WordPress 3.0 Demystified – Part 4
Part IV: Plug it in, plug it in
So far in part one we installed configured the WordPress database on the server and uploaded the software. In part two we learned about WordPress Themes and installed Thesis and finally in part three we customized the Thesis theme and added a widget to the sidebar.
Today we will concentrate on some background information with plug-ins. These are additional coding treats that help you and your website perform better. You’ll install one that alerts you to broken links, one that creates forms, another to improve the editor, and the last that makes your site easy to read on mobile units. Below the presentation is my list of “must haves” and a few others.
[hana-code-insert name='WP-part-4' /]
Ultimate must-have plugin list:
- A duet for spam handling:
- Backups are the only way to save your data
- Automatic WordPress Backup to Amazon S3
- WP-DBManage helps you manage your database right from the dashboard and emails you the backups
- Essential Utilities – the Swiss army knife for WordPress
- Broken Link Checker checks ALL your links for you
- Google Analyticator connects to your Google Analytics account
- Google Website Optimizer for WordPress – I only activate this when I’m testing something
- Hana Code Insert to insert pesky Javascript code into your posts and pages
- Redirection automatically creates redirections (301-302) for your site
- WP Security Scan verifies your installation for common hackable holes
- W3 Total Cache for the speed freaks, this plugin can also reside in the SEO section
- WordPress Mobile Edition help the older mobile phone browse your site (yes iPhones too)
- Design helpers
- Blog Icons simplifies using a favicon (the mini-icon on the browser tab)
- cForms or Contact Form 7 b0th are powerful and very customizable forms generators. Additionally they both have the ability to track forms in Google Analytics
- Collapsing Blogroll Used to present your site links in a collapsible fashion
- Hackadelic Sliding Notes Nice slider effect on your site
- SEO plugins that help you hedge your bets
- Scribe analyzes your content and guides you
- Google XML Sitemaps generates sitemaps for the Webmaster accounts on the Major Search Engines
- MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer just like the ad “we will submit your site to 1,000,000 search engines” but done automatically and for free. Current SEO practice says this is not necessary.
- Widets for adding pzazz to your site
- Facebook Like Button Plugin bring thumbs up to your site
- Google Voice Widget so your raving fans can call you
- Image Widget nice controls for adding an image to the sidebars
- Quotes Collection adds a nice widget that randomizes text in the sidebar
- TweetMeme Retweet Shows how many times your content was tweeted
- Widget Logic stops you from pulling your hair when you want different widgets on different pages
- Editing controls
- Simple Tags suggests tags to use with your blog and adds a few more items
- TinyMCE Advanced enhances the already great editor in WordPress
- Unclassified other miscellaneous plugins
- Easy Privacy Policy Essential protection, need I say more?
- Hello Dolly always greets you nicely
- Table of Contents Creator for an automatic site map to help visitors find you. Not SEO since you have a sitemap for the robots with another plugin
- WP-Polls add polls to the site
- Yet Another Related Posts Plugin promotes your content to your readers
- Yoast Breadcrumbs in case your visitors are lost
The WordPress 3.0 Demystified series:
- Part 1: A Little Fairy Tale
- Part 2: Lookin’ Good
- Part 3: Whatta’ Widget!
- Part 4: Plug it in, Plug it in
- Part4A: Go (Con)figure
- Part 5: Give ’em what they asked for
Image Widget