There are so many plugins to choose from, those who know me know one of my favorite sayings is, “there’s a plugin for that”. Even if you don’t know .PHP or JavaScript you can still do a fantastic, dynamic webpage for your business. You can find or create a plugin to do just about anything in WordPress. However, you need to keep in mind that every plugin you have slows down your WordPress site down a very small amount. So, if I didn’t have the technical knowledge I have on client-side and server-side scripting languages, what WordPress plugins would I take to a deserted island with me?
#1 The Divi Builder
The Divi builder from Elegant themes is my top recommended plugin for the technically challenged. The Divi Builder is not only a powerful plugin to accompany the Divi Theme from Elegant Themes, but it also works with most WordPress Themes. What does the Divi Builder do? The Divi Builder is a page builder with modules you can click and drag where you want it. It’s a lot like Virtual Composer, but it’s a little bit easier to use. There’s also an option to edit visually with this impressive plugin! You see, in real-time what your page is going to look like.
You can use it to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind page and post designs. It has a module for pretty much anything you can imagine and it’s all customiseable, and if you want to get really advanced with it you can. You can edit the CSS and you can even give a module it’s own CSS class, so you can make it look like anything you want.
#2 Yoast
For years I used All in One SEO Pack, and I thought it was fantastic! However, I had to use it in conjunction with a few other SEO plugins to get the most out of my SEO. I have actually just started using Yoast, and there’s no going back for me now! If you don’t know much about SEO the plugin will guide you through the SEO process of building a page or a post. If you do know about SEO it’s really easy right out of the box to customise your Meta Data for each page and post. I don’t need any other SEO plugin with Yoast. This plugin is an all-in-one SEO powerhouse!
#3 Wordfence
Keeping a page secure is up there on the list of priorities for a site. Wordfence is a mighty plugin that will keep your site all buttoned up. The plugin goes through everything and looks for changes, and it also guards against brute force attacks, as well as a whole host of other hacker tricks.
It can be a little difficult to configure, however, if you don’t know what you’re doing the default settings should keep you pretty safe.
#4 Jetpack
I know a couple of guys that work for Automatic, the company behind Jetpack, and I keep forgetting to tell them how AWESOME Jetpack is. Jetpack can control pretty much EVERYTHING on your site. A lot of themes come with Jetpack, but if yours doesn’t I recommend putting it on your site ASAP. You need to sign up to WordPress to connect Jetpack to your site, but it’s worth it. I can’t believe this plugin is free. It’s so powerful. All I need to do is just list a few of its features…
- Site Stats
- Automatic Social Media Posts
- SEO tools
- Makes your site mobile responsive
- Prevents Hack Attacks
- Site Restorer
For a full list of its functions take a look at their website! Jetpack Features
#5 Woocommerce
If I had a t-shirt that said I heart Woocommerce, I would wear it with pride. Never has it been so simple to start selling straight from your website. This plugin makes even the smallest shop look sophisticatedly complicated. Even if you use it as is out of the box, you’ll get a super slick shop site. Use this with the shopping module in the Divi Builder and you’ve got it going on!
There you have it! Flying Fox Creative’s top 5 deserted island plugins! I am going to shut up now before I give away any more of my secrets!
