1. Social Sharing Buttons
If you will take a look at some of the popular WordPress blogs, then you will see that most of them have social sharing buttons on their blog posts. The reason is simple- these buttons allow their customers to promote the blogs through their social media accounts which increases brand exposure. So, make sure that you add all of the essential social sharing buttons on your website so that no matter which social media platform a visitor is most active on, they get to share your blog posts with their friends without any problem.
2. A Premium Theme
One of the coolest things about WordPress is that there is no dearth of premium themes for it on the Internet. In fact, no matter what your website’s niche is, you can find hundreds or even thousands of themes for it easily. So, don’t settle for the basic theme that you get when you install the program and find some of the best responsive themes that fit your brand profile and style.
3. Professional Logo
If you want your WordPress blog to truly stand out and look branded, then you must put a professional logo on it. This is because the branding concept that applies to popular brands like Apple, Nike, Adidas, etc. also applies to websites and blogs. In other words, if you want your blog to be memorable, look larger than it really is, and instill feelings of pride and loyalty in your fans/customers, then you must create a unique and attractive logo as soon as possible.
The good news about creating a logo in today’s tech-driven world is that you have many affordable options. For instance, you can find skilled graphic designers on platforms like Freelancer.com that will charge you a reasonable price. Otherwise, advanced logo makers like tailor brands are also something to consider as they can help you create a logo yourself and that too in just a few minutes.
4. Image Compression Plugin
Your website’s loading speed is more important than you think. Did you know that according to Google’s research, 53% of mobile users leave a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load? 3 seconds! Talk about high stakes.
If you don’t want the online traffic to leave your website without even checking it out, then you must make it as light as possible. If you use a large number of high-quality images, then they could be slowing your website down significantly. To solve this problem, you can install a decent image compression plugin like ShortPixel Image Optimizer or WP Smush.
5. Yoast SEO Plugin
If you know one thing about digital marketing, then you know that search engine optimization i.e. SEO is quite important. So, you can use Yoast SEO which is the ultimate WordPress plugin that can make your website more search engine-friendly. It’s a super simple and user-friendly tool that allows you to create some of the most advanced XML Sitemaps in seconds, write SEO-friendly texts, optimize the pages with detailed insights, etc. Its premium features also offer automatic internal linking suggestions, access to support team, and more.
6. Reliable Hosting
Is your current hosting service provider reliable enough? Does it offer a wide range of features and tools to minimize downtime and help with the SEO? If your answer to either of these questions is “no”, then you must search for an alternative. Remember, the cheapest web hosting service may not necessarily be the best option. So, look for reliability, quality of customer service, and features more than anything else.
7. Google Analytics Dashboard Plugin (MonsterInsights)
You can’t improve your website and increase traffic unless you have all the data. However, by installing the Google Analytics Dashboard plugin by MonsterInsights, you can activate a slew of tracking features and learn about your visitors i.e. their location, devices used, etc. and also get reports like audience report, content report, ecommerce report, etc.
8. Security Plugins
To protect your WordPress site from all kinds of online threats, you must install some of the best security plugins. These include:
- Wordfence: allows you to see live traffic updates and hacking attempts, blocks suspicious networks, supports two-factor authentication, etc.
- Bulletproof Security: offers features like authentication cookie expiration, idle session logout, hidden plugin folder files, etc.
- iThemes Security: protects your website against brute force attacks, increases server security, scans your site and reports on vulnerabilities, etc.
9. Email Subscribe Opt-in Box
Email marketing offers the best ROI compared to other digital marketing techniques like social media marketing or video marketing. However, you can only benefit from it if you have an extensive list of subscribers that you can sell to. So, be sure to add an email subscribe opt-in box on all the landing pages of your website.
10. Chatbot
AI-powered chatbots aren’t necessary for all WordPress sites. However, if yours is an ecommerce store or offers some kind of paid services, then adding a chatbot to your website can help in retaining the visitors and converting them into paying customers by solving their problems and answering basic questions without any human intervention.
So, there you have it. Some of the essential features and tools that every WordPress website must have today to be successful. Incorporate all of them into yours today to give it the boost it deserves!
