Hey guys, I’m working on a blogging platform and wanted to ask what plugins you always go for when setting up a blog. I want to make sure I’ve got the basics covered.
The platform is mainly for food blogs, but I’d love to hear what works well for any type of blog.
Elementor Pro for building Akismet Anti-spam for blocking spam Big File Uploads for larger uploads Complianz for privacy and cookie notices Site Kit by Google for analytics Super Progressive Web Apps to make the blog feel like an app
Also, I use Quic Cloud (came with Litespeed). Not using Litespeed anymore though.
If you’re just blogging, Classic Editor is great. It feels like writing an email, and you can easily find categories and tags in the sidebar. That’s super important for keeping things organized.
If you’re planning to do more complex stuff like adding galleries or videos, the block editor could be better, but it’s slower.
Other things to consider:
Good caching plugin (I like WP Rocket)
Spam filter (Cleantalk works well)
Image optimization (helps if your host doesn’t provide it)
Backup plugin with secure storage
Later on, if you get serious with blogging (like food blogs), you might need a better search plugin or a recipe-specific plugin. That’ll help with search engines and accessibility.
For building: Astra Pro or Neve Pro with Elementor Pro For managing multiple sites: MainWP Backup: WP All-in-One Migration or BlogVault Security: Virusdie or MalCare Speed optimization: SiteGround Optimizer or WP-Optimize, plus EWWW or ShortPixel for images SEO: SEOPress or Squirrly SEO Social media management: Publer Forms: WP Fluent Forms Analytics: Google Analytics, Clicky, or HockeyStack Writing tools: Advanced Editor Tools (used to be TinyMCE Advanced)