11 Absolutely Essential WordPress Plugins

I was inspired by this article to write a series of “gratitude posts” for WordPress plugins. In case you didn’t know, WordPress is a software used to run blogs like the one you are reading now. Plugins add features which are not included in the core functionality of WordPress. It’s one of the main factors that make WordPress such a powerful web publishing platform.

The plugins listed here are the ones which I think any type of WordPress blog should be using. I myself use all of these.

1. WordPress.com Stats

You might be using Google Analytics already but the simple and straightforward reports provided by this plugin are undeniably indispensable.

2. Google Analytics for WordPress

The hassle-free way of inserting your Google Analytics tracking code into your WordPress blog.

3. Ozh’ Admin Drop Down Menu

Be more productive by efficiently navigating your WordPress blog’s administration with this plugin.

4. TinyMCE Advanced

Enhance and customize your post and page editor’s TinyMCE toolbar.

5. My Page Order

Easily arrange the order of your pages using a simple drag-and-drop AJAX interface.

6. Google XML Sitemaps

Help search engines like Google and Yahoo! crawl your blog better.

7. FD Feedburner Plugin

I think everyone uses Feedburner so this must also be essential.

8. WP-SpamFree

WP already has Akismet but if you’d really like get more powerful spam filters, you should definitely consider using this other plugin too.

9. Subscribe To Comments

Make it easier for your readers to follow the discussions in your posts.

10. Changelogger

Know what changes have been made in each plugin update without having to download the full changelog file.

11. WordPress Database Backup

You never have to remember again to backup your blog’s database with the scheduled backup feature of this nifty plugin.

Part 2:
21 WordPress Plugins That May Not Be Essential But Are Still Awesome To Have!