13 Top WordPress Plugins For Blogs 2022 (Free & Premium)

Well, are you ready to create your blog? When in doubt, remember: it is always better to do than not to do. Also, it doesn’t really require much effort. And in this article, we will take a look at the best WordPress plugins for blogs that will make your task even easier.

Table of Contents

How to create a WordPress blog

First of all, to make you sure that starting a blog is not difficult at all, I will briefly tell you how to do it. There will be only 5 steps.

Buy a domain name

This is a www-name of your website. There is a large list of sites where you can buy a domain name, it’s very simple. Just google it.

WordPress domain name

Buy WordPress Hosting

It is an engine that backs up your site and stores or the files.

Without it, no website exists. You can complete the first two steps at once by using website building services that provide both domain and hosting.

There are lots of WordPress hosting providers. Another advantage of this solution is that you do not have to manually connect the domain to the hosting later. But nevertheless, if you want to buy a domain and hosting on different resources, this is no big deal.

👉Check out also: What type of web hosting do you need?

Install WordPress

Of course, there are different CMSs (content management systems) and WordPress is not the only option. But it’s a reliable and free platform with comprehensive instructions. And of course, there is a huge number of templates, themes, and plugins that do most of the work for you.

Install a theme and templates

The theme is the core of any website. The templates stand for design. Also, you can use dynamic templates that bring both design and functionality to the site.

To figure out how themes and templates differ from each other, read this article on our blog. 

Install WordPress plugins

WordPress plugins add functionality to your website and actually, they are one of the best parts WordPress provides.

You can find WordPress plugins for every part of the work you need to handle. If you chose a dynamic template, then your site will already have some functionality since it comes with a bunch of plugins.

But even then, you may still need some extra ones. 

How to choose WordPress plugins?

Now that you’re done with the main part, it’s time to figure out what plugins you need. There are plugins for every purpose you may think about, from image optimization ones to add-ons for e-commerce.

As for now, there are almost 60K of free only plugins available on the WordPress repository. So, if you’re a newbie out here, it may be a little overwhelming to choose the best option at once. 

How to choose WordPress plugins?

To figure out what you need, you have to define a purpose you need to cover. The WordPress plugins can add functionality in very different ways:

  1. SEO optimization
  2. Security 
  3. Contact form 
  4. Design features 
  5. UX optimization and many more 

First, you have to define what you need, then you can either open articles like this one to see some proven recommendations or search plugins yourself via keywords in the WordPress repository. This is the most comprehensive collection of plugins available in the world. Even most of the paid plugins have a free version which is sure to be in the repository.

WordPress repository

Please note that it’s not a good idea to install many plugins for a single site. It slows down the site, makes it heavy. Moreover, plugins can make your site vulnerable to attacks so it’s necessary to choose the most reliable ones. 

How to figure out if the best WordPress plugin is reliable and is exactly what you need:

  1. See the number of active installations 
  2. Make sure the number of reviews matches the number of installations. You need to make sure that these are honest reviews left by real people. Also, if a bunch of reviews was left in one day, this is also suspicious.
  3. If the plugin has a free version, install and test it before purchasing a paid one. If there is no free version, take a closer look at the screenshots, reviews, write your questions to customer support. Carefully study the list of plugin features and make sure that it provides what you need.
  4. By the way, good technical support is very important. Free plugins often only provide support on the WordPress forum, and that’s okay. Make sure that the team previously responded promptly to user questions.
  5. Make sure the plugin is updated regularly. Rarely updated plugins are the most common reason for hacking WordPress sites.
WordPress plugin active installations
  1. After installing the plugin, make sure that it does not slow down the site. To do this, measure its download speed before and after installation. This can be done using different services like GTMetrix, and others.

Also, remember that if for some reason the installed plugin did not suit you, for example, it slows down your site, you can usually ask for a refund during 14 days since purchase. Of course, this refers to paid plugins only. If the plugin is free, just delete it and find a better one. 

13 Best Plugins for WordPress blogs

Finally, let’s discuss the plugins themselves! Here you will find eight awesome plugins for different purposes. As usual, there will be the main characteristics only. Follow the anchor links in each description to visit the main sites and learn about every plugin in more detail.

JetBlog

JetBlog is our plugin and the best recommendation for those who need interactive stylish blog pages. The plugin comes with 6 different widgets to help you with different stylistic tasks.

How to work with JetBlog: a comprehensive guide

Thanks to JetBlog, you can add video playlists to the page in two clicks, display posts in non-standard layouts, and much more. The plugin is currently only available for Elementor. You can buy it separately or in an all-inclusive plugin package.

👉Why you need JetBlog:

  • To create engaging blog pages 

😎JetBlog core features:

  • Comes with six widgets that allow styling blog in different ways: navigation, pagination, posts list, posts tiles, text ticker, video playlist
  • Enables displaying blog posts in a tile view
  • Text ticker allows you to showcase news creatively 
  • Allow adding Youtube, Vimeo, and other video playlists on the page
  • Designed for Elementor page builder

💰JetBlog price: $19/year

Strive

Strive is a content calendar plugin that makes it easy for you to plan your upcoming posts. Using Strive, you can stay on top of your publishing schedule without missing a beat.

strive content calendar

The Strive plugin includes additional features beyond the calendar, such as custom checklists, post revisions, and a Pipeline that gives you an overview of all your drafts.

👉Why you need Strive:

  • To publish content consistently with WordPress

😎Strive’s core features:

  • Beautiful content calendar
  • Post checklists to create a workflow
  • Revisions for republishing old posts
  • Post statuses for tracking your progress
  • Pipeline to view the state of your drafts

💰Strive’s price: 30-day free trial then $7/month or $70/year

Akismet Anti-Spam

There are many anti-spam plugins available but some are too complicated for a simple blog and too overwhelming for newbies.

Get rid of Spam comments in WordPress

Meanwhile, Akismet is just what you need. It’s doing its job perfectly and is understandable and lightweight.  

👉Why you need Akismet:

  • For filtering out spam content from the comments so that your website won’t publish malicious content

😎Akismet core features:

  • Checks comments and filters out suspicious ones automatically
  • Track mode to see what comments were deleted
  • A discard feature that outright blocks the worst spam

💰Akismet price: $0

MobiLoud Canvas

MobiLoud Canvas is a plugin coupled with a done-for-you service that makes it easy to convert your WordPress site to native mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. It lets you skip the lengthy and expensive process of hiring and managing developers, and use what already works for your website.

Your apps sync 100% with your WordPress website, meaning you only need to manage one platform. Publish content through the WordPress backend like normal, and your apps will automatically update too.

mobiloud canvas for mobile apps

Canvas provides all the features your mobile apps need, such as dedicated mobile UI elements, push notifications, and the ability to publish to the app stores.

👉Why you need MobiLoud Canvas:

  • 60% of people today use mobile devices over desktops to access the internet. Mobile apps let you provide an optimal mobile UX, and boost user retention in a big way.

😎MobiLoud Canvas core features:

  • Lets you launch powerful mobile apps in less than 2 weeks.
  • Significantly cheaper than native app development.
  • Full service – no coding knowledge necessary.
  • Unlimited push notifications.
  • Support for subscriptions, memberships, paywalls, and in-app purchases.
  • Ongoing support, updates, and maintenance for your apps are included in the subscription cost.

💰MobiLoud Canvas price: starting from $200 per month (or $100 per month for early-stage startups), plus App Submission fees (starting at $500).

JetSticky

JetSticky is also our plugin for Elementor. It’s a free and simple solution allowing you to make sticky sections and columns.

Adding Sticky Header to Your Website in 3 min.

That is, while the user scrolls the page, the parts you specified will always be on the screen. 

👉Why you need JetSticky:

  • To keep sections and/or columns on the page while the user scrolls a page 

😎JetSticky core features:

  • Allows you to make sticky headers and blocks easily
  • Dozens of styling options to change the section’s appearance
  • Allows changing the top and the bottom spacing values

💰JetSticky price: $0

BuddyPress Member Blog

BuddyPress member blog plugin

Do you know you can create a community blogging platform using WordPress and some plugins for free? Yes, it’s true. You can allow guest authors to publish posts on your website and have their profiles. The complete setup is super easy, and you can quickly implement it in your existing WordPress site. Check out live demo here.

👉Why you need BuddyPress Member blog:

BuddyPress member blog is a unique add-on for WordPress social network plugin.

😎BuddyPress Member blog core features:

  • Assign Frontend posting capabilities according to user roles.
  • Display posts on user profiles.
  • Members can unpublish or edit their posts.
  • Feature to allow user publishing.
  • Include/exclude categories in the frontend post form.

💰BuddyPress Member blog price: $0

Ultimate Blocks 

Ultimate Blocks is a Gutenberg block plugin for WordPress that lets you create better content for your blog. The plugin is helpful for bloggers who want to display their content more beautifully using blocks. 

It comes with a total of 18 blocks which includes a Review block, Table of Contents block, Call-to-action block, styled list block, and more. 

👉Why you need Ultimate Blocks:

It’s a great plugin for bloggers who want simple yet highly customizable blocks on Gutenberg. 

😎Ultimate Blocks core features: 

  • 18 Gutenberg blocks
  • Fully responsive 
  • Enable/disable blocks
  • Customize the look and feel of blocks
  • SEO friendly and optimized for speed

💰Ultimate Blocks price: $0 

Yoast SEO

Probably the most well-known and commonly used SEO WordPress plugin. Yoast is an SEO plugin that can set descriptions, tags, and keywords automatically. Also, it analyzes errors to optimize content and site.

Yoast SEO tutorial for Beginners

There’s a premium plugin version too. It unlocks features like News SEO, Video SEO, Local SEO, and WooCommerce SEO extensions, blocks internal links, and much more.

👉Why you need Yoast:

😎Yoast core features:

  • Automatically adds canonical URLs and meta tags
  • Speed optimization recommendations 
  • Content check and recommendations for improvements 
  • Shows you what your text focuses on via The Insights tool [premium]
  • Automatic internal linking suggestions [premium]

💰Yoast price: $0 – $89/yr/1 site

EWWW Image Optimizer

EWWW will help you to reduce image size so that your site will store smaller files and thus speeds up. The plugin is crucial for good performance.

WordPress Website Image Optimization

👉Why you need EWWW:

  • To make images smaller without pouring their quality  

😎EWWW core features:

  • Optimizes all existing images on the site even those outside the WordPress Media Library
  • Unlimited file size

💰EWWW price: $0

Jetpack

Jetpack is a Swiss knife in the world of WordPress plugins. It comes with both security and performance features.

Jetpack for WordPress complete guide

Moreover, the plugin has a premium version, which also includes design and marketing tools. This pack was developed by the WordPress team itself.

👉Why you need Jetpack:

  • For spam protection, malware scanning, database backup, the choice of themes, contact form, and more

😎Jetpack core features:

  • Brute force attack protection
  • SEO optimization tools
  • Automatically shares social media posts
  • Backs up site automatically [premium]
  • Integrates with many mail services [premium[
  • Google AMP integration

💰Jetpack price: $0 – $99.95

Contact Form 7

Contact form is crucial for every blog. This is how you will collect the contacts and research your audience.

Contact form 7 tutorial

Contact Form 7 is the most popular contact form plugin, but there are a lot of WordPress contact forms plugins with extended functionality. The plugin is simple and without any fancy. However, you can expand its functionality by installing free Flamingo and Bogo extensions.

👉Why you need Contact Form 7:

  • To customize and manage multiple contact forms flexibly

😎Contact Form 7 core features:

  • Allows creating contact forms and add them to the site
  • Supports Ajax submissions, CAPTCHAs, Akismet spam filter, and more

💰Contact Form 7 price: $0

Revive Old Posts

This plugin makes automatic reposts to Facebook and Twitter. It reposts both new content and old materials from the archive.

Auto-post to social media via Revive Old Posts plugin

In addition to automatic work, the plugin allows you to manually configure the repost schedule.

👉Why you need Revive Old Posts:

  • To boost traffic by reposting content to social media automatically

😎Revive Old Posts core features:

  • Automatically reposts articles to social media
  • Adds UTM tags automatically
  • Adds hashtags

💰Revive Old Posts price: $0

Instead of conclusion 

So, here are 8 starter-level reliable WordPress plugins that are very helpful for every blogger. Feel free to suggest your top WordPress plugin for any blog in the comments below. 👇

And instead of a conclusion, I would better tell you how to find out which plugins any particular WordPress website uses. This is for those cases when you enjoy some element on someone’s blog and want the same thing for yours. 

First, you can view Page Source. But the easiest way is to use WordPress Plugin Checker. Just open this website, enter the URL of the site you are interested in and you’ll find out which plugins it uses. Yes, that is easy! 😊

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