Essential WordPress Plugins

This is our essential batch of WordPress plugins for site development for backups, migration, security, user experience, image optimization, page load speed, and administration. These have changed a lot over the years and we do our best to keep it up to date. 

I do update my favorites on WordPress.org please bear in mind that some of the plugins are no longer in active development, so please check the compatibility, reviews, and support logs on your own. I remove old WordPress plugins from my favorites as I find them but I typically don’t go through that list very often.

  1. Elementor – been using Elementor Pro for six years, it’s a lot easier than Gutenberg. 
  2. RankMath – My favorite SEO Plugin for WordPress I used to use SEO Press before switching to RankMath. And it took the place of Redirections, another great plugin. 
  3. WooCommerce – powerful ecommerce features with great add-ons for building your site
  4. Autoptimize – We ran some tests a few years back and found that Autoptimize gave us the best scores in Google Page Speed and Core Web Vitals *actual mileage may vary
  5. WPForms – It’s easier than Gravity Forms and Contact Form 7, good collection of add-ons, we are also a pro subscriber. 
  6. Wordfence – We used to use Sucuri before it was acquired, Wordfence helps keep your WordPress install safe and secure from hackers. 
  7. Plugin Organizer – WordPress loads every plugin for every request, this plugin lets you select which plugins load on which pages. You can run lots of plugins and still have good page load times.