What plugins do I actually need for a WordPress blog… Trying to keep it simple

I know people ask this all the time, and the replies usually turn into long lists covering every possible scenario. But what if I just want to keep things minimal?

If I have a WordPress site that’s focused on blogging, what are the must-have plugins that are reliable and stable? I’m thinking about SEO (Rank Math), security (Wordfence), and image compression/lazy loading (Smush).

Would love to hear what others are using.

Only add plugins when you actually need them, not just because they seem useful.

Besides security, SEO, and speed, I’d say:

  • Backup: All in One
  • Redirects if you’re restructuring: 301 Redirects
  • Spam protection: Google reCAPTCHA
  • Analytics: Monster Insights (or just use Google Analytics directly)
  • Cookie consent: Complianz

@Val
Why use Monster Insights? Isn’t it unnecessary if you can just check everything on the Google Analytics dashboard?

Cory said:
@Val
Why use Monster Insights? Isn’t it unnecessary if you can just check everything on the Google Analytics dashboard?

Yeah, it’s not needed. A simple tracking code for GA4 works just fine.

Cory said:
@Val
Why use Monster Insights? Isn’t it unnecessary if you can just check everything on the Google Analytics dashboard?

Honestly, I just don’t like the new Google Analytics layout. Monster Insights makes it easier to check stats without leaving WordPress.

@Val
Is the cookie consent plugin really necessary for a blog? And what SEO plugin do you use?

Jaden said:
@Val
Is the cookie consent plugin really necessary for a blog? And what SEO plugin do you use?

Depends on your country’s laws, but if you’re dealing with GDPR, then yeah, you’ll need one.

For SEO, check out Slim SEO—it has most of what you need, and it’s free. If you want something with more features, Rank Math is great (even NASA uses it), but it might be overkill for just blogging.

Your host matters a lot when it comes to performance. Some hosts have built-in security and caching, so you may not need extra plugins.

Here are some useful links:

If you pick a good theme, optimize images (WebP format), and avoid too many fonts, you might not even need caching plugins.

But if you do, try WPSuperCache + Debloat.

For SEO, this is a great guide: SEO: The Complete Guide for Beginners. You can also use this tool for quick meta tags: https://www.protoolseo.com/meta-tag-generator. I personally use The SEO Framework.

@Hale
Does hosting actually affect SEO? I’m new to this and wondering if it helps your site show up better in search results.

Tan said:
@Hale
Does hosting actually affect SEO? I’m new to this and wondering if it helps your site show up better in search results.

Check the SEO guide I linked. Hosting itself doesn’t directly affect rankings, but a slow website can hurt your SEO.

If your site is slow because of bad hosting, that can be a problem. But search engines don’t rank you higher just because you have an expensive host.