Introduction
Whether you’re new to WordPress or a seasoned pro, with over 54,000 active plugins available, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by choice. Good job we’ve got your back. Here are 11 of our favourites, perfect for building stand-out WordPress sites from SEO boosters to e-commerce essentials… and available free (or premium) from the WordPress Plugin Directory.
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1 Security, sorted
Here at Nimbus, we’re big on security. But we’re still always looking for extra ways to keep it super tight. Which is why we love Sucuri Security. It’s earned a reputation for being one of the most powerful security plugins you can add to your WordPress site, defending against hacks and attacks, and speeding up your SEO into the bargain.
2 Ready-to-go SEO
If there’s one thing every website needs, it’s visitors. And that means search engine optimisation. We’re big fans of the way Yoast SEO whips through your entire WordPress site, optimising it for searchability, grading content for keywords and metadata, and tagging areas to improve, so more people find your site every day.
3 Creative page-building
The beauty of WordPress is its simple, no-nonsense structure. But if you feel a little limited by it, try adding a page builder plugin like Elementor. It’s a drag-and-drop tool with a really handy live visual preview that lets you completely customise every part of your website, without a scrap of coding. Super handy for non-techy site owners.
4 Easy image compression
As pretty as all those images make your web pages, they have a nasty habit of slowing sites down. Compressing your image sizes without compromising quality can be tricky, which is where the brilliant Smush plugin from WordPress.org saves the day. It literally smushes the size of all sorts of file types, while leaving them looking crystal clear.
5 E-commerce store building
Last but not least, if you’re building an e-commerce store, don’t miss the super handy WooCommerce plugin. It’s stuffed with all the features you need for a fully-fledged online store, supporting sales for both physical and digital products. Even better, you can customise it with a whole bunch of themes and page layouts, as well as money-making affiliate marketing.
6 Checking compatibility
Website quality assurance testing will ultimately include making sure the client’s website is compatible across different browsers and operating systems. LambdaTest allows you to take full-page screenshots to eliminate any user experience errors that may crop up on different platforms.
7 Trouble-shooting issues? Not here
Health checker allows you to troubleshoot issues for specific users by disabling plugins and switching to a default theme.
8 Firewalls
Security will be a top priority for your client’s websites, having a plugin like Wordfence will allow you to put an endpoint firewall and malware scanner on websites you build.
9 Time for a clean slate?
If you’re looking for a clean slate when you make a mistake, this is the plugin for you. WP reset allows you to reset customisations and code back to the default installation or specific snapshot. This reset means it’s great if you want to test demo content and restore like it never happened.
10 Reaching a global audience
As an agency the demand from clients to have a website that can reach a global audience will grow and grow. TranslatePress will be your friend here, being able to display in real-time, work with WooCommerce, and use Google Translate API integration. It’s a great little plugin to use for this function.
11 Appointment booking
Bookly Pro-Booking & Scheduling System is a great option when it comes to this part of the website scope as it’s fully customisable and mobile-ready – with a payment feature included.
One hosting platform for your agency.
Our platform was designed with your needs in mind, which means it’s easy to use, and time-saving too.Wondering how you’ll manage all those plugins?
Say hello to WordPress tools.
You’ll see every WordPress site, plugin, version, theme, recipe and update alert across your entire server, at a glance. Check which versions you’re using where, spot the plugins that need updating and find your go-to themes and recipes, fast.
It’s a really handy shortcut that makes managing your WordPress sites a whole lot easier. Just log into your server, hit WordPress in the left-hand menu and you’re there.
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