Hey there WordPress lovers! Are you feeling the blues because your website just isn’t quite up to par? Don’t worry, I’ve got the cure for what ails you.
Plugins, as we all know, are the secret ingredient to taking a plain vanilla website and turning it into a work of art. And what’s even sweeter than that? Many of these plugins are available for free!
In this article, we’ll be exploring the top 10 best free WordPress plugins of 2023. We’ll take a deep dive into what these plugins can do for your website, how they work, and why you simply can’t live without them.
So sit back, relax, and let’s get ready for an epic journey of discovery into the world of the “best free WordPress plugins.”
The Top 10 Best Free WordPress Plugins in 2023
Webp Express: Webp Convertor
You know what’s not fun? Slow-loading websites. And you know what makes websites load slow? Large image files. But fear not, because the Webp Convertor plugin is here to save the day!
This plugin does exactly what its name suggests: it converts your non-WebP images into the shiny, new WebP format. This results in smaller image sizes, which in turn leads to faster load times.
And who doesn’t love a website that loads faster than a cheetah on steroids?
Not only is this plugin lightning fast (just like your website will be), it’s also incredibly user-friendly. All you need to do is install and activate the plugin, and it will automatically convert all your images to WebP format.
That’s it. No more tedious manual work, no more frustration. Just pure, unadulterated website speed.
Recent Posts with Thumbnails
So, you’ve got a blog and you want to show off your latest and greatest posts. What do you do? You could manually add them to your sidebar or footer, but who has time for that?
Enter the Recent Posts with Thumbnails plugin. This handy little tool allows you to display your recent posts with a thumbnail image in a widget, making it easy for your visitors to catch up on all the exciting things you’ve been writing about.
The plugin is super easy to use, just install, activate and add the widget to your desired area. Customize it to your heart’s content, choosing the number of posts to display, the size of the thumbnails, and even the type of post to show.
With Recent Posts with Thumbnails, you’ll be able to show off your latest creations like a boss. And who knows, you might even inspire someone to take the leap and start their own blog.
Updraft
Who says backing up your website has to be a chore? With Updraft, you can rest easy knowing that your precious website data is always protected.
This plugin automatically backs up your website on a schedule that you set, so you can focus on creating content, not worrying about losing it.
Not only does Updraft save you time, but it also saves you from the stress of losing all your hard work. It’s like having a safety net for your website, allowing you to sleep soundly at night knowing that if disaster strikes, you’ve got a backup.
Updraft also makes it easy to restore your website to a previous version, in case you need to undo any changes or fix an issue. You can even store your backups in a variety of locations, including cloud storage options like Google Drive and Dropbox.
With its ease of use and peace of mind it provides, Updraft is a must-have plugin for any WordPress website.
Swap Google Fonts Display
We’ve all been there – waiting what seems like an eternity for a website to load, all because of slow-loading fonts. Enter Swap Google Fonts Display.
This handy plugin allows your website to use default fonts while the Google fonts are loading, resulting in faster load times for your visitors.
No more frustration for them, and no more lost visitors for you! Swap Google Fonts Display also helps improve your website’s overall performance, making it a no-brainer for anyone looking to enhance their site’s speed.
Contact Form 7
Whether you’re a business looking to connect with customers or a blogger looking to hear from your readers, Contact Form 7 is the perfect solution. This plugin allows you to easily create custom forms on your website, so you can gather information from your visitors with ease.
No coding skills required! Contact Form 7 is simple to set up and use, and it’s even more fun with its customizability options. You can choose from a variety of form templates, add custom fields, and even set up email notifications so you never miss a message.
With Contact Form 7, connecting with your visitors has never been easier. So go ahead, give your website the gift of seamless communication!
Rank Math
As a website owner, you want to make sure your website is ranking high on search engines, right? Well, that’s where Rank Math comes in!
This plugin is a one-stop-shop for all things SEO. It takes care of all the technical SEO stuff so you can focus on creating amazing content for your audience.
With Rank Math, you can do keyword research, optimize your website’s content, and track your rankings all in one place.
It even provides you with a list of actionable items to help improve your website’s SEO. It’s like having your own personal SEO consultant, for free!
Wordfence
If you’re worried about your website’s security, Wordfence has got you covered. This plugin is like a superhero, defending your website from malicious attacks and keeping your data safe.
With regular security scans and real-time monitoring, you can rest easy knowing your website is protected.
Wordfence also has a firewall to block hacking attempts and malicious traffic. Plus, it keeps a log of all the activity on your website so you can see who’s been up to what.
With Wordfence, you’ll be able to sleep soundly knowing your website is in good hands.
LuckyWP Table of Content
The LuckyWP Table of Content is a plugin that allows you to create a table of contents for your website, making it easier for your visitors to navigate and find the information they need.
This plugin is particularly useful for longer articles or posts, as it provides a quick and simple way for users to jump to the sections they are interested in.
The Lucky/WP Table of Content works by automatically generating a table of contents based on the headings in your content. You can customize the appearance of the table to match the design of your website, and it can be displayed anywhere on your site using a shortcode or widget.
The plugin is fully responsive, so it will look great on any device, and it supports multiple languages, making it an ideal choice for global websites.
Site kit by Google
Imagine being able to access all the important metrics of your website in one place. No more jumping from one platform to another, no more having to switch tabs multiple times. Well, imagine no more! Because Site kit by Google is here to save the day!
It integrates with various Google tools such as Google Analytics, PageSpeed Insights, Search Console, and AdSense to provide you with a comprehensive view of your website.
With Sitekit, you’ll have access to information such as your website’s traffic, the sources of your traffic, the most popular pages on your website, your website’s speed, and even any errors that may be affecting your website’s performance.
It’s like having a superpower that lets you see everything that’s going on with your website in real-time.
In addition to all the juicy details Sitekit provides, it also offers recommendations on how to improve your website’s performance. You can quickly fix common problems such as slow page speed or low search engine rankings, helping you to reach your website’s full potential.
So if you’re looking for a plugin that will help you keep track of your website’s performance and provide you with recommendations on how to improve it, Sitekit by Google is the perfect choice.
WP Rocket
Have you ever felt like your website is dragging its feet, stuck in a time loop, and just refuses to load?
WP Rocket is the WordPress plugin that will blast your website into the stratosphere of speed and performance.
This plugin is designed to optimize your website’s loading time, making it lightning fast and incredibly responsive. With WP Rocket, you’ll no longer have to endure the frustration of slow loading pages and disgruntled visitors.
So, how does it work? WP Rocket uses a combination of advanced caching techniques, minification of files, and lazy loading of images. This ensures that your website loads quickly, even for those who are on slow internet connections.
But that’s not all, WP Rocket also offers a wide range of additional features to enhance your website’s performance. It provides a simple and intuitive interface to configure these features, making it easy for even the most technologically challenged of us to get the job done.
Conclusion
So there you have it folks, the top 10 best free WordPress plugins of 2023, as deemed by yours truly. To recap, we’ve got the “Webp Convertor”, “Recent Posts with Thumbnails”, “Updraft”, “Swap Google Fonts Display”, “Contact Form 7”, “Rank Math”, “Wordfence”, “Lucky/WP Table of Content”, “Sitekit by Google”, and “WP Rocket”.
Whether you’re looking to optimize your website’s performance, improve your SEO, or just make it look more pretty, there’s a plugin for that.
In conclusion, the importance of plugins in enhancing the functionality of a WordPress website can’t be overstated. With the right set of plugins, you’ll be well on your way to creating the website of your dreams.
So, what are you waiting for? Get those plugins installed and see the magic happen!
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
What are the top 5 plugins you typically use with WordPress?
Well, that depends on the type of website you’re building, but some of my personal favorites are: Updraft, Wordfence, Contact Form 7, WP Rocket, and Rank Math.
Which plugin is best for a website?
it all depends on your personal taste! The best plugin for your website will depend on what kind of functionality you need.
What is the most popular plugin for WordPress?
Currently, the most popular plugin for WordPress is Jetpack with over 5 million active installations.
Which is the most popular SEO plugin?
Currently, the best SEO plugin for WordPress is Yoast SEO, with over 5 million active installations.
Is Elementor free?
Elementor has both a free and a paid version. The free version is great for getting started, but the paid version offers more advanced features and functionality.
Is WordPress free forever?
Yes, WordPress itself is free and open-source software, and it will remain that way forever. Of course, if you want to add extra functionality with plugins or custom themes, those might come at a cost.
