I’ve identified what I consider the top 10 WordPress plugins for entrepreneurs.
As an entrepreneur or small business owners, we are often working with limited budgets or we are very budget conscience. We usually end up with a lot of DIY (do it yourself) projects including building our own websites. There are plenty of conversations on which platform works best: WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify, etcetera. If you follow us and you have downloaded the Cheatsheet | 10 Must Have Resources to Scale Your Business, then you know we are proud champions of WordPress.
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WordPress is content management system (CMS) which offers a simplified backend for updating articles and media, allowing fresh and up to date content.
With that said, I often let entrepreneurs know in advance, it is rare that someone will dive into WordPress for the first time, bypass the learning curve and end up with the perfect website. You will have to find the perfect theme and modify the website’s settings to accomplish the look and feel you desire.
Themes can be the fun part… if you like to “make pretty”. Plugins are more about functionality. There are thousands of plugins available that will take a simple blog tool, which WordPress used to be considered, and turn it into a robust content management system.
Plugins are available primarily at wordpress.org and I also use Envato* (for themes and plugins).
Below I’ve identified what I consider the top 10 WordPress plugins for entrepreneurs. These plugins are generally apart of EVERY website I design for clients and myself.
Any link with a (*) next to the title is an affiliate link. This means I may make a small $ if you decide to use the service. I only recommend solutions that we use ourselves or that we have tested extensively.
Top 10 WordPress Plugins for Entrepreneurs
1 | Google Analytics by MonsterInsights*
A website is only a pretty billboard if it does not accomplish an objective. In order to be sure objectives are met, it is critical that we keep track of our metrics and analytics. For entrepreneurs, I recommend Google Analytics by MonsterInsights. This tool allows you to track top pages, top traffic sources and more all from within your WordPress dashboard. Download the free version first to see if it works for you and upgrade only when you need the advanced features.
2 | Yoast SEO
One of the BEST benefits of using a content management system like WordPress is the built-in search engine optimization. But with all the competing websites on the internet, an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO is a must. There is a free version and a premium version. Both offer keyword optimization, readability checks, breadcrumb and taxonomy control. Premium takes things to the next level with internal linking suggestions, content insights and more.
3 | Visual Composer*
One way to make the design of your website much simpler is with this favorite plugin, Visual Composer. Visual Composer is an intuitive drag and drop page builder that makes web design within WordPress much simpler. Some themes come with the plugin already packaged, otherwise, you will need to purchase a license at $34. Not too much for this rawk star tool that requires NO programming knowledge.
4 | Ultimate Addons for Visual Composer
Now that we have installed Visual Composer, let’s take it to the next level! Ultimate Addons for Visual Composer includes an unlimited icon manager, google fonts manager, parallax background effects video backgrounds, price boxes, flip boxes, countdown timer, timelines and much more.
5 | DISQUS
Disqus allows you to use your comments as an engagement tool on your WordPress website. This tools is popular on many large websites, allows your audience to login without creating an account on your website and engage with your community.
6 | Sucuri Scanner
If you have a WordPress website, you need security. Let me rephrase, if you have a website, you need web security. The Sucuri Security plugin is free to all WordPress uses and is a suite of necessary security features. This includes activity auditing, malware scanning, file integrity monitoring, security hardening, security notifications and more. There is an upgraded option as well billed at $299.99 for the year.
7 | Updraft Plus
Like security, websites need to be backed up regularly. Imagine you are working on a new design, a new blog series or adding new features to your website when suddenly it all disappears. How amazing would it be to just be able to pull your backup files and presto, the site is back as it was… whew. This is why it is crucial that we have backup our website files regularly. You can do this manually, but then who would build your amazing company? Why not use a plugin and automate? This is where UpdraftPlus comes in. There is a free and premium version. Both versions have backup and restore capabilities.
8 | GZip Ninja Speed Compression
Google, Facebook and all other search engines are looking to send traffic to fast and reliable websites. The GZip Ninja Speed Compression plugin will help increase the speed of your WordPress website. Google has made it clear they prefer and will rank sites higher if they are GZipped. What the heck is a GZip? “GZip is a common language between browsers to condense or zip your website’s content and quickly transfer it. The user’s browser then “unzips” the content and displays it for view much faster.”
9 | Click to Tweet
This super fun little tool is one of my favorites. Have you ever visited a website and read something that was totally tweetable but the daunting task of copying, opening Twitter, pasting and linking back to the article was too time-consuming, so you just admired the content and moved on? Well, I have. And so will your readers if you do not have a click to tweet plugin. This is by far one of my favorites… it is cute and easy to use.
10 | OptinMonster*
The purpose of any website today is to convert traffic into subscribers or customers… or at least it should be. One must have tool for entrepreneurs is OptinMonster. It does exactly what its name says, it creates opt-in opportunities for your visitors all over your website. You have the option to have floating, pop-up or full screen opt-in. You can time them for entry, exit, % of page viewed and more.
I really hope this list is useful as you embark on designing your website with WordPress. Again, WordPress is an amazing tool and once you get past the initial learning curve, it is super simple to use.
I’ve created the attached checklist so you do not have to search for this article every time you need this list. Download the Checklist | Top 10 WordPress Plugins for Entrepreneurs.
Now, if you are not into designing websites, HIRE SOMEONE (Link to My Professional Resume). Do not sit around banging your head against the desk and spending hours that you could really be building your business. Join the Savvy Entrepreneur Private Facebook Community for community, accountability, support, and resources.
Until next time,
Michelle Morton
