My Essential WordPress Plugin List

One of the things that I hate about internet business is that  things change very fast. I guess there are those out there who think that change is good. I doubt you will think so when you get to my age. I was looking at my WordPress admin page and found that some of my plugins are obsolete. I was forced to do a major update to my WordPress blogs and create my essential WordPress list.

If you looking for a comprehensive tech advanced list, look elsewhere. I am only listing the plugins that I must have when i set up a WordPress blog. Any other plugins come later.

I think this is one of the reasons I prefer Joomla to WordPress. I seem to be able to keep with Joomla changes but somehow I am always behind with WordPress. Since I wrote on the 17 WordPress start up list, a lot has changed in WordPress. I have to say most of the change is great.

For example one of the best changes I have seen with WordPress is the ability to automatically update it. I remember I had no option but to learn about ftp files in order to do so. However, there are two good ways to now upgrade WordPress:

1. Using fantastico upgrades if you had set up your blog using fantastico
2. using the WordPress upgrade plugin. Please if you have not got your copy of this plugin, please click and get the WordPress upgrade plugin.

By all means this is not a listing of all wordpress plugins but what I use on my WordPress blogs. Remember the only purpose I use WordPress in my online business is to create mini sites. This is because it is easier than trying to do so in Joomla.

Essential WordPress Writing and Posting Plugins and Tools

WordPress developers may claim that it is easy to post on their platform but if you are serious about managing your articles, I don’t think so. I am not blessed with html knowledge so would rather use the following to make it easy for me to post:

1. Windows Live Writer – This will save you time and the agony of trying to play around with images on your posts. I mainly use it to make quick articles like this one.
2. Dean’s FCKEditor for WordPress – If you are an internet marketer and need more control on your sales pages. It will replace the standard boring editor.
3. WP-Sticky – If you wish to make any article on your site a sticky, then you can use this. Those building lists can also use it to make their opt-in a sticky.

Essential WordPress Advertising and Revenue Generating Plugins

If you are blogging, you should be making some money somehow. I use the following tools to either automate my advertising or make it easier. The problem with these plugins is that there are a dime a dozen. You have to figure out which ones work for you. The ones that I use for all my blogs are:

1. WP125 – Have you ever wondered how to place those 125 ads on your site without having to go to your php files? Wonder no more and go download this plugin.
2. Shylock Adsense – I am one loyal fellow and I have stuck with shylock adsense for all my internal Adsense advertising in my WordPress blogs. I find it simple and extremely effective.
3. Ad Rotator – If you are interested in a basic banner rotator without the need for extended statistics, then Ad Rotator is for you. Of course if you are an affiliate marketer who wishes to track their campaigns, you will fail miserably if you only use this banner rotator.

Essential WordPress User Involvement Plugins

A good website requires users to add content easily and whenever they need to. This is one area where WordPress beats Joomla hands down. There are so many user involvement plugins available that it would be foolhardy to write about them. However, for all my blogs, these must be available:

1. Comment Luv – Personally I think it would be foolhardy to run a WordPress blog without this plugin.
2. GD Star Rating – Most of my mini sites are review sites and it was getting to be a bit of a pickle trying to organize my ratings. Until this came along. You want to have a look at GD Star rating if you are an affiliate marketer who needs reviews.
3. Contact Form 7 – I don’t need to say any more once you try it on one of your sites.

Essential SEO WordPress Plugins and Tools

I am sure you have all heard of the difficulty of SEO. I still think life is too short for SEO optimization.  So I would rather automate the process rather than stare at my meta tags. I think its obvious I am very conservative when it comes to SEO issues.

1. All-in-One SEO Pack – If you have never heard of it, then you don’t have SEO on your blog. Go get it.
2. Google Site Map Generator – it still amazes me when I come to a site and see no site map. This is the first plugin I set up just in case I go crazy and forget.
3. Dagon Design Sitemap Generator – The second plugin I set up. I find different uses for both.

That is all I do for SEO. I am sure you think I am crazy, but after 2 years of setting up sites and never going back to them and still earning a reasonable income, I think I know a thing or two about SEO. Especially when not to waste my time optimizing pages.

These are by no means the only plugins I set up on a WordPress blog. However, before I even write an article, these are set up and it takes me all of 15 minutes. Any other plugin I wish to add will depend on:

• The purpose of the site,
• The ease of use of the plugin, and
• If I like it

There is one plugin however that I would like to introduce to you. It is the plugin for the lazy WordPress webmaster. I am sure you will love it. Its called Plugin Central. Go try it.

Do you have any other great wordpress plugins you would love to share?

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