The WordPress plugins archive has over 51 000 plugins and grows daily – and that total doesn’t include the array of paid plugins that are also available. There are lots of fantastic WordPress plugins, but I find myself coming back to a number of reliable plugins for the majority of the sites I produce.
Here are my top 10 plugins, in alphabetical order:
Advanced Custom Fields
I use this WordPress plugin constantly to customize the WordPress experience for custom post types. Advanced Custom Fields makes it easy and user-friendly to add custom fields to any post type.
I love this one so much I bought a PRO license.
Enable Media Replace
When it comes to document management in WordPress, I prefer replacing a document instead of having multiple versions on the Internet. This plugin lets you replace any item in the Media area of WordPress and avoid stale information.
Events Made Easy
There are lots of events plugins in WordPress, but this one is my favourite because of its flexibility and reliability. Events Made Easy even lets you create paid events and manage RSVP lists.
I’ve also had excellent support from the plugin developer when experiencing a very unusual bug.
Google Analytics for WordPress
Originally a plugin by Yoast, Google Analytics for WordPress is now owned by MonsterInsights.The basic version of the plugin has been enough for all of my clients, though there is a paid version that provides additional functionality.
This is an easy, reliable way to collect Google Analytics data about your website and view it within WordPress.
Get Google Analytics for WordPress
Gravity Forms
Though not free, Gravity Forms is a powerful way to create custom forms. It’s so easy to use that my clients create their own forms and notifications with a small amount training.
There’s very little I haven’t been able to accomplish when it comes to a web form created with Gravity Forms.There are plenty of integrations and extra plugins to expand Gravity Forms, too.
Redirection
Redirection lets you create 301 redirects right in WordPress. The ability to create redirects with regular expressions has literally saved me days of work – no exaggeration.
Social Networks Auto-Poster
Once you write a post, it’s time to share it … what if that could happen automatically instead of signing into each site? That’s the magic of Social Networks Auto-Poster! With the ability to share to over 30 social sharing sites, this plugin can save a lot of time.
Get Social Networks Auto-Poster
WooCommerce
eCommerce and WordPress had a strained relationship until WooCommerce came along. I still can’t believe this is a free plugin, given the store plugins I’ve paid for that have not come close to the ease of use of WooCommerce.
WP All Import Pro
This plugin is more of a developer tool than an end-user tool, but it makes the list for being a reliable way to import information into WordPress, including thousands of products into WooCommerce.
Yoast SEO
There are plenty of SEO plugins for WordPress, but I think Yoast’s is the most usable and reliable of the lot. Its unique grading system has been a lot of help to my clients who are trying to figure out search engine optimization.
There’s also an additional plugin to make Yoast SEO work with your Advanced Custom Fields.
