What are the plugins you can’t live without for a new WordPress site?

Hi everyone,

I’m setting up my first blog and could use some advice. What plugins do you consider must-haves for any blog, no matter the niche? I’m especially interested in plugins for functionality, security, SEO, and user experience. Any tips or recommendations would be great.

Thanks!

It depends on where you’re hosting your site. If it’s self-hosted (LEMP), I handle most speed, security, and backups on the server side. If it’s with WPEngine, they handle a lot of it for me.

Regardless, these are always on my list:

  • Site Builder: GeneratePress Premium + GenerateBlocks
  • Forms: Forminator
  • Custom Post Types: Pods
  • SEO: The SEO Framework
  • For nostalgia: Simple Editor

For shared hosting, I’d add:

  • Backups: Duplicator
  • Caching: Autoptimize + Async JavaScript
  • Firewall: NinjaFirewall
  • Email: PostSMTP

Here’s a solid list of plugins to start with:

  • SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math
  • Security: Wordfence or Sucuri
  • Caching: WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache
  • Backups: UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy
  • Page Building: Elementor or Beaver Builder
  • Forms: Contact Form 7 or WPForms
  • Image Optimization: Smush
  • Email Marketing: Mailchimp for WordPress

These cover the basics for most sites. Just avoid adding too many plugins as it can slow things down.

@Joey
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll check these out.

Instead of just listing plugins, maybe we should ask which ones are coded well and efficient?

Here’s my setup for any business site:

  • Building: OceanWP/Astra/Neve + Elementor Pro/Visual Composer
  • Management: MainWP
  • Backup: WP All-in-One Migration or BlogVault
  • Security: Virusdie or MalCare
  • Speed: SiteGround Optimizer (if on SG) or WP-Optimize, EWWW, or ShortPixel
  • SEO: SEOPress or Squirrly SEO
  • Forms: WP Fluent Forms
  • Analytics: Clicky or HockeyStack

@Emerson
Thanks for this! I’ll definitely try out some of these.

You should look into multi-factor authentication (MFA). Here’s a plugin I’ve used: Two-Factor Authentication. Would love to know what others are using for security!

Here’s my go-to list:

  • WPOptimize for caching and compression
  • Yoast SEO for search engine optimization
  • WebP Express for converting images
  • ACF for custom fields

Always have backups, either via your hosting or a plugin.

I always add these:

  • Security: Wordfence or Defender
  • Caching: Hummingbird or WP Super Cache
  • Image Optimization: Smush
  • SEO: Yoast
  • Backups: UpdraftPlus

Jin said:
I always add these:

  • Security: Wordfence or Defender
  • Caching: Hummingbird or WP Super Cache
  • Image Optimization: Smush
  • SEO: Yoast
  • Backups: UpdraftPlus

Lol, isn’t that cheetah plugin actually called ‘Fastest Cache’?

Jin said:
I always add these:

  • Security: Wordfence or Defender
  • Caching: Hummingbird or WP Super Cache
  • Image Optimization: Smush
  • SEO: Yoast
  • Backups: UpdraftPlus

Why use Smush? Have you tried ShortPixel or Imagify?

@Kai
No real reason, just what I’m used to.

Jin said:
@Kai
No real reason, just what I’m used to.

You should compare them—they might surprise you with better results.

This article might help you choose the best security plugin: WooCommerce Security Plugins.