WordPress Plugins I Always Use

Posted: March 09, 2011 Comments(17)

I was just now asked by @VinThomas which WordPress plugins I always use. With 140 characters being too limiting, and my thought of “I love lists like this!” here we have it:

These are the plugins in my personal framework that always get activated with each client site. It goes without saying that there are more I have in mind when certain situations arise, but this is my go-to set.

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Comments

  1. +1 on Pods / Pods UI / Gravity Forms / Members / W3 Total Cache

    I usually use Google Analyticator, but that’s because I have absolutely no preference when it comes to that type of plugin and that’s what i think of by default for some reason. I also use my Admin Bar Disabler plugin for most client sites, to avoid showing non-admins the WP Admin Bar, but still show it for real Admins.

  2. I agree & use many of the same plugins regularly. I have to add Portfolio Slideshow to the list, I use it on pretty much every site I make. And not just ’cause I wrote it! ; )

    I have to say, though, that I’ve been having trouble with W3Total Cache & WP SEO, and have switched back to WPSuperCache & All-In-One SEO, respectively.

    Gravity Forms totally rocks my world.

  3. Great list…with Akismet going to a paid model I think there’s a big opportunity for all Spam Plugins. And since Bad Behavior was there for a long time it might be the next big hit on self-hosted WordPress sites.

  4. A solid list… but I’d expect nothing less from MBN. Since you listed them as go-to plugins, I looked closer at ‘Members’ and Yoast’s Analytics plugin… gonna give ’em a go.

    Gaaa, when did Akismet become a paid service? Man, where have I been?

  5. Newbie question okay? What do you mean by a “personal theme framework of sorts”?

  6. I just mean that I’ve got a personal WordPress framework I use with every project. It’s a ‘blank slate’ (empty) theme that I build upon and I have a number of utilities in my functions.php that often come in handy on every project.

  7. More often than not I’ll stick with the default, but depending on the site there are sometimes site sections I will purposefully exclude from all caching as to avoid collisions with session data or data that simply doesn’t need to (or shouldn’t be) be cached.

  8. I think there was a little confusion for most people with Akismet. Although the redesign of their website suggested for the service to be commercial, it’s still free to use for your personal blog.

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