Which plugins are must-haves for an ecommerce site… any suggestions?

Hi everyone :slight_smile:

I’m setting up an ecommerce site for my future publishing business. I’ll be selling books and maybe services later on. Based on that, what plugins do you think I need?

  • Something to keep customer data safe
  • Something to help pages load faster
  • Security against hackers
  • Backup for the site (BTW, doesn’t Bluehost already do this?)
  • SEO
  • Caching
  • Anything else I might be missing

I hope these plugins won’t be too expensive… I haven’t even launched yet, just building the site right now. I’m a front-end designer and want to shift into publishing, so I’m learning WordPress as I go. So far, I like it a lot, but there’s a lot to learn!

Any advice is welcome :)))))

Not sure which ones will be best for you, but here are a few areas to think about:

  • Security: iTheme, Wordfence (or lighter options for login protection)
  • Caching: WP Rocket, LiteSpeed
  • Backup: All-in-One WP Migration, UpdraftPlus, Duplicator
  • Forms: Contact Form 7, WPForms
  • SEO: Yoast, Rank Math, SEO Framework
  • Image optimization: Smush, ShortPixel, Imagify
  • Ad management: Advanced Ads, Ad Inserter
  • URL shorteners: Pretty Links, BetterLinks
  • Spam filters: Antispam Bee, Honeypot
  • Recaptcha: Google reCAPTCHA

@Parker
Thanks a lot for the list!

Running an ecommerce store? These plugins can help with various tasks:

  1. Yoast SEO
  2. WPForms
  3. MonsterInsights
  4. OptinMonster
  5. WP ERP
  6. Jetpack
  7. Mailchimp for WooCommerce

These should help you manage the store better and improve customer engagement. If you’re unsure which to pick, here’s a comparison of ecommerce plugins.

Looks like you already know what features you need, which is a great start.

If you search online for recommended plugins in each category, you’ll find a few good free and paid options. It’s best to try a few and see what works.

Have you already decided what plugin you’ll use for the ecommerce part? Since you’ll be selling digital products and services, it’s worth checking if there’s a better option than WooCommerce for that.

@Reagan
Yep, I went with WooCommerce.

But I noticed a lot of plugins overlap in features, which makes it confusing. I don’t want to pay for something I don’t need.

Gracen said:
@Reagan
Yep, I went with WooCommerce.

But I noticed a lot of plugins overlap in features, which makes it confusing. I don’t want to pay for something I don’t need.

Yeah, that happens when you rely on plugins instead of coding the features yourself.

You might find a plugin that does X, Y, and Z, but you only need Y. Then there’s another plugin for A, but it also does B, C, and D. Now you’ve got two plugins, but you’re only using a couple of features from each.

If you know some coding, you can create a child theme and add custom functions to the functions.php file. Or you can use a code snippets plugin if you prefer something with a user interface.

That said, most essential plugins are available for free. Stuff like Duplicator for backups, SEO plugins, and Smush for image optimization can be found in the plugin directory. Some offer a pro version, but the free ones usually get the job done.

Try things out and keep your plugin count low. Too many plugins can increase security risks and make maintenance harder. Always test updates on a staging site first before applying them to the live site.

@Firth
This helps a lot… thanks for breaking it down!

People often ask what tools I use, so here’s an updated list:

For building sites: Astra Pro/Neve Pro + Elementor Pro

Managing multiple sites: MainWP

Backup: WP All-in-One Migration (with pCloud extension) or BlogVault

Security: Virusdie or MalCare for protection, WP Activity Log for monitoring

Speed optimization: SiteGround Optimizer (if using SiteGround) or WP-Optimize for general use; EWWW or ShortPixel for image compression

SEO: Squirrly SEO or SEOPress

Social media management: Publer or Postoplan

Forms: WP Fluent Forms

Analytics: Google Analytics, Clicky, or HockeyStack

Writing tools: Advanced Editor Tools (formerly TinyMCE Advanced), InstaText

If you’re looking for more resources or troubleshooting tips, you can check out the WordPress Help and Support Community.

@Derry
Wow, this is a goldmine! I’ll definitely go through your list.