The popularity of WordPress continues to grow, with an estimated 34% of all websites powered by the platform. Plugins are an integral part of the setup, allowing serious flexibility to a basic installation. There are approximately 50,000 plugins within the WordPress directory, but most sites only stick to the most popular options. The vast library of options can improve a website, though, so it is vital to be aware of your choices. The following options are a selection of the quality plugins you might not be aware of, that can add great value and functionality to your WordPress website.

Trust Pulse

Trust Pulse is a social proof plugin that can increase conversions on your site. When visitors complete actions on your website, such as buying a product or joining your email list, a notification appears on the screen. These notifications are proven to increase trust, encouraging visitors to complete a similar action.

MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights is a Google Analytics plugin, adding the reporting directly to your WordPress dashboard. Targets and goals can be set, with the ability to monitor the results quickly and efficiently. The plugin will offer live tracking of page visitors and the actions taken. You can also optimise elements using A/B testing.

Google Authenticator

The Google Authenticator app allows for 2-Step Verification on your mobile device. The WordPress plugin uses this method for logging into your site, adding an extra layer of security. WordPress blogs are prone to hacking attempts, so adding more protection is a smart approach to take.

LearnDash

LearnDash is a learning management system tool, allowing you to create courses and programs for users. Info product creators, colleges, and businesses can all benefit from the plugin, building out structured learning programs that deliver consumable content. Various elements like rewards, certificated, and drip-fed content, enhance the possibilities.

Social Warfare

Social Warfare is a comprehensive social sharing plugin. Social shares can lead to increased traffic and promotion, but many people will forget to like blog posts. Social Warfare offers many customisation options, so you can increase the number of people who like and share your content.

WPS Hide Login

WordPress blogs are often subjected to hacking attempts. WPS Hide Login is a plugin that changes the standard login page URL, reducing the number of hacking attempts from bots. Not only does this process add extra security, but it can reduce the strain on the server from bot traffic.

Sucuri Security

Sucuri Security provides several security features to add to the existing elements created by WordPress. The plugin will scan files for . malware and suspicious activity. Any changes to your site will get logged, so you can browse for any updates you haven’t authorised. The plugin can also offer best practices if you do find your site was compromised.

Perfmatters

Slow websites offer a negative user experience, so it is crucial to improve the performance. Perfmatters aims to optimise every aspect of your WordPress site, allowing for quicker loading and a smoother experience. The primary function of the plugin is to disable scripts and features that are clogging up the database.

Imagify

Another factor that can slow down loading times is image size. Most images on WordPress could be reduced in size without losing any real quality for the user. Imagify is an image compression plugin that aims to quickly reduce the file size while still keeping the overall quality.

VaultPress

Various factors from hacking to sever issues can lead to sites, either partially or entirely, being lost. VaultPress can resolve these issues by backing up your site and then installing a saved version to your domain, should you need it.

While there are tens of thousands of plugins available for WordPress, this list is just 10 of the lesser known plugins which can add great value to your website. Of course, there are alternatives to many of these plugins, you will quite often find that there are dozens of plugins which offer more-or-less the same features and functionality as similar plugins. So, it’s up to you to find the one which works best for you. The most important thing to check is how often the plugin is updated, and of course, the reviews.

If you need any help with your WordPress website then get in touch with us to see how we can help you.