5 Essential Plugins for Bloggers

5 Essential Plugins for Bloggers

It’s safe to say that as a new blogger, there is an awful lot to think about. Before you even write your first post there’s so much to do; choosing a hosting provider and platform, setting up social media accounts, planning your content – the list can be as long as your arm.

Luckily, there are some nifty pieces of software that can help take the hassle out of a lot of aspects. All hail the humble plugin!

What is a plugin, you may ask?

Simply put, a plugin is a piece of code that allows your blog to do something it couldn’t do by itself.

There are thousands to choose from, and some are absolutely invaluable as a blogger.

Here are 5 essential plugins I use that are loved by bloggers all around the world:

1.      Google AdSense. Embedding ads into your blog is probably the easiest way to passively make revenue from your website. It works very simply; all you need to do is create an account with AdSense and link your payment account. You will be given a piece of code which can be inserted pretty much wherever you like in your blog. Once the code is inserted in your header or sidebar, for example, it will show ads to your site’s visitors in that position. You are then paid for clicks on the ads shown. Simple!

2.      Yoast SEO. This plugin really helps you to improve your ranking on search engines such as Google. It allows you to set a focus keyword for your blog post and analyses every aspect to give you tips on how to improve your SEO ranking.

3.      Google Analytics. This plugin collects data on your blog’s visitors. It can be really useful in helping you figure out who your audience is and where they’re coming from. It collects information such as when your users visit your site, what country they’re from, what sites they’re being referred from and what devices they use to access your site. Although this information is collected anonymously, it’s important to state that you use google analytics in your site’s privacy policy!

4.      BackWPup. If you don’t want to lose all your hard work, it’s super important to regularly back up your site. There are a few different plugin options for this, but I use BackWPup. This will do complete backups of your site so if the worst was to happen, you can easily restore it. There are so many reasons a site can crash, a lot of which are totally out of our control, which is why it’s so important to regularly backup your blog. Using a plugin to do this makes life a million times easier and also means you don’t have to rely on your own memory so much.

5.      Disqus. Disqus allows readers to comment on your blog posts with ease. They can create an account with disqus so they don’t have to fill in their details every time they want to comment. This can help your engagement massively, as it means your readers can post comments quickly and with ease.

There are tonnes of different plugins you can use to enhance your blog, but these are a great combination to start with and will help you get the most from your website!