In addition to Fashionlush, I also have a blog design company, blog-doo. Since we are constantly working on clients sites & want to provide them with the best, I am always doing tons of research on plugins to make the whole blogging experience easier & more effective.
SO- for all my WordPress.org bloggers (if you’re not on WordPress, you really should be cause the plugins are really what up the ante), today I am sharing my top 5 most used/favorite WordPress plugins for bloggers!
1. Disqus comment system: all WordPress sites come with the built in comment system, but it can be a little lacking. I personally signed up for Disqus & use their plugin to help manage my comments. This comment system is part of a network, so it makes it easier to grow your audience & site traffic. It is a super simple installation & has a built in spam filter
2. Google Analytics dashboard: The Google Analytics plugin makes setting up GA on your site super simple (walks you through each step) & also displays a graph of your site visits front & center on your default WordPress dashboard. It also has a “trending content” feature which really helps you see which content does better than others!
3. Yoast SEO: SEO can be like a different language, but no site should be without it. Yoast is an all in one SEO solution that even the most technically challenged can manage. This plugin adds a snippit preview at the bottom of the post editor- this is where you can manually add your keyword & meta description, it will also scan the post & give you a score on your SEO + tell you ways you can improve!
4. WP Optimize: Site speed is key to running a succesful blog. If your site loads to long, your bounce rate increases, & less people are spending time enjoying your content. First, download GTmetrix to get an actual speed grade (a,b,c,d,f) & then install the WP optimize plugin to go through your site & clean up any old/unnecessary files that are bogging things down.
5. Editorial Calendar: I just installed this plugin & I am loving it for an organizational tool. It is an easy way to organize your post & prepare for sponsored content. You can drag & drop to move around posts, edit right in the calendar, see all your posts along with when they will be posted.
If I am missing any or you have a great plugin that you love, comment below & LMK! x, E