Beyond getting into very specific individual needs or requirements most sites don’t need a whole lot but there are two plugins every site needs to have installed. These 2 plugins are packed full of features that you can control to a somewhat granular level. What’s even better about these is that they are free.
JetPack
JetPack in a few words is a miracle worker. JetPack is what provides site statistics, automates social network publication, security enhancements, site enhancements and a few SEO must haves.
Social Network Publication
If you are a blogger JetPack allows you to automatically publish/announce to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tumblr when you publish an article.
Security Enhancements
No longer do you have to disable comments everywhere which also disables a huge key in SEO which is user engagement. JetPack in conjunction with Akismet will automatically block suspicious activity and spam riddled comments.
Site Enhancements
JetPack has a feature to speed up site images and take the load off your hosting. As an awesome bonus they also include Image Galleries and Sliders as add on features.
Feedback
JetPack delivers another must have which is a Contact Form. Another feature that prevents you from having to source another plugin to meet this need. It doesn’t stop there the Feedback feature also lets you manage your Feedback messages from the Administration Interface.
SEO
In addition to the Social Network publication and Comments enabled using the Security Enhancements JetPack has a few more features to bring to the table. JetPack can create your XML SiteMaps for Search Engine Indexing. If you don’t know what those are we should talk. JetPack can also automatically show related articles below an article. Showing related articles increases the chances of a visitor viewing more of what your site has to offer or User Engagement.
Statistics
If you are anything like me you like knowing that something you took time to create is paying off. How do you know if an article is? Site stats! JetPack tracks site statistics and provides insights to how well your content is doing. Want to know what days of the week, hours of the day and potentially what topics are your most popular? JetPack’s statistics are fantastic for this.
Akismet
Akismet is an anti-spam service that is really good at what it does. Mentioned above JetPack utilizes Akismet for some of its security features. Again I will mention that Spam prevention allows you to turn back on your comments and begin to increase your user engagement.
If you need help with these features or you are interested in having site built and/or hosted or just need a consultation contact us using the form below.
