Our Best WordPress Plugins and Why!
My Favorite Blogging Buddy, Simply Stacie is running her “Build a Better Blog Week” right now. Along with great Blogging giveaways (new site designs, free blog counseling sessions), Stacie is also posting great content that you can use to improve your blog. The best one for this week so far by Stacie is My Favourite Plugins (That Don’t Break My Blog) I highly recommend you go read it!
With Stacie’s approval for blatantly stealing her idea, I will now offer you my Best (Blonde) WordPress Plugins Plug-ins!
Reader Plugins
CommentLuv
- Where you can see it on the blog: At the bottom of a comment or when you are commenting.
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Comment Luv
- Function: Plugin to show a link to the last post from the commenters blog by parsing the feed at their given URL when they leave a comment. Rewards your readers and encourage more comments.
LinkWithin Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: At the end of each post, 4 thumbnail pictures and links to that post. Highly effective way to get clickthrough to new stories!
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or LinkWithin
- Function: Displays recommended stories and associated thumbnails from your blog
ReplyMe
- Where you can see it on the blog: Invisible to viewer
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or ReplyMe
- Function: This Plugin sends an email to a commenter automatically when I reply to his comment. That way a commenter is sure to know you replied!
SEO/Analytics Plugins
All in One SEO (AIOSEO) Pack Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: Invisible to viewer
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or All in one SEO Pack
- Function: Out-of-the-box SEO for your WordPress blog. Almost everyone uses it…here is a great tutorial on how to set it up on your Blog : The BEST All in One SEO Pack Configuration How to Guide AIOSEO
Google Analytics Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: Invisible to user
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Google Analytics
- Function:Enables Google Analytics on all pages.
Socialize Plugins
Easy Facebook Like Button Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: At the bottom of a Blog post
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu
- Function: The simplest way to add Facebook Like Buttons to your WordPress blog. One click setup and start getting Facebook likes for posts on your blog.
TweetMeme Retweet Button
- Where you can see it on the blog: My TweetMeme button is in the top right hand corner of each blog post.
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or TweetMeme
- Function: WordPress Plugin that adds a button which easily lets you retweet your blog posts.
Stumble Me
- Where you can see it on the blog: My Stumble me button is in the top right hand corner of each blog post.
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Stumble Me
- Function: WordPress Plugin that allows your visitors to share your posts to Stumble Upon. This plugin displays stumble icon at the top right hand side of beginning of each post. Total Stumble views of that post are also shown.
Socialize
- Where you can see it on the blog: My Socialize are in the lighter Pink box below my LinkWithin Plugin on each Blogpost
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or SOCIALIZE
- Function: This Plugin adds actionable social bookmarking buttons to your site!
Blog Enhancing Plugins
Ad Squares Widget Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: On my Right hand sidebar
- Where You can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Ad Squares Widget
- Function: The Ad Squares Widget makes it possible for you to display 125×125 ad squares ( or some other configurable size ad, advertisement, banner ) into a widget-ready bar for WordPress®. It supports AdSense®, Javascript, XHTML and more. You can display 4 from each widget. You can have multiple widgets in your sidebar.
AnyFont Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: Headings in Right Hand Sidebar (match my banner)
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or AnyFont
- Function: AnyFont allows you to use any truetype or opentype font for post titles, menu items or anywhere else you want to use a custom font on your site.
Collapsing Archives
- Where you can see it on the blog: Right Hand Sidebar. Many Designers recommend that you take archives off of your front page and/or create a separate page and keep the Archives there. I like this plugin as it collapses your archives all the way down to just years but if a reader (or You) want to find something on the blog like a giveaway or tip–and search just isn’t helping, then it’s nice to have this tool available. It’s especially convenient for me, it’s my blog and it stays. TEEHEE!
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Collapsing Archives Plugin
- Function: Allows WP users to expand and collapse archive links like Blogger.
Real WYSIWYG Plugin
- Where you can see it on the blog: Invisible to viewer
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Real WYSIWYG Plugin
- Function: Turn the TinyMCE Visual Editor in to a real WYSIWYG editor. (What You see is what you get)
Shockingly Simple Favicon
- Where you can see it on the blog: You will see a tiny picture of my Still Blonde head in the Toolbar tab when you are on my page or have a Tab open to my page
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or Shockingly Simple Favicon
- Function: Most Professional websites and Blogs have a favicon and you should too!
WP Maintenance Mode
- Where you can see it on the blog: Not visible to visitor unless in the you the blogger are performing Maintenance Mode
- Where you can get it: Searching in your Plugins menu or WP Maintenance Mode
- Function: The plugin adds a splash page to your blog that lets visitors know your blog is down for maintenance. Logged in users get full access to the blog including the front-end, depends of the settings.
What is your Favorite WordPress Plugin that I should know about?
Did you find a new Plug-in that you can’t live without?
Could you smack the LIKE button and kinda thank me?
Blog Note: No compensation was provided by anyone for this Best Wordpress Plugins post. The Chief Blonde just wanted to share her favorite Word Press Plugins.
Awesome list! I’m adding Reply Me, Shockingly Simple Favicon, and reas WYSIWYG. Thanks!!!
I posted a list myself not too long ago. Check it out.
Great tips! I use some of those.
I stumbled you. My post is booksyourkidswilllove.blogspot.com/2011/05/jane-jones-worst-vampire-ever.html
This is, by far, the best plugin post I’ve ever seen. Love the plugins you listed and especially enjoyed the format you used so folks can see what they look like (if avaliable) and what they do. This is not only going to make it into my next Tips Tuesday post, it’s going to be at the top and in the newsletter. Plus, there are a couple on here that I haven’t tried and will be doing that pronto.
One of my faves, that’s not already on the list, is a premium plugin called BackupBuddy. Most backup plugins only get the database. This one gets your theme, plugins, and settings too. And it now comes with a malware site scanner. Well worth paying for.
MaAnna, Thanks so much for your high praise. As I said, I got the idea from Simply Stacie. Take a look hers too!
The Chief Blonde
Great post! I am new to wordpress, so I have a lot of research to do. I love the convenience of “and the winner is” for giveaways.
Hi Natalie,
I will have to check out “And the winner is”
The Chief BLonde!
Stumbled you! My link is mamamommymom.com/2011/05/pan-seared-chicken-with-honey-mustard.html
Jamie @
Hi Jamie,
I am coming over to stumble you now. THanks!
The Chief Blonde!
Thanks for the list. I tried commentluv and linkwithin. I might try the rest…
I stumbled you, please stumble on my post, Moles Linked to Delayed Ageing
Yannie, I am coming over to stumble you right now!
The Chief BLonde!
Thanks for the tips…now that I’m on WordPress, I need all the help I can get!
Stumbled you! My post is:
keenlykristin.com/2011/05/the-summer-of-kristin-happy-birthday-rock-roll/
Hi Kristin,
COming over to stumble you now! Thanks for stumbling mine.
The CHief BLonde!
This is a great list!! I was looking for the ad square widget plugin. I will definetely try it.
I love the Comment Luv and All In One Seo Pack. Traffic increased since I put them.
thanks so much for this list.
I stumbled it from STT.
Have a great week
Dear Olfa,
Thanks for your sweet compliments. I am coming over right now to stumble back.
The Chief Blonde!
Wow that’s a lot of information, I think I was un aware about all of these.
You have been stumbled
Hi Mindie,
Coming over to stumble you now. Thanks for Stumbling me.
The Chief BLonde!
Great post! I stumbled this post and shared with my friends! Here’s my post – marvelousmommy.com/2011/05/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cupcakes-with-cookie-dough-buttercream-frosting/
Hi Marvelous,
I came over, stumbled and Posted. WHO WOULDN”T with that awesome recipe???? Thanks. Please keep Particpating with awesome content like this>
The Chief Blonde
Ad Squares can actually hold 8 in each widget, I use that one too. So easy! I also like WP-Footnotes and Dynamic Headers by Nicasio Design.
Thanks for the info Missy!
The Chief Blonde