The definitive list of my most used WordPress plugins
blogEach time I start a new WordPress project I find myself using the same set of plugins, so I decide to create a reference for myself and others.
Hyper Cache
Commonly considered the most effective caching plugin for WordPress.
Google XML Sitemaps
Creates an xml sitemap of all your posts and notifies search engines when you add a post.
WP DB Backup
All of your content is held in MySQL tables, so it is well worth automating the backup process. You can also backup images, themes, and plugins with WordPress Backup.
WP Minify
Crucial optimization to ensure Javascripts and CSS don’t waste bandwidth.
Improved Include Page
Super simple plugin to include a page anywhere you want it. Works well with one page sites, like my wedding site.
wp-Typography
Project to add intelligent character replacement to ensure that your site has the very best ampersands and guillemets.
Akismet
Faultless protection from spammy nasties.
Clean-Contact
Contact forms come and go on WordPress, breaking and suffering from vulnerabilities, but I’ve never had any problems with Clean-Contact.
Redirection
If you ever change your mind about your url or your url structure, this plugin is a lifesaver. It provides 301 links and statistics on the number of hits.
Exec-PHP
Sometimes you just have to write PHP in your posts, this plugin does the job.
Broken Link Checker
Helps prevent user frustration by testing your links to ensure that they all work.