I’m pretty sure I know why you’re using WordPress to run your blog or website.
It’s because of plugins.
To date, there are 55,752 available WordPress plugins available for download. Most are free while some have trial versions.
However:
All of them can help boost your site’s performance and conversion.
You can download as many plugins as you please. But it doesn’t mean that you should do so.
In fact, downloading unnecessary plugins can slow down your site and threaten your security.
To help tighten the security of your WordPress site and clean up its clutter, you need to
simplify, simplify, simplify!
By using the bare minimum plugins for your WordPress site, you can boost your site’s performance while maintaining its quality.
To achieve this, here are the only five types of WordPress plugins you need to use.
1. WordPress Security Plugins
This type of plugin tops the list because your site’s safety is a priority.
You need to protect your site from malware and malicious attackers, which is precisely what a security plugin does.
It alerts you of any abnormal activities and gives you the opportunity to intervene before the problem escalates or even begins at all.
You need this type of plugin because you’re not safe from cyber attacks.
To get the best protection, you’d want to go with one of the best security plugins, and that is Wordfence.
Not only is it among the best in its department, but it’s also the most popular one. It features a malware scanner and an endpoint firewall that abides by the latest firewall rules and malware signatures.
2. List Building
According to Salesforce, email marketing has an average ROI rate of 3,800%.
To put things into perspective:
Every $1 you spend on this channel, you reap $38.
Crazy, isn’t it?
Of course, the rewards depend on the number of your subscribers, as well as the quality of your emails.
But this remains true: email marketing is a gold mine.
So from early on, start collecting email addresses with the help of a list building plugin.
Not only will it make the collection process easier for you, but it will also allow you to make eye-popping forms.
And you’d want that because the more attractive your forms are, the more signups you get.
Lucky for you, there are lots of list building plugins to choose from. Get one that matches your site well.
3. SEO WordPress Plugins
You’d want to implement SEO to further drive traffic to your website or blog. If done correctly, it can land you on the first page of Google.
If you play your cards right, it can even help you earn the all-elusive first spot!
So what’s the fuzz about ranking on top of Google search, you ask?
It’s because the first result generates 32.5% of overall clicks.
For every 1,000 searches your target keyword generates, you get at least 32 clicks to your site every month! That’s not bad!
When it comes to using SEO plugins, Yoast SEO happens to be one of the best.
With it, you get a powerful kit that allows you to gauge keyword usage, edit meta descriptions, and more. Since 2008, it’s responsible for the success of millions of sites.
4. Contact Form
The plugins mentioned above help you protect your website and reach out to as many people as you can. While all these factors are important, nothing is as crucial as building relationships with your readers.
That’s what contact plugins are for!
Some of your readers want to talk to you and express their reactions to your posts or send in their questions your way.
Using a contact form plugin, you bridge the gap that exists between you and your readers.
Sure, you could leave your phone number in case your visitors would want to have a word. But a phone number is practically useless if you can’t talk on the phone at the exact moment your visitors need you.
And yes, you also have the option of leaving your email address. They can reach you any time via email.
But if you do that, you’re somehow inviting spammers to do what they do best: scrape it and send you inappropriate messages.
So nope. A contact form is better.
All they need to do is fill out the embedded form on your contact page and receive their messages straight to your inbox.
There’s no substitute for the reachability and availability it offers.
I recommend you to use Contact Form 7 to build contact forms for your site. It’s one of the longest contact form plugins available which makes it one of the best.
You can create as many forms with different entries as you want and embed them on any part of your site using their shortcodes.
5. Caching Plugin
When it comes to websites, no one likes slow-loading sites!
In fact, if a site takes more than 5 seconds to load, 22.2% of initial visitors leave.
To counter this problem, you need to use a caching plugin.
What it does is save the data from your site to the visitors’ browsers. So whenever visitors return to your site, their browsers will load content locally, instead of fetching content from the server each time.
A tool like WP Rocket is one of the best caching plugins.
Apart from page caching, it features database optimization, concatenation, and more! It’s one of the best, and it’s easy to set up.
Conclusion
The best WordPress sites are those that practice restraint and maximize its resources. As the saying goes, “less is more.”
I know the temptation of downloading lots of plugins. But given the risks each plugin poses, it’s best to limit your plugins to the fewest possible.
Therefore, you can’t go wrong with the five types of WordPress plugins mentioned above!
I’ve suggested some of the best types of WordPress plugins for round out your site. However, the beauty with plugins is there are alternatives for you to choose from.
So don’t worry if you’re not comfortable with the recommended ones above. By doing your own research, you’ll find the best ones that jive well with your site!