1.
Favorite
Plugins
A collection of my favorite plugins
and how to use them

2.
Laura Hartwig
• WordPress Developer
• WPDecoder.com
• This presentation can be
found:
slideshare.net/LauraHartwig
/favorite-wordpress-plugins-
2016

3.
Extend the
functionality of
your site
Not available in Wix, Weebly, or Square Space

4.
A Word
of Warning
Conflicts
Security Issues
Updates

5.
Types of Plugins
• Free Plugins
• Paid Plugins
• Freemium Plugins

6.
Free Plugins can be found a thttps://wordpress.org/plugins/

7.
Free Plugins
These plugins have been somewhat vetted

8.
Free Plugins:
Things to look for
Rating
Installs
Last
Update
Author

9.
Also look for support

10.
Check for replies, number of requests and
if items have been resolved

11.
And is there a
Freemium Option?

12.
Freemium Plugins:
Things to look for
• Which features are paid?
• Support available?
• Include updates?

13.
Paid Plugins:
Things to look for
• Author reputation
• Online reviews
• Support
• Longevity
• How long does subscription last?

14.
Installing Free Plugins:
Installing Plugins
Plugins > Add New > Search for Plugin name
> Click Install > Click Activate
Installing Paid Plugins:
Pay for plugin and download it.
Check to see if it is just plugin file or comes with
documentation. You might need to extract the file.
Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
> Click Install > Click Activate

15.
Favorite Plugins
Comments
Social
SEOSecurity
Admin
1. Anti-spam
1. All in One SEO/ Yoast
2. Redirection (for redoing sites)
3. Google XML Sitemaps
1. AddToAny Share Buttons
2. Simple Social Icons
1. Wordfence
2. Captcha by BestWebSoft
1. BackupBuddy
2. Coming soon and
Maintenance mode

16.
Security

17.
This plugin can be
difficult to setup, but
if you just install it
and activate it “as is”,
your site will be
more secure.
Some features
include:
• Firewall
• Blocking of
known attackers
• Login security
• Security scanning
Note: anytime you install a security plugin, make sure you have cpanel or FTP access to your site.
Wordfence
Security

18.
Captcha by BestWebSoft
Simple math question

19.
Google Captcha (reCAPTCHA)
by BestWebSoft
Easier, but sometimes
You also have to do this:

20.
Social

21.
For people to share
your content on THEIR
social networks
• Many social options
• Use their styled
buttons or your own
• Choose where to
display your share
buttons
AddToAny
Share Buttons

22.
Simple Social Icons
• Bloglovin
• Dribbble
• Email
• Facebook
• Flickr
• Github
• Google+
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• RSS
• StumbleUpon
• Tumblr
• Twitter
• Vimeo
• YouTube
Add links to your own social
media in colors that match
your site.
Limited to these sites:

23.
Comments

24.
Anti-Spam
Upload it and it works
– no setup required.
Commenters don’t have to complete captcha
Note: Doesn’t work with JetPack Comments

25.
SEO

26.
All in One SEO/ Yoast
Both of these have
too many options to
go over today, but
basically they give you
a place to put the
Google title &
description and some
meta tags.

27.
Redirection
If you are updating an existing site, this plugin is a MUST.
Don’t let customers suffer through 404 pages because
your .html endings no longer work.

28.
Google XML Sitemaps
This is the one for Google. It does an excellent job of making
sure the right pages are indexed.

29.
Admin

30.
BackupBuddy(Paid)
Creating backups of your site is essential. If you are a developer, BackupBuddy is well
worth the investment.
If you only have one or two sites, you might want to try UpDraftPlus

31.
Coming soon and
Maintenance mode
This is great
for when you
want to start
getting some
SEO history on
your site, but
aren’t ready
for people to
see your
unfinished
site yet.

32.
What are
your favorite
plugins?

33.
Questions?

34.
Thank You
• This presentation can be found:
– slideshare.net/LauraHartwig/favorite-wordpress-
plugins-2016
– See all my favorite plugins:
– wpdecoder.com/plugins/recommended-plugins/
Contact Me at LauraHartwigDesign@gmail.com