21 WordPress Plugins I Can’t Live Without

I love WordPress.  I love it because I can use it relatively easy.  But what I love about it the most are all the fantastic plugins which are available.

I’m often asked which plugins I use so today I thought I would reveal them here with you.  I use each and every one of these plugins and love them dearly.  Without them my blog wouldn’t run as smoothly and I wouldn’t get the great results I do get.

So without further ado here are my favourite WordPress plugins:

  1. CommentLuv Premium  One of my favourite plugins.  (Check out a full review here).  A great way to give back to people who take the time to comment on your blog.  Comment Luv Premium allows the commenter to link their name, website, Twitter ID and choose which of their latest posts to link back to on the bottom of their comment.
  2. Pop Up Domination  I wrote a review on Pop Up domination here.  Love or hate pop up’s they work and this is a good starting point if you’re looking to build and grow your list.
  3. Scribe SEO  Another one of my favourite plugins that’s really helping me writing my blog and improving my SEO.  You simply write your post and then hit analyze.  Scribe SEO then does it’s magic and comes up with a score out of 100%.  If you don’t get 100% it advises you on how you can improve your blog post to improve your score.  I take great delight when my posts get 100%
  4. WP Subscribers I love WP Subscribers, it’s such a powerful plugin for building a list.  There are so many features including automatically filling out forms with the person’s name and email address, tick box for people to subscribe when they comment on your blog. WP Subscribers is a pop up haven, there are so many different types of pop up’s you can have.  If you’re serious about list building this is a great plugin.
  5. Gravity Forms  Fantastic plugin where you can create web forms and manage their entries.  I use this for my Fan Post Friday form here.
  6. upPrev Previous Post Animated Notification  So many of you have asked what the plugin is that flies out at the bottom of my blog well this is the one!  This is a fabulous plugin that will display a flyout box with a link to the previous post from the same category’s.
  7. Link Within   Very useful plugin that you can see underneath this post.  It displays recommended stories and associated thumbnails from your blog.  Helpful plugin that keeps your visitors on your site for longer.
  8. Ranged Popular Posts Widget  This is a plugin I recently had installed.  It displays my most popular posts based on the amount of comments left.  You can choose which settings you want, mine is on most recent rather than all-time popular posts.  You can see the widget on the right hand side of my blog.
  9. Thank Me Later  Great plugin that sends a thank you email to those who comment on your blog.  (Another plugin that many of you asked about)
  10. Subscribe to comments  Allows readers to receive notifications of new comments that they’ve commented on or are watching.
  11. Genesis Slider  I love my slider plugin.  Genesis Slider allows you to display your features image along with the title and excerpt from each post.
  12. WordPress Editorial Calendar Really useful plugin that allows you to manage and schedule your posts.  I find this useful if I upload several blog posts for the week ahead.
  13. Tweet Old Post  Tweets old posts automatically to your Twitter stream, helps you get traffic to your older posts.
  14. Really Simple Facebook Twitter Share Buttons  There are so many different sharing button plugin’s you can use.  This one isn’t particularly fancy and I would have preferred one that moved up and down with my blog or was at the side but it wasn’t compatible with my site and kept causing problems.  This plugin works well though and if you have a blog you need to have social media sharing buttons on it.
  15. Google Cards  Adds a Google + widget for linking to your Google + profile, shows your number of people in your circles and makes it easy for people to add you to their circles by clicking the button.  This widget is displayed on the right hand side of my blog.
  16. WP GreetBox  Displays a different greeting message to your visitors depending on which site they are coming from.
  17. Fast Secure Contact Form  Useful plugins so your readers can send you email messages, works well with Akismet too.
  18. Secure WordPress Beefs up the security of your blog by removing error information on login pages, adds index.html to plugin directories, and hides the WordPress version plus many more features.
  19. Akismet  One of the most popular anti-spam plugins that checks your comments for spam.  A must if have you have a do-follow blog.
  20. W3 Total Cache  Improves the speed and user experience of your site.
  21. WP Complete Back Up  A plugin that backs up your blog.  It’s last on the list but really should be first – it’s just not very exciting so that’s why it’s at the end of my list!  But if you have a blog make sure you’re backing up…

So there you have it.  My favourite plugins that I couldn’t live without!

What WordPress plugins do you use?  Please do leave a comment and share your favourites and if you’ve found this blog useful I’d love it if you could share it too.

*image credited to teddY-riseD

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About Lilach

Lilach Bullock is passionate about getting tangible results using social media. If you want excellent results, more business and better visibility you can can subscribe to her newsletter.

Comments

  1. I’d offer BackupBuddy as an alternative backup solution. Very comprehensive, it even automates the storage of backup externally. I use it with Amazon S3 to store multiple backups without hogging all my hosting space.
    Colman Carpenter recently posted..Cookies and your websiteMy Profile

  2. Why no mobile plugin? The WP-Touch plugin, this instantly converts your blog into a suitable format for mobile browsers.
    David golf club marketing recently posted..How to fail at golf marketingMy Profile

  3. Claire says:

    Wow! What a comprehensive and useful list! Thanks Lilach! I know you’re a great proponent of pop-ups (you have already persuaded me of their benefits and now there’s even more reason to embrace them!) – Several of these plugins are new to me, and a few have engendered ‘aha’ moments; now I realise that the clever strategies you and other gurus employ are simple plugins!! I will shortly be utilising a lot of these on my own and clients’ websites. =)
    Claire recently posted..5 Twitter Tips to Get You NoticedMy Profile

  4. Marcus T Cox says:

    Hey Lilach,
    This is my first time to your site and I must say you have some really great tips. Also some very useful information. I think I need to look into that “tweet old post” plug-in, it sounds like a great way to put so life back into to older stuff. Thank you for your time and insight. TTYL
    Marcus T Cox recently posted..Creating voids in you lifeMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Marcus appreciate your comment:) Yes I love the Tweet Old Post, very simple but it does re-ignite traffic to older blog posts:)

  5. Vinden Grace says:

    Hi Lilach,

    That’s a very comprehensive and very useful list – thank you so much for sharing :-)

    I also use Backup Buddy. Find it very user-friendly. Haven’t had to restore anything yet so can’t vouch for its reliability but the iThemes guys are very responsive & supportive, so I have no doubts myself.

    For SEO, I use SEOPressor (also ranks your post out of 100%).

    Love the sharing folks!
    Best wishes,
    Vinden Grace
    Vinden Grace recently posted..Looking at the big picture….My Profile
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  6. Mandy Swift says:

    Hi Lilach, ha ha, now we get to know how you get that little cool ‘last post’ slider!
    … Just out of interest, why do you prefer Scribe SEO over SEO Pressor, I thought that was the industry ‘standard’.
    Thanks for the list,
    Mandy
    Mandy Swift recently posted..Getting Back To Basics – Understanding Your Online Marketing ‘A,B,C’My Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Mandy:) Yes I thought I had kept you waiting long enough lol

      To be honest I haven’t used SEO Pressor so can’t really say, but I love Scribe SEO and wouldn’t be without it now:)

    • Sarah says:

      SEO Pressor underlines, bolds and italicizes your keywords, in post. I think the emphasis is not on what I write but on the keywords. To me that means the keywords take precedence over the reading experience, and I might not want a certain word made bold mid sentence, seemingly for no reason.

      Not using it I think makes for a better reading experience as a reader, countless times I have tried clicking an underlined phrase and then thought “doh!”.
      Sarah recently posted..5 tips for better content planningMy Profile
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  7. Thank you for this list. There are so many plugins to choose from it really can be hard to know which ones you need or in my case….Have I missed any? I’m off to go compare our plugins :) BTW, this is my first time to your blog and I’ve really enjoyed your posts! I’ll be back, lol

  8. Using 3 out of your must-have plugins. But I do have a counterpart for the others. I will try to install Link Within by next month and then buy Pop Up Domination.
    Nica, The Virtual Assistant recently posted..Failing to Plan is Planning to FailMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Nica:) Which ones are you currently using? Link Within is a great plugin and you’re be surprised by how much traffic this little plugin creates. I love Pop Up Domination – enjoy:)

  9. Chris Mobbs says:

    Lilach,

    There are so many plugins that it is useful to get an expert’s take on the really useful ones. Many thanks.

  10. Wow!

    Lilach I have to tell you I love your blog and hate your blog. I love the AWESOME content and hate all the new ideas you give me to make more get more traffic. Well, I don’t really hate that…I guess I love, love your blog.

    Thanks for the leadership and great contribution to the community.

    I’ve got more work to do….thanks!
    Terry Petrovick recently posted..How to Approach People You Don’t Know About Your Homebased BusinessMy Profile

  11. Radu says:

    Hello Lilach, I’m using most of the plugins you’ve mentioned but i want to say that it will slow down your browser’s speed. That’s why i’m using two browsers and the things are looking better.
    Radu recently posted..Why Fresh Content On Your Site is Important for SEOMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Radu, yes that’s one valid point to use, the more plugins you use it can affect the speed of your site. There are plugins you can use which help speed things up like W3 Total Cache which is what I use:)

  12. Great list Lilach. I use many if not most of the plugins you listed. I will definitely take a look at Google Cards because I’m just setting a new Google+ brand page so that may come in handy. So funny about those darn pop up forms – yes, for the record I hate them. I do have one, though I changed the settings to they wouldn’t pop up in a reader’s face every time, or on every page. Still, what my stats say is that nearly 30% of my new subscribers come from, ta da … clicking on the simple little link at the bottom of each post.
    marquita herald recently posted..Knowing When it’s Time to Move OnMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Marquita:) Yes the Google Cards is a great way to grow your network on Google +.

      It’s funny isn’t it, so many people don’t like pop up’s and yet they work. I’m not a huge fan of them but if I’m not interested in signing up I’ll simply push the x button. I would experiment with your settings and see which one gives you the best conversion…

  13. Fantastic list Lilach. A few here I haven’t checked out yet that I will definitely be considering. Thanks for the great post!
    Jason Yormark recently posted..Anatomy Of A Blog Redesign: Meet The Standard WordPress ThemeMy Profile

  14. Just a quick thank you to a fairly newbie looking for good direction, found it here ;-)

  15. Lynn Brown says:

    I love WordPress too Lilach! Your list of plug-ins are very helpful and I enjoy many of the ones listed here. I have to say though, the jury is still out on the ‘pop ups’…. I wrote a blog post not too long ago and really got some varying comments and objections. For instance, your pop up comes up every time I navigate to another page of your site. Does the PopUp Domination allow you to just have the pop up come up one time when people visit your site?

    Really appreciate you sharing your list of plug-ins, it is a great resource to refer back to.
    Lynn Brown recently posted..Want To Reach Your Online Marketing Goals This Year and BeyondMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Lynn, pleased it was helpful:)

      Re pop up’s – I’m currently using WP Subscribers as my pop up although used Pop Up Domination for a long time and loved it. I moved onto WP Subscribers as it has some other great features as well as the pop up.

      The problem with pop up’s is that as annoying as they are they work. I completely understand why people don’t like them, they can be annoying however if you’re providing a great gift and also have good content on your site then if the person doesn’t want to sign up they simply click the x button. I don’t personally see what all the fuss is about, the majority of the websites I visit each day have pop up’s and if if I’m not interested in signing up I simply click the x button and continue reading.

      I would urge anyone who is against pop up’s to try them and out test the results before they judge. There is a reason why so many of us bloggers use them, it’s not to annoy people it’s simply to build a list. I spend a lot of time researching and creating content that I’ve been told adds value and a girl has to make a living somehow! So I work hard on building my list.

      I don’t use paid marketing methods, all my traffic comes from free sources and I’m currently getting around 50-70 optins a day (sometimes more). If I turn off the pop up (which I have done to test how it’s working etc) the numbers can be as low as 10 a day… hence I have a pop up!

  16. Lynda Cromar says:

    Many of those are my favorites as well, I have found it is very important to have favorites. I learned about a new one not on your list when I got hacked a while ago, it was called Bullet Proof Security. It prevents hacking.
    Lynda Cromar recently posted..My 5 Wacky Points I Use To Stay On Track In My MLM Network Marketing BusinessMy Profile
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  17. Oh! This is such a great post! This list is going to be so helpful to me as I just had my blog re-done and I was wondering which plugins were going to be the best addition for it. It’s great to have a list which someone explains what the plugins are.
    Nathalie Villeneuve recently posted..Stop Comment Spam On WordPressMy Profile
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  18. Thanks Lilach for sharing your comments and experiences with these plug-ins. I appreciate the information.
    Elliott Teters recently posted..Heaven is at HandMy Profile

  19. Val Heisey says:

    Thanks for a great post Lilach. Your guidance in blogging is superb! I was just thinking the other day about plugins. I will keep this post bookmarked for future reference as I decide which ones to put on my site.
    Val Heisey recently posted..Why people fail in MLM – sorting through the noise…My Profile
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  20. Herbert says:

    Awesome set of plugins Lilach. I am planning to have Tweet Old Post installed at my blog too. Thanks for sharing.
    Herbert recently posted..How To Do Email Marketing EffectivelyMy Profile
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  21. Amit says:

    What a great post lots of useful plugins. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome post and info. with us. Keep Rocking the social world. Have a great day. Keep Smiling ((Hugs))
    Amit recently posted..Pinterest : Find & Share Your Beautiful InterestsMy Profile
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  22. Paula Kemp says:

    Hi Lilach, Thank you for this comprehensive list. I am new to blogging and WordPress so this is a great list for me to learn what are the best plug-in’s, I will be definitely checking out your recommendations! Can I ask, what is the name of the pop up that comes up to the right when you scroll to the bottom of the page, is it part of pop up domination? Once again, thanks for sharing. Paula
    Paula Kemp recently posted..Benefits of Regular MassageMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Paula, appreciate your comment:)

      That plugin that flies across the bottom of the screen was on the list:) It’s no 6 (upPrev Previous Post Animated Notification )

  23. Sandy says:

    Hi Lilach,

    Great list and my favorites are:
    “CommentLuv Premium” for commenting and start a community with your visitors.
    “Scribe SEO” looks like a great plugin for SEO
    “upPrev Previous Post Animated Notification” for links inside
    “Link Within” for Linkbuiling inside with older posts

    Last year i started with a blogspot blog for learning about online marketing and SEO.
    With blogspot… you can`t test these plugins. But Santa had a present for me… two domains.
    my blog “umgezogen” with 301 on my own domain and a new domain for test all about WP and all the plugins. i hope, i can learn more about all this things and methods, it`s a really great business and so interesting for me.

    So, thanks a lot for sharing your tips about the Plugins.
    With best wishes from Germany and i wish you much success with your projects.
    greetings from good old germany. Sandy :-)
    Sandy recently posted..Dating Portal AfterworkpartyMy Profile

  24. Muskie says:

    Both 7 & 8 link to the same plugin on WordPress.com

  25. Andy Nathan says:

    Thanks for the great list! I was just thinking about downloading complete backup to my site. Have a myriad of other backups, but like the idea of having it all in one.
    Andy Nathan recently posted..What Your Dental Blog Says About You: Guest PostMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Andy, I love all in one solutions, saves time and hopefully your blog will run smoother as less plugins…

  26. Hi Lilach – a great list. I’m in the process of creating a new blog and was getting confused about all the Plugin options out there. This will help me soooo much! Nicci

  27. OMG!! Lilach.. I love you.. simple as that.. I love to come across different plugins. Most of the time I already have every plug in listed.. yet I have to admit.. I’m missing quite a few of yours.. I appreciate you sharing this information with us.. make it a great day and keep smiling.

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Shalonda, my pleasure and really appreciate your great comment:) I tried to share plugins that are less used and the ones I personally use. There’s nothing worse than stumbling on a blog and getting excited and seeing the same plugins you already have…!

  28. Alan says:

    Hi Lilach, great list of plugins, fantastic resource tool. I also use backupbuddy and find it very good. It is a paid tool though, but I feel well worth the money. Akismet I think is probably one of the most valuable plugins I have ever downloaded and put to use. Another one to help with SEO would be “All in one SEO”. And I really like Tubepress to display my youtube videos nicely on my site.

    Keep moving forward!

    Alan
    Alan recently posted..Burning The Candle at Both Ends: When Do You Realise There is No More Candle to Burn?My Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Alan my pleasure:) Some of the wordpress plugins I listed are paid and worth every penny:) Akismet is a great plugin and very popular too.

      I really should be displaying more videos so thanks for the tip re Tubepress, that will come in very handy:)

      • I meant to mention Akismet earlier, actually. Since it went over to a paid licence model for new sites I have started using a similar plugin called TypePad AntiSpam, which TBH is very much an Akismet clone, but is free. Might be worth a look?

  29. Mark Harbert says:

    Great list Lilach! There is a few on this list that I will definitely be looking into for sure. Love your blog my friend, you always give such good value!!!

    Mark Harbert
    Twitter:

  30. David Sharp says:

    I have a few of these plug-ins Lilach but there are some here that I must take a look at especially for backing up my blog. Note to self, I really must get a pop up sorted.

    Thanks for a great post,
    Dave
    David Sharp recently posted..Crete and a Beautiful Winter MorningMy Profile
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  31. Avinash says:

    Great list, I think a plugin like WP Optimize should also be part of this list, to make sure that there are no overheads in the DB tables.

    I know YARPP can be intensive but if the server is capable to handle I think YARPP with templates is better over widgets for related posts.
    Avinash recently posted..[How To] – Selectively Load Plugins Only For Specific Posts and Pages In WordPressMy Profile

  32. Demetrice says:

    Well written article, well done! I loved it!

  33. Hi Lilach,

    This is quite a list. Thanks for sharing! There is so much for us new bloggers to learn. I am one of those who is on the fence about popups. So many say that they work, so I must try one out on my blog. Looking forward to checking out the other plugins as well.
    Jamella Biegel recently posted..What Is My Niche?My Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Jamella, my pleasure:) Yes you’re right about pop up’s, such a mixed divide although the bloggers who don’t like them tend to be the ones who haven’t tried them on their blog so don’t realise how amazing the results can be. Try it and see what happens and take the time to measure and test it by changing the frequency of how often they ocur, timings etc.

  34. Warren says:

    Great list Lilach, only one I’d add would be Maxpressblog’s Ninja Affiliate plugin for those who promote affiliate products like hostgator, aweber, etc.

    Instead of visitors seeing a big long affiliate link they see something like http://www.sociable.co.uk/hostgator and it looks much better. (converts much better too)
    Warren recently posted..How To Achieve SuccessMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Warren:) I will definately look into Maxpress blog’s Ninja Affiliate plugin as I myself promote products so this looks like it could come in very handy – thanks for the share:)

      • Warren says:

        I probably should have mentioned it’s a premium plugin, I think I paid $97.00 for it.
        It was worth the price though and it’s worked awesome since I picked it up two years ago.
        Warren recently posted..Why We Work From HomeMy Profile
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        • Lilach says:

          Thanks for the heads up. I have no problem with paying for plugins if they work and I get great results, some of them on my list are premium versions and I genuinely think they’re worth every penny and couldn’t run my blog as well as I do without them:)

        • Warren says:

          Agreed! We get so spoiled with all the free one’s that it can come as a shock when someone actually wants to make a living selling them! LOL

          I just looked and am only using 4 premium ones. (Though I’m seeing a lot of talk about premium commentluv)

          1. Maxblogpresss Ninja Affiliate
          2. Popup Domination
          3. OIO Publisher
          4. indexing tool
          Warren recently posted..Why We Work From HomeMy Profile
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  35. Another great and useful compilation, Lilach. I use and love some of these (like WPSubscribers, for instance) but was curious about some others. upPrev Previous Post Animated Notification, for instance. So you answered my questions before I got around to asking you. You’ve given me plenty of food for thought with all these plugins and I’ll be exploring them as I see fit.

    As great as the world of WordPress plugins is, I have a word of caution: be careful about installing too many plugins on your site as it can really slow your site down.
    Srinivas “Sage” Reddy recently posted..The Prosperity GospelMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Srinivas:) Yes I love WP Subscribers too, it’s definately helped increase my list too:)

      I agree about having too many plugins, you do have to be careful as it can slow down your site and also sometimes they can conflict on the odd occassion.

  36. Lou Barba says:

    Hi Lilach,

    I use a bunch of these, but I’m still bookmarking this post for future reference. I’ve been a “gadget guy” for quite a while, and I’ll have fun checking these out.

    Lou
    Twitter:

  37. Jayne Kopp says:

    Hi Lilach, thanks for sharing your list of treasures. I have most of them… with the exception of two or three. I personally like GASP and use it instead of Akismet.

    I was wondering about the WordPress ‘complete’ Back up. Does it really ‘Completely’ back everything up or do you use other means of back up as well? I use WP DB Back up but of course that’s just the Data Base. I back up manually the other files once per week… but not too comfortable. Just want something that ‘bingo’ with do it all!

    I really like this pop up … or slide out that you mentioned… I’ll go back up and have a look at what it’s called in a sec… the one to my right… sharing your latest post. That’s kind of cool. I had noticed it before.

    Hope you are having a great Saturday. Actually it’s Sunday your time… :-) Hope it goes wonderfully!

    Jayne
    Jayne Kopp recently posted..The Law of Attraction | It’s Working For You… Like It or Not!My Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Jayne:) I only use that one back up and it seems to do the trick:)

      The side fly in box (pop up etc) not only is a nice little “gimmick” but it actually increases people spending longer on my blog as they then read other articles.

      Hope you had a great weekend:)

  38. Sanjeev says:

    Hi Lilach, I use many of them from the list though never tried POP-up plugins till now but looks like you are getting good success with them. I use SeoPresser for my SEO work along with WP SEO by yoast and they do an excellent job.
    Sanjeev recently posted..Business Blogging: 5 Risks Which Needs Mitigation on Your BlogMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Sanjeev:) There are quite a few people on here who are also useing SEOPresser, I personally love Scribe SEO and have seen a dramatic increase in Google traffic since using it.

      Let me know how you get on with pop-ups… I think you’re be very surprised with the results:)

  39. Great list Lilach! Use some of them. But I would like to add P3 Performance that scans your blog and finds out which plugins are slowing you down. One of my plugins that I don’t need really did. So I disabled it and my blog is faster.

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Catarina:) That’s a great share, I hadn’t heard of P3 Performance and I will definitely be checking that out, thanks for sharing:)

  40. Kris Olin says:

    Great list of WP plugins, Lilach!

    I’m going to install Thank Me Later right after this comment.
    Here is what I on my blog currently:

    Akismet
    All in One SEO Pack
    Automatic SEO Links
    Better WordPress Minify
    cbnet Ping Optimizer
    Disqus Comment System
    FeedBurner FeedSmith
    Google XML Sitemaps
    RSS Footer
    Social Sharing Toolkit
    upPrev Previous Post Animated Notification
    Use Google Libraries
    Wordpress Automatic Upgrade
    WordPress Database Backup
    WP Super Cache
    WPtouch

    Cheers,
    Kris
    Kris Olin recently posted..Warning! This Is How You Lose Your Facebook PageMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Kris and thanks for sharing your plugins too:) I’m interested to know more about the cbnet Ping Optimizer as haven’t heard of that one:)

  41. Duke Romkey says:

    Great list Lilach! Very comprehensive.
    Duke Romkey recently posted..Get Over MLM Prospecting Fears: Part 2My Profile
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  42. Chante Epps says:

    Thanks Lilach for the comprehensive list! Glad to finally hear about your famous “slider” plugin :)

    All the best,
    Chante
    Chante Epps recently posted..Success With MLM – 5 Compelling Reasons Why You May Want To Reconsider QuittingMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Chante, my pleasure:) Yep I had to come clean on that one, so many people asked me about it, it’s such a great little plugin, one of my favourites:)

  43. Hey Lilach,
    Thanks for sharing the plugin in a bunch 90% of them are also my short listed and favorite too that I used most of them in my blogging sites.
    Rizwan Sultan recently posted..motivation blogMy Profile
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  44. Sire says:

    Commentluv premium has to be my favourite by far. One plugin that you mentioned that many blogs fail to use is the subscribe to comment plugin. This is essential as it notifies the commentator when someone replies to their comment which generally encourages them to come back to continue the conversation.

    I used to us upPrev Previous Post Animated Notification but got rid of it as I wanted to speed up my sites loading time. BackupBuddy is turning out to be another of my favourites as are nrelate, WPZonBuilder and Firewall as it protect my blog against hackers.
    Sire recently posted..I Need Your Vote For The Shorty AwardsMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Sire, yes I love CommentLuv Premium too and think every blog should have it! – It certainly would encourage me to leave a comment:)

      Thanks for the share re nrelate and WPZonBuilder, haven’t heard of those ones so will check them out:)

      • Sire says:

        No problems. I’ve also found that a lot of CommentLuv Premium members are not using it to it’s full advantage. You could be one of them but I’m not sure because being your blog your not displaying the heart on the end of the comments. To get an idea of what I mean just hover your mouse over the heart at the end of my comment.
        Twitter:

  45. Debra says:

    What a helpful list – that introduced me some great new features for my new blog!
    Debra recently posted..What I Learned About Parenting From My DogMy Profile
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  46. Ryan Johnson says:

    Absolutely Awesome. Thanks for posting all these. Now I have to go through and update. Cant wait actually, these will help alot. Thanks Ryan
    Ryan Johnson recently posted..BRANDING YOU INCMy Profile

  47. Jon says:

    Excellent list. The share volume of plugins makes it a daunting task deciding which ones to install to keep things manageable.

    An alternative to “Really Simple Facebook Twitter Share Buttons” that will give you your “up and down” is ‘sharebar’ by Monjurul Dolon.
    Jon recently posted..How To Avoid YouTube Scams and TricksMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Jon:) Yes you’re right, there are so many to chose from, kind of like a kid in a candy store (for me anyway lol).

      Thanks for the tip about sharebar, I’ll look into that:)

  48. Kemya Scott says:

    Thanks so much for this post Lilach! I’m in the process of completely revamping my blog and I have been researching the most efficient plugins to use. You have saved me a great deal of time and eliminated a few headaches in the process. I appreciate you sharing this info!
    Twitter:

  49. s says:

    Hi Land thank you for the post. I always love reading what plugins others are using. I’m relatively new to IM and I’m developing my ‘favourite plugins’ list. Here are some of the free WP Plugins I like:

    -Adsense Extreme
    -Broken Link Checker
    -Google Privacy Policy
    -Dagon Design XML Sitemaps
    -Random Excerpts Fader
    -Slick Social Share Buttons
    -StatPress
    -WordPress SEO (by Yoast)
    -Yet Another Related Posts Plugin

    Thanks for sharing your list.
    s recently posted..Advanced Web Metrics with Google AnalyticsMy Profile
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  50. John Moussan says:

    Thanks for sharing Lilach. Awesome resources I use a lot of them myself and will try some others.
    John Moussan recently posted..The 2 Most Ignorant Reasons Why NOT To Join The Numis Network…My Profile
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  51. This list of plugins can be much helpful for everyone. But, of course, the most interesting and the most important for every blogger is CommentLuv Premium , because of its huge number of opportunities
    BuySellWordpress recently posted..Fashion WordPress ThemesMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks:) Yes I too love Comment Luv Premium and wished every blog had it, it’s such a great incentive for people to leave comments:)

  52. Andrea Hypno says:

    I have some of those plugins on my blog, and some others I had and deleted with time, either because they scrambled my blog or because they weren’t anymore useful. My preferred ones are WP-Touch, Seo Smart Links, Autoptimize and WP Optimize. I have a question though: using CommentLuv doesn’t render Subscribe to Comments useless? On my main blog I’m using Livefyre and there isn’t anymore need for other comments’ plugins so I’m a bit curious as on another blog I’m using CommentLuv too, the free version. :)
    Andrea Hypno recently posted..Do you Know the Story about the Cheetah, the Gazelle and Why the Lion is the Real King of the Jungle?My Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Andrea, haven’t heard of autoptimize, will check that out:)

      I’m on the premium version of CommentLuv so not sure to be honest, you could always try and contact Andy he’s very approachable:)

  53. Melissa says:

    Perhaps i won’t be original if I’ll tell you that I like CommentLuv Premium most of all) But nevertheless all other plugins are also obligatory for the majority of websites and blogs

  54. Tycoonwoman says:

    Wow Lilach this is an absolutely amazing post. It is so helpful. Thank you very much for sharing I’m going to post a link to it on my website. Thanks a million :)
    Tycoonwoman recently posted..How to be the CEO of You PlcMy Profile
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  55. Joyce says:

    This is the biggest list so far and i have to say that i haven’t even heard of half of them. But am worried if i install must of this plugin wouldn’t we slow down out website and cause all sort of problems. I have had some experience like this before?

    But i have to say you’ve done a really good job putting this together.

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Joyce. Yes you do have to be careful but you can add (ironically) plugins to help speed up your site too.

      For me I find them really useful and if it slows it down a little then it’s worth it – although I haven’t been told it is.

  56. luke says:

    Oh wow!

    I just went a plugin frenzy!

    Just wanted to add some more that I adore!

    WPtouch
    Crayon (I need to highlight code in decent way)
    Yoast SEO (Straight up beasting it!)
    Login LockDown (protect yo shit!)
    Pretty Link (nice for affliate links, plus is tracks for you)
    Fast Secure Contact Form (ze best contact form out there)!
    luke recently posted..Awesome up your site with Google Fonts for WordPressMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Luke – are you like a kid in a candy store?:)

      Thanks for sharing yours too – haven’t heard of Crayon, so will check that one out too:)

  57. David Sneen says:

    Hi Lilach, Just when I am getting satisfied….I have enough correctly installed plugins on my blog, you upset the apple cart. Now I have 3 plugins to investigate….and I was on my way to bed. Grrr….I mean, thanks!
    David Sneen recently posted..Save $1000s with This TipMy Profile

  58. Alex says:

    an excellent list of plugins, this is more than enough for us. And would you mind if i add some of my favourite here?
    SEOPressor – Tell you what you need for best optimizing your post.
    WP Interlink – Help you find and link to the old post in you blog.
    Hope this will help, and thanks again for the list Lilach.
    Alex.
    Alex recently posted..Celebrity Photo HuntMy Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Alex I like the look of WP Interlink, think that would be really useful for me – thanks for sharing too:)

  59. James says:

    I would like to add one of my favorites: rank tracker, it will send you an email every time someone comes from google and the position of your website for that search, very useful to discover new words your website is ranking for:)
    James recently posted..Getting Rid Of House MoldMy Profile

  60. Tim Gillette says:

    Thanks I have been looking for several ideas to enhance my blog. The ones that I will be working to add are teh pop up, the SEO and the one that slide at the bottom.

    Thanks for you many articles that help, You Rock.

    Tim
    Tim Gillette recently posted..Get the Knowledge; Do the WorkMy Profile
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  61. Hi Lilach, hope you are well and nice to meet you as i’m a first time visiter at your blog.
    wow what a list you have made use of and wonderful information that you have given, thank you for that..
    Here are five of the plugins i’m using and all free,
    This first one here is just amazing for all your seo and its a bigger to work out and i’m still working on it check it out and lets us know how you get on..WordPress SEO yoast , If you have the all in one seo then you need this as it help to transport data from one to the other ..SEO Data Transporter These three are just basic but i like to use them anything that helps with seo…right..
    SEO Friendly Images, SEO Title Tag, cbnet Ping Optimizer

    hope you like all the best,
    simon newcombe….
    simon newcombe recently posted..Bob Ross Joy Painting EpisodesMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Simon and great to meet you too – I hope you’re visit my blog again soon:)

      Great list you’ve shared, I hadn’t heard of SEO Data Transporter so many thanks for sharing:)

  62. Ian Belanger says:

    Hi Lilach,

    Thanks for this great list of plugins. I have seen the previous post fly-out box on many blogs, but could never figure out what the name of the plugin was. Now I know, thanks!

    One plugin that you mentioned, that I do not like is, Askimet. I have had GASP installed for over a year now on my blog, which is DoFollow, btw, and although I do get many spam comments, I don’t lose good comments. Like I did when I had Askimet. I see that you have GASP as well, which is now part of ComLuv Premium.

    Do you still use Askimet along with GASP? I would love to know how they work together for you.

    Thanks for sharing your list Lilach and have a great day!
    Ian Belanger recently posted..Easy Squeeze Pages with Thesis ThemeMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Ian:) Yes the fly-out box was such a popular plugin and so many people asked me about it I had to reveal it:)

      I do use Askimet and GASP and (touch wood) they seem to be working OK. I must admit I do check my spam comments every day and often have to unspam a couple but I don’t mind as Askimet does seem to do a good job most of the time!

  63. Kris Olin says:

    Hi Lilach,

    Great WP plugins! I just installed Link Within and it is just brilliant!

    Cheers,
    Kris
    Kris Olin recently posted..Purposeful Social Media EngagementMy Profile
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  64. Ginger says:

    I always enjoy WP Plugin posts, there were a few on your list that I’ve been looking for, so thanks for publishing them! :)
    Ginger recently posted..In Social Media, think “Opportunity” not “Challenges”My Profile
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