I’ve received some questions on what plugins I currently have in place on my site.
I thought this would be a great article and answer some of those questions.
So let’s dive in!
Plugins I’m Using on my Site
MailPoet – Emails and Newsetters
I use MailPoet to manage and email everyone who wants to sign up for my newsletter / article updates.
I have it setup to send a Welcome Email once a new subsciber is added, Weekly Emails with links to the latest articles, and a Monthly email with the latest articles of the month.
This has become a huge time saver for me while providing great value to my subscribers.
It does take a little time to setup in the beginning but it’s totally worth it.
There is also a pro version (which at the time of this article) is free for sites with less than 1,000 subscribers (woohoo).
WP Mail SMTP
Inbox mail delivery is a big deal for me.
If I’m sending you an email, I want to make sure you get it in your inbox.
WP Mail SMTP helps that happen.
WordPress websites use the default php mail settings to manage any email related tasks out of the box. This is great at first but is has a very basic setup.
WP Mail SMTP helps establish that connection between your email and your domain allowing your emails to be validated along the way.
This plugin does require some configuration at the beginning but well worth your time.
Make sure you have your SMTP details from your hosting company nearby.
Updraft Plus
I’m a HUGE advocate for backing up your site.
I backup both my SQL database and FTP files on a regular basis.
But I also like to have backups of my backups just in case (yes that has paid off for me).
Updraft Plus is an amazing plugin that provides great backup features.
Some of the add-ons even allow for easy site migration.
Personally, I enjoy some of the paid features from this one so I do recommend investing with the paid version of Updraft Plus with some of the add-on benefits.
A few extras…
I typically use Contact Form 7 (free) for most of my contact forms. I also like using the Divi Contact Form module so it varies by case.
For addon security, I use either WordFence (free) or Defender (free) to help protect my sites. Both of these plugins offer a premium version but again, it depends on the site.
WordPress ShortCodes Ultimate is a great plugin with a LOT of shortcodes. It’s not for everyone but it’s free and provides some great features.
If you use multiple themes but like a standard layout or want to start implementing more layout templates, I highly recommend Elementor!
Elementor allows you to create layouts that you love and works with nearly any theme on the market.
If you haven’t checked out Elementor, now’s your chance before you hear me tell you… “I told you so.”
And one more freebie that is NOT a plugin.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk has become my new best friend when it comes to managing incoming emails.
There is a free version that allows you to do quite a bit and also a paid version that adds more advanced features.
It converts the email into a ticket and can apply various rules tagging the ticket based on preset logical conditions.
Freshdesk also has an app that notifies me when a new ticket has arrived. Not only that, but I can handle the ticket right on my phone.
What plugins do you use and recommend? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below to start the conversation.
