin. With Beaver Builder, you can make your website look stunning without breaking a sweat. That’s because Beaver Builder is a simple drag and drop website builder.
You don’t have to know any coding language to use Beaver Builder. Plus, you can keep your current WordPress theme while building your site, and you can see the results of your hard work right away.
Because of its simplicity, Beaver Builder is an ideal plugin for any WordPress user or website designer because it’s easy to use, fast, and very efficient. However, the plugin comes in handy for those who don’t have any prior experience with website building.
Beaver Builder will cost you $99 for the standard version and $199 for the pro. If you’re working on a business site, then you should consider the agency version, which costs about $400.
4. Slider
It’s a common problem for first-time website designers or site owners to stuff web pages with content. On the surface, it seems like a good move because you’re giving your visitors as much as they can take in. However, too much content can be bad for your page loading speeds.
Slider solves the problem of too much content by slowly supplying the text, images, and feed so as not to affect page loading speeds. The plugin can achieve this by using slideshows, transitions, or other methods. So if you’re having trouble with page loading speeds, then you should consider Slider.
5. WordPress Mush
A site without pretty images is not worth the visit. That’s why you need your site or your client’s site to have relevant quality images. However, be careful that you don’t overdo it and have too many images on the site.
Too many images also slow your website down. However, WP Mush will resize the images enough to maintain quality and not to hurt your site’s loading speed.
6. Envira Gallery
Envira Gallery is a super responsive gallery plugin for WordPress. What makes it better than the WordPress galleries is the plugins focus on aesthetics and visuals.
Envira Gallery has stunning templates, structures, and a simple drag and drop features for ease of use. Depending on the version of this plugin, expect to pay 290 for the standard version and $299 for the agency version.
7. Ultimate Social
This plugin lets you post to multiple social media profiles in an instant. That way, you don’t have to log in to all your social media accounts to post or share your texts or images.
Some Plugins Are Almost Mandatory for a WordPress Website Designer
Any WordPress website designer or site owner worth their name should have at least five of the plugins mentioned above. These plugins are all you need for a great WordPress site since they cover all aspects of website design.
If you’re an amateur website designer, it’s okay to get help with some of these plugins. Also, if you want value for your many, you should consider going premium for the paid apps. Doing so is almost always worth it.
For more insightful reads, be sure to check out our other articles on the site.
