There is no disputing that WordPress is the most prominent content managing system out there. In fact, more than 25% of all websites on the Internet use WordPress, and when you consider the amount of alternative CMSs out there, the stats are even more impressive. In its 13 short years of existence, WP has dominated the blogosphere like no other software before or after.
WordPress is very customizable and it has a lot of developer support. There are plugins for everything – from SEO and image optimization to anti-spam and commenting, so a newbie could easily get confused about which ones to use. In addition, having too many plugins can slow down your website and leave it open for security problems. Therefore, let us take a look at some of the must-have WP plugins, that will help you grow your business.
1. WP-Optimize
While we are on the subject of loading time, we should start the list with WP-Optimize. The program cleans up your database, boosts your loading time and decreases your bounce rate. A few seconds can make a big difference – according to a survey was done by Akamai and Gomez.com, almost 80% of shoppers who have trouble with a shopping website will not return there. Cleaning and optimizing WP will save valuable seconds of your loading time, keeping your customers satisfied. In addition, the tool removes spam from your comment section and reports which tables have wasted space, so you can get rid of them.
2. Appointments+
Appointments+ is the first schedule management plugin that allows you to manage your appointments right from your WordPress site. Your customers do not even have to call in to make an appointment; they could simply just go online and book their meeting on your website. In addition, you could use PayPal to take direct payments online, synchronize dates with Google Calendar and manage all your client contact information.
3. Tickera
WordPress is frequently used to create event websites, but selling tickets is often a big challenge. By using this WordPress event ticketing plugin, you can ensure that your sales are not affected by any third party tools that take a cut of the overall revenue. The tool supports custom ticket templates, custom forms as well as discount codes; also, it comes with its own phone app and barcode scanning capabilities.
4. Beaver Builder
Have you ever wondered how to create stunning landing pages without learning to code? Beaver Builder is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin, that allows you to create custom websites in minutes. It comes with a great selection of professional-looking home page layouts and modules that could be dragged and dropped into place with no effort.
5. Business Directory Plugin
If you want a Yelp-like review section on your website or a simple resource list for your visitors – Business Directory Plugin has got you covered. The software also allows you to offer paid listing, so you could earn some money adding different sites to your directory. Even though the basic version of the plugin is free, a number of features require you to purchase add-ons.
Conclusion
The complete list of WP plugins is basically endless (at the moment, there are 43,364 plugins listed on WordPress.Org, and the number keeps growing) but these are some of the most useful ones on the market. Every day you should be on the hunt for hidden gems because there are way more amazing extensions out there. Take a good look at this list, pick the ones that seem most useful to you, test them and keep the ones you absolutely need.
