12 Must Use WordPress Plugins To Enhance Performance

WordPress is the most popular open source blogging platform these days and what makes it more popular is the free and useful plugins. Plugins are the heart of WordPress platform and using a perfect plugin for your blog is most important. But one common mistake that every new blogger does is to use all the plugins that they find interesting. But use of lots of plugins can drastically decrease the performance of your blog. But some plugins are there which you must use in order to make your blog more stable and well performing one.

I have categorized these plugins according to their use so that you can pick the one easily for your blog.

Must Use Plugins

1. WordPress Database Backup: This plugin is a very useful one in taking backup of your blog. In real this is a lifesaving plugin which takes the backup of your WordPress database on demand.

2. WP Time Machine: This is really a good plugin to take the backup of your complete blog and save the backup data to your DropBox account. This is the best alternative for the Bloggers who cannot afford to paid backup service.

3. Akismet: This is the plugin which defends against the spamming over your blog and the best part is that it comes by default with the WordPress platform. You just have to activate the plugin and register for an Akismet account and provide the API key.

Must Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Plugins

1. All in One SEO Pack: This is the plugin which automatically optimizes your blog for search engines. This plugin helps in achieving a good SEO on your blog. It gives out of the box SEO functionalities to your blog.

2. Google XML Sitemaps: This plugin automatically generates the XML sitemap for your blog which is supported by most of the search engines. An XML sitemap is one of the important stuff in SEO.

Must Use Security Plugins

1. Semisecure Login Reimagined: This plugin helps a lot in securing your blog by encrypting your login credentials even without using SSL. If you do not have SSL support for your blog then you can make best use of this plugin.

2. Login LockDown: This plugin helps in preventing your blog from brute force attack. You can configure this plugin to block that IP from logging in to your blog after consecutive unsuccessful attempt of login.

Must Use Analytics Plugin

1. Google Analytics for WordPress: This plugin allows you to add Google analytics code to your WordPress blog easily without modifying a single code.

Must Use Caching Plugin

1. W3 Total Cache: Caching is the most important part of any website or blog. This plugin makes automates the caching process of your blog and improves the performance of your blog.

2. WP Super cache: This plugin generates static files for your blog contents so that these static files are directly served instead of massive PHP scripts every time. But if you are using W3 Total Cache then no need of using this plugin, use any one of them.

Must use Other Plugins

1. WP Smush It: This plugin reduces the image file size when you upload it to your blog. This is helpful in improving the page loading of your blog.

2. TinyMCE Advanced: This plugin enhances the advanced features of your WordPress Tiny MCE, WYSIWYG editor. This plugin has lots of features which improves the WordPress editor and makes it user friendly.

So these are my favorite must use WordPress plugins, if you have any more suggestion please share it with your comments.