Plugins allow you to customize your WordPress theme even further without having to know how to code anything. Plugins should be used sparingly as they can cause your site to run slower if there are too many installed. We have provided a list of must have plugins here so you can get started.

Akismet

Akismet filters spam comments automatically for you. It’s not 100% foolproof but it’s pretty darn close!

Yoast SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is how you get Google to pick up your blog posts and put them into the search results. Yoast SEO adds a user friendly box at  the end of each blog post for to fill out your SEO. It has other powerful features like integrating Google Analytics,, sitemaps, and more! 

Social Warfare

Social Warfare is a plugin that lets you add social sharing buttons to your posts so that readers can share to their network of choice without ever leaving your blog! 

There are a ton of other plugins out there but these are three must haves to get you started.

Quick Tip

Be sure to always read the reviews and ratings of a plugin before you download it. You may also want to do a quick Google search too. Plugins can be a reason to crash your site if they are not compatible. Given that there are multiple plugin developers and different versions of WordPress,  sometimes they aren’t compatible.