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7 of My Favorite WordPress Plugins And Why

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Last updated on August 1st, 2018 at 06:24 pm

Do you constantly struggle with which WordPress plugins you should be using?

favorite WordPress plugins

We all know that WordPress is popular because of all the available plugins you can use.

In fact, there’s literally thousands of free plugins in the repository that you can install today.

I’m NOT a huge fan of using a bunch of free plugins. While I don’t pick up every new plugin that is created, I do have my favorites and wanted to share them with you today.

Related articles to help you with Your WordPress Blog:

While I don’t spend my money on every new plugin that is created, I do have my favorites and wanted to share them with you today.

I love reading blog posts where people share their favorite tools, plugins, and themes.

I’ve found that when I read other bloggers recommendations, I just may find a gem that helps me improve my blog.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Plugins Make It Easy to Work With WordPress. #FreeTraining at SusanVelez.com” quote=”Plugins Make It Easy to Work With WordPress. #FreeTraining at SusanVelez.com” theme=”style4″]

I use the paid version of all the plugins I recommend, however, some of them will allow you to get started for free.

In a hurry? Want to Save This Post for Later?</strong

[postgopher name=”FavoriteWordPressPlugins” pid=”2148″]Click To Download This Post as a PDF [/postgopher]

The free version is fine to start with, just don’t expect all the premium features.

7 of My Favorite Plugins

As I mentioned, I don’t use the free versions of these plugins. So I am not familiar with how the free version varies from the premium version on all the plugins.

They are not listed in any particular order.

I currently use them all and I love them and wanted to share them with you.

Let’s Get Started….

#1 Social Sharing Plugin

Social Warfare: This plugin has definitely made my life a lot easier. As you know when I first got started, I was using the Monarch plugin. (which is a good plugin as well)

Related posts on the Social Warfare Plugin:

Related: How to Remove Pins From Pinterest

However, for some reason, I had issues and had to make a switch to the Social Warfare plugin.

Social Warfare

This plugin has definitely made it extremely easy for me to get people to share my content.

In fact, I almost didn’t buy it because I didn’t want to do any extra work for my posts.

Blog posts are hard enough to write, who really wants to take the time to create extra work for themselves.

I now have a system in place that has made it a lot easier for me to create my Pinterest images.

Related: How to Post On Pinterest Using Social Warfare

#2 Email Opt-in Plugin

Thrive Leads: This plugin makes it extremely easy for me to add opt-in boxes to my blog. When I first started the blog, I had a popup whenever someone visited my blog.

I’ve recently changed it to only show when someone is exiting the blog.

Get Thrive Leads for WordPress
I know I am not a huge fan of popups either. However, the popup has the highest conversion on my blog. That’s actually the only reason why I’ve kept it.

So love it or hate it, it’s helping me grow my email list.

#3 Countdown Dynamite

Countdown Dynamite: We all know that scarcity works for improving our sales. This plugin makes it easy to add a scarcity timer to your funnels.

I was using the Thrive Ultimatum at first, however, the downfall of that plugin is that I wasn’t able to add counters less than 24 hours. The Countdown Dynamite fixed that issue.

I can now set up any type of countdown timer on my funnels whether I set it up for 7 minutes of 2 days. I get to choose how long I want to set my timers for.

#4 PDF Creator for Email Opt-ins

Post Gopher: This plugin is awesome and I have only been using it for about a month and a half. It makes it so easy to allow your readers to create downloadable PDF’s from your blog posts.

I had no clue how easy it was to build your email list without working any harder. After installing this plugin, I have been able to add some email subscribers to my email list without doing any extra work.

I’ll have to write a review on how to use this plugin soon. I love it so much and the best part is that you buy it once and you don’t have to worry about subscription payments.

you can buy it here.

#5 Plugin Automation

Revive Old Posts: I heard about this plugin when I was reading a blog post from Kim Your Chick Geek, you can read the post here.

I knew that I didn’t want to spend a lot of my time promoting my old blog posts.

So when I heard how easy it is to set up the Revive Old Posts plugin, I figured why not give it a try.

I picked up the premium version because it allows you to share the image along with the post.

The free version works just as well, the only difference is that you can’t share the blog post image.

#6 Backup Plugin

Backup by BlogVault: I wrote a tutorial on how I was using the BackupBuddy when I started this blog. Then I ended up switching to Updraft Plus the premium version.

Both backup plugins are awesome and will help you automate your backups.

I no longer use BackupBuddy or Updraft for this blog.

I’ve decided to sign up with Blog Vault. The only reason I switched was that I’ve had nothing but good experiences from using it on my clients’ sites.

Related posts on helping you backup your blog:

I love how easy it is to create backups and restore sites using Blog Vault. I don’t have to worry about whether or not the plugin will give me errors.

If you’ve used Backup Buddy, you know that sometimes it will give you different kinds of errors. I didn’t want to take the chance of my backup not working.

#7 Affiliate Link Cloaking Plugin

Thirsty Affiliates: As you know, my goal is to turn this blog into a full-time income through affiliate marketing and digital products.

This plugin makes it easy for me to cloak my affiliate links quickly and easily. I’ve read that a lot of bloggers love using Pretty link Pro, but I don’t have any experience with it.

Before I used either plugin, I was actually using YOURLS URL Shortner. It was working out great, however, I wanted more control and more statistics on my affiliate links.

Which Plugins Should You Use?

These are the plugins that I use. They work great on my blog and it doesn’t necessarily mean they will work for your blog. Finding the right plugin takes time and sometimes money.

Learning how to start a blog is challenging. When you invest in the right tools and plugins, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to focus on other things that help you grow.

Before you purchase any type of plugin, you need to know what you want to accomplish with your blog. This is why it’s so important to know what your blog goals are.

If you understand what you want to achieve with your blog, you’ll have a better understanding of which plugins you need. Plus it will help you avoid spending money on plugins you don’t need or won’t use.

Believe me, I’ve spent money on plugins that I thought would help me, only to realize that I stopped using the plugin for one reason or another.

I understand that my blog is my business and I can’t do everything for free. However, the last thing I want to do is spend carelessly on plugins, themes or anything else that I don’t use.

Should I Pay For Plugins?

Everyone’s opinion will vary on whether they are willing to pay for their WordPress plugins. I personally don’t mind paying for the support and updates of a plugin, especially, if I am going to use it.

You may have the mentality of “why should I pay for a plugin when there are thousands in the repository for free?” As I said opinions vary on this and the great thing is that it’s your blog. You can do whatever you want.

If you do use free plugins, just make sure that they are updated on a regular basis. If you love the free version, once you’re making enough money from your blog, you should consider upgrading to support the developer.

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Final Take Away

There are literally tons of plugins you can use on your WordPress blog. If you’re brand new to WordPress and don’t know how to use plugins, check out the Complete WordPress Beginners Guide.

Only the plugins that you actually need. If you’re not using it, then delete the plugin. Don’t buy or use a plugin just because someone says you need it.

If you haven’t started blogging yet, here is my tutorial on getting a blog set up on SiteGround. As a “thank you” for purchasing through my link, I’ll send you a copy of my book – The Jumpstart WordPress for free

Doing so will only cause you to waste a lot of money. Don’t forget to sign up for my Free 7 Day WordPress course.

Hand Picked Articles for You

Do you use any of my favorite plugins? If not which plugin is the one that you just can’t live without? Is a free plugin or a premium plugin? Let me know in the comments below, I’m sure that there are tons of other plugins that I missed that do a great job.

 

About Susan Velez

Hi! I'm Susan welcome to my blog. Are you ready to use the Internet and a computer to change your finances? I share tips to help you make money online through blogging, side hustles and other non-traditional methods learn more Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube

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Comments

  1. Benjamin says

    Hi Susan!

    Really nice list, especially Social Warfare which is my absolute best!
    I also love Thrives Theme and their email collect form.
    I hope I could use it soon with one of favorite plugin of the year : Jackmail. An awesome Newsletter plugin I found last month. You should have a look, it could definitively be in your list :p

    Have a good day!

  2. Susan Velez says

    Hi Benjamin,

    Glad you like the list, I’ve never hard of Jackmail thanks for letting me know about it.

    Once we start using the plugins that help us achieve our goals, it’s really hard to switch to something else.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  3. Vishwajeet Kumar says

    Hello Susan,
    Great List of plugins. I am using some of them like Social warfare and Thristy affiliates. However some of the plugins here in this post is unknown to me. I am curious to give them a try. These plugins are really very helpful to create a professional WordPress blog. Thanks for sharing these great list.

    Have a great day 🙂
    Vishwajeet

  4. Susan Velez says

    Hi Vishwajeet,

    I use all the plugins on that page. Glad to hear that you’re already using some of them.

    That’s the cool thing about WordPress, there are so many plugins that we can choose from to help us achieve what we want to do.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  5. Ravi Chahar says

    Hey Susan,

    I have been using Social Warfare and Thirsty Affiliates for a very long time. Dealing with the affiliate links can be overwhelming sometimes.

    I never use the landing pages builders because I develop and design the landing pages on my own.
    Thanks for sharing the list.
    ~Ravi

  6. Susan Velez says

    Hi Ravi,

    I haven’t been using Thirsty Affiliates for very long. However, in just the short few months that I’ve been using it, I love it. It’s definitely helped me organize my affiliate links a lot better.

    I’ve seen your landing pages that you’ve designed. They look great 🙂

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  7. Golden Okechukwu says

    Shoutout Susan.

    What a great list.

    I’m not a wordpress guy so I can’t say which plugins are my favourite.

    But one thing I know is that plugins make things easier for WordPress bloggers.

    And I’m sure that if I am exporting my blog to WordPress I’d consider
    Yoast
    Akismet
    JetPack
    SocialShare

    I will also consider this great list you made.

    Thanks and please keep up the good work.

    Golden.

  8. Susan Velez says

    Hi Golden,

    Glad you enjoyed the list of plugins that I shared. That’s the cool thing about WordPress is that you can use pretty much any plugins that you want.

    Just don’t overload your site with a bunch plugins.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  9. Navin Rao says

    Hi Susan,

    Thanks, that was an amazing list, I am already using social warfare plugin for Social Media sharing. It is one of the popular ones in the market right now.

    Apart from the Page builder and affiliate plugins, Revive old posts plugin sounds interesting and would definitely try out.

    Thanks for the share, Have a great day ahead!

  10. Ryan Biddulph says

    Hi Susan,

    Super helpful list here.

    Having that social sharing button is oh so key. I have heard fab things about Social Warfare.

    A few minutes ago I visited a blog with no social sharing buttons. This person is leaving so much Twitter and Facebook and G Plus traffic on the table, when a simple plugin can add hundreds and thousands of visitors to their blog, boosting blog traffic pronto.

    Having the perfect mix of practical plug ins designed to grow your blog – without weighing it down by going too plug in heavy – makes all the difference in the world.

    This I have seen on my blog.

    Thanks for sharing the rocking list Susan. Keep up your blog commenting; I’m visiting this post from the comment you left on John Chow’s blog.

    Ryan

  11. Susan Velez says

    Hi Ryan,

    Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes when I’m visiting blogs and love the post I want to share it. However, if I have a hard time finding the social icons or the plugin makes it difficult to share.

    I move on without sharing. I love helping people spread the love for their content, but it’s got to be easy.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment. I don’t plan on stopping with the commenting.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  12. Susan Velez says

    Hi Navin,

    Glad that you’re loving the Social Warfare plugin. I love it as well, and it’s definitely increased the social shares on my blog. Which is great after all, more shares means that it can turn into more traffic.

    Yeah, you definitely should check out Revive Old Posts. That’s what helps me put my old posts on autopilot for promotion. While I don’t have a huge archive of old posts, it does continue to grow month after month.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  13. saman says

    Amazing informative articles. Please keep writing. Usually i like to read technical articles which give useful information about new gadgets and techniques. Your blog is just according to my requirements. I love to visit the blog on daily basis.
    Thank,
    Sara

  14. jenifar says

    Hi Susan
    it’s really great post , and these plugins are good and enough for a website
    Thank you for sharing , but this plugin was AFFILIATE LINK CLOAKING PLUGIN really great and new for me

  16. Susan Velez says

    Hi Jenifar,

    Glad to hear that I was able to introduce you to a new plugin. I really like the Thirsty Affiliates plugin. Although, I know a lot of people use Pretty Links, I personally have never used that one.

    So I really can’t say which one is better? I personally think it’s just important to find the right plugins that work for you.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  17. Shivkumar says

    Hi Susan,

    Good roundup of plugins. Plugins make blogger life easier. I must say we should support developer by taking paid version of plugin. It’s there hardwork and skill which is helping us to make everything go smoothly.

    Thanks for sharing.

  18. Shantanu Sinha says

    Hello Susan,

    Awesome list of some very helpful WordPress plugins over here 🙂

    Pretty of known names over here, which are indeed one of the most ideal plugins which one can used for making their wordpress work smooth and faster. Plugins like Social warfare, Thrive leads and Thrive architect is among some of the names every blogger has on their mouth.

    I am quite surprised to know about some of the new and advanced plugins over here like, Thrive ultimatum and Thirsty Affiliates.

    Talking about Thirsty affiliate, I am not of much an affiliate guy, thats why may be I wasn’t aware of this one, but we all know that affiliate is something that can make us quick money if done correctly. As per your description, this plugin looks very cool to me and I am looking forward to dig more to this and get my hands upon this one.

    Thanks for the share.

    Have a great week ahead.

    Shantanu.

  19. Susan Velez says

    Hi Shantanu,

    Glad I could introduce you to some new plugins that you’ve never used.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  20. Susan Velez says

    Hi Shivkumar,

    I agree I don’t mind paying for a plugin if I am actually using it. If I am unsure if the plugin will work, I will install the free version. If I do plan on using it and love it, then I’ll upgrade to the pro version.

    I am actually using the pro version on all the plugins on my blog. Why? Because like you said, I would rather get the support from the developer than deal with headaches from not being able to update.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  21. Akash Navi says

    Hi Susan,

    You have good plugins in your favorite list. One of my favorite WordPress plugins is the Quick AdSense one.

    I use that one to insert AdSense ads on all of my websites.

    I love that one because of its simplicity.

  22. Susan Velez says

    Hi Akash,

    I haven’t tried the Quick Adsense plugin. Glad to hear that you like it.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan

  23. kafil says

    Hi Susan,very nice collection you have.Do you use ll the plugins you share with us?Thanks a lot for sharing your valuable knowlege.Keep it up.

  24. Susan Velez says

    Hi Kafil,

    Glad you liked the plugins I shared. I am using all of those plugins on my blog. I am also using several other plugins that are not mentioned on that post as well.

    I only share information about plugins that I use because it is hard for me to share information on plugins if I do not know something about it.

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan