A WordPress plugin is basically a piece of software that encompasses a number of different functions that can be installed and integrated with the WordPress website seamlessly. These plugins are written in PHP code. Installing WordPress plugins will give you access to new features and a wide array of functionalities that you can add to your WordPress site. In short, the basic function of WordPress plugins for SEO and security is to add features and functions to the website, without you having to know or do even a single line of programming/coding.
Why Should We Opt for WordPress Plugins? – The Many Advantages of the Plugins
There is a reason behind the sudden boom and growth in the WordPress website market. According to a recent W3Techs survey, about 31.9% of the active websites on the internet today, use WordPress. While most people are making good use of this boom, they are unaware of the reason behind this phenomenon. The credit for this goes to WordPress plugins. Some of the biggest advantages of WordPress plugins are as follows:
- SEO benefits – Search Engine Optimization or SEO is one of the most important tools that online websites and businesses use today to expand and reach out to more people to help their website grow. There are a number of different SEO plugins available for use in the WordPress websites. One can make good use of this to increase visibility and rankings of the website in Google. Since SEO is a really efficient and comprehensive marketing tool, it can get Google to highlight your website or online market over the others and thus drive more traffic to your website in a short period of time.
- Security details – Another important thing is that there are varieties of WordPress plugins available that can help you secure your website. Years of study and advancement of technology over time has led to the formation of these plugins that can protect user information (your details) or the details of a consumer as well. Evolution and betterment of these WordPress plugins have led to a more promising and secure experience for the customers and the owner of the website.
- Creating emails and booking forms – There are certain WordPress plugins that allow you to create emails and booking forms with great ease. One doesn’t need to have a firm grip on technology or know a lot about coding. These plugins are comprehensive and are made for people who want to run an online website or a small scale business without having to put in an effort. It allows them to make the exchange of information a convenient process.
- Sharing – Anything and everything can be done today, thanks to social media and platforms that host the same features. WordPress plugins also include a number of share buttons that allow you to share your content and help your spread your website far and wide by using social media as the medium. These platforms host a great number of potential customers who might be looking for what you and your website are offering. These WordPress plugins help you to bring your content to them and allow you to conduct a suitable trade in a safe and secure manner.
These are only four of the many different advantages of using WordPress plugins, that most people are unaware of today. Knowing them can help people figure out why there is a spurt in the growth of WordPress websites.
Some of the Most Prominent and Sought-after WordPress Plugins for SEO and Security
Here are some of the most renowned and favored WordPress plugins that people use today:
For Site Optimization
WP-Optimize – this plugin basically works as a clean-up and maintenance tool. They remove unnecessary data, defragment MySQL tables and performs periodical clean-ups and optimizations.
Jetpack is an optimizing booster tool for WordPress that provides features like marketing, security, design and even expert support to their customers through their customer support forum.
Broken Link Checker is the WordPress plugin that searches and finds the broken links on your website and doesn’t allow the visitors on your site to access these links.
W3 Total Cache – This particular WordPress plugin focuses on content delivery network integration so as to reduce the time taken to load the page for the visitors of your website. It also helps in SEO to a certain extent.
For Security Purposes
Wordfence Security is a plugin that has been developed especially for WordPress and to increase the security factor for this website. Its function is to block malicious requests, codes, and traffic. It enforces users and visitors to create a strong password and adopts other such security measures.
Sucuri Security is yet another plugin that is designed especially for WordPress, Sucuri Security monitors, scans and audits your entire website.
iThemes Security is a plugin with a wide range of functions, this WordPress plugin offers over 30 different functions and features that can help protect your website.
Opt for Akismet Anti-spam if you don’t want malicious content to be published on your website then this is the plugin for you. It checks contact forms and comments to prevent people from posting the content.
For SEO Purposes
Yoast SEO is the plugin that comes equipped with advanced XML sitemaps functions. They can help avoid duplicating content by setting canonical URLs and also helps in better branding using Meta description and title templates.
All in one SEO pack is an all in one pack for SEO that offers Analytics support, Google AMP, XML sitemap support and much more. Also, it has the ability to notify search engines about the updates to the website.
Google XML Sitemaps is the WordPress plugin that helps in SEO by allowing the major search engines to index on your site easily. Also, it notifies the search engines when something gets published on your website, thereby improving the SEO for your website.
The above information can come in handy when you are deciding which WordPress plugins would suit your purpose the most. So, you should always do your part of research about the SEO company or the plugin company before you integrate their services on your website.
