Are you on WordPress?
Are you on WordPress? Well, as many of you know — I converted to WordPress not that long ago and l-o-v-e it! Was it a learning curve? Yep. Was it worth it? You bet! I thought today I would share a few of the plug-ins that have become essential to me and hopefully some of you {smile}.
*Press Pause Button* Before I share those plug-ins with you, let me give a HUGE shout out to my framework as well: Genesis. There are a ton of different frameworks available to you, such as: Whiteboard, Thematic, Thesis, Hybrid, Gantry, etc. I can’t say that I know much about any of the others, but I can say that I have Genesis and it is spoken highly of and used by a great deal of designers and successful bloggers! If and when you decide to make the conversion, (if you haven’t already) be sure to do your homework. My recommendation is to go with the Genesis framework!
Okay, moving on {giggle}. A few of my fave WordPress Plugins:
1) WordPress Greet Box: This plugin lets you show a different greeting message to your new visitors depending on their referring url. I find this box to be a form of engagement. You’re engaging with your readers and encouraging them to come back via subscription or a follow! This is a great plug-in to increase your exposure and build a loyal readership as well! Here is a screen shot of one of mine:
2) The WP SEO plugin: Yoast! This is thee most complete WordPress SEO plugin that exists today for WordPress.org users. I {love, love, love} this plug-in and believe that it has been a huge contributor to the growth of my blog. However, please note that good content is EXTREMELY relevant to the success of any blogs growth. WordPress or Yoast cannot simply grow your blog if you don’t post regularly or have good content. Here is a screenshot behind the scenes of this post in draft form.
You can see that as I added the information, some additional information and stats are generated.
Once I fill in that information, there is a spot up where you would publish that lets you check your SEO. It will appear Red, Yellow or Green. I’m pretty sure you can guess what each of those colors mean. You can tweak your info/post until that light turns green too! Sa-wheet, right?
3. Comment Reply Notification. I {love} replying to my readers comments, but I don’t want them to have to check back to see if I do. When a reply is made to a comment the reader has left on the blog, an e-mail can be sent to the user to notify him/her of the reply. You know what I really appreciate about this plug-in — it allows for conversation between myself and the reader. I’ve had several conversations with some of as a result of this plug-in. Fabuloso!
4. Mail From. I guess this plugin hasn’t been updated in sometime, but I haven’t had any problems. This allows you to change the default wordpress@example.com email address that WordPress or your host sends it’s email from, and the name of the sender that the email is from. So, my comment replies come from kelly@livelaughrowe.com, not a generic e-mail address. I just appreciate the personal touch this allows me to put on my comments, replies, etc.
>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<
That’s it! If you haven’t made the conversion to WordPress yet, it really is something worth considering friends. It’s a wise business decision is you see your blog as a business. If you blog as an outlet or for fun — keep doing what you’re doing and keep having fun!! If you’re on WordPress, what WordPress Plugins do you use?
Back in August I did The Numbers Game in Blogging series. In the Let’s Grow & Engage post, I gave some stats since my conversion to WP. Check it out if you’re looking for some additional info.
A couple of frequently asked questions I receive are below.
Who are you hosting through?
bluehost. LOVE them. The customer service is phenomenal — and I have unlimited storage! If you decide to go with them, I’d love for you to click through the bluehost button in my sidebar. I’d make a few extra dollars for the referral {smile}.
Who did your conversion blogger to WordPress?
Napwarden of NW Designs. Her name is Cynthia. She ROCKS! Tell her I said, “hi!”
Be sure to visit with me here too:
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Google+
Meredith says
I use word press and I host through west host- also very good. Thanks for sharing all of this information. I am definitely going to have to download some new plug-ins! Great advice 🙂
Kelly says
Thanks so much for stopping by, Meredith! Hugs!
Danni Baird says
Kelly I think about WordPress all the time! I’m such a chicken.
Kelly says
Nah… don’t be! If and when you’re ready — you’ll see it’s not as scary as it seems. Have a fabulous day, Danni!
Jenny says
I should check out that last one 🙂 And maybe give WP SEO another try. I didn’t really like it before cause it just made everything so messy… and it didn’t exactly help with getting attention either but… iuno try try again I guess? xD
Kelly says
Well, you want to use what works best for you 🙂 I’m curious as to what you mean by ‘it just made everything so mess.’ Maybe give it another try. Search Engines are usually one of my top referrals. Thanks for stopping by. xo, Kelly
Vidya @ Whats Ur Home Story says
Thank you so much for this post. I’m on WordPress and was actually wondering about the comment reply plugin the other day. Just installed it and the Greet Box plug in. For the SEO, I use the Jetpack and SEO Title tag plugin. Do you know how those are different from the ones you suggested? My favorite though is the LinkWithin. Can’t tell you how much traffic I get from these! Thanks again.
Kelly says
Hi Vidya! I can’t say that I know much about the Jetpack and SEO Title tag plugin. I had read about and continue to hear raving things about Yoast, so I’m sticking with them. Can you use both? Yes, LinkWithin is a handy tool as well. Thanks so much for stopping by. HUGS!
Sarah @ Alderberry Hill says
Hi Kelly! Great post. I use the SEO plugin too – love it. I have a couple of the others as well, I need to get on the ball and activate them. I have been searching for popular WordPress plugins lately – becomes addictive!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Kelly says
Thanks, Sarah! The plugins are a win-win, right? Just be sure you don’t have more than 20 — it will start to slow your site down. Have a fabulous day. HUGS!
Susan @ Oh My! Creative says
Thanks Kelly! I’m going to check these out. How do you place the google ad about your header? Is there a plugin for that…I haven’t been able to figure that out!
Kelly says
Hi Susan! Thanks so much for stopping by. If you’re on Genesis — you can place that ad in one of the simple hooks. You’ll click on Genesis—>Simple Hooks–> then place the code in the genesis_before Hook box. Hope that helps. Have a great day!
Gina says
Cool! You know I am all about all the nifty plug-ins that make blogging life easier. In fact- that was a big motivation for making the switch. Great info my friend- chat w/ ya later!
Kelly says
Hey Gina! Yes, the plugins are a lifesaver and provide unlimited possibilities 🙂 Have a fabulous day…. talk soon. YAY!
Amanda says
I use ZipList on BOTH my food blog and my craft blog 🙂 While I don’t use all the fields in the craft blog side, you can customize the word ingredients to be supplies, etc. Works great!
Kelly says
Amanda! I didn’t even think about that for the crafts… brilliant 🙂 Thanks for the tip. Hugs!
nest of posies says
oh girl – i hope to be on wp soon! i’ll be bookmarking & pinning this to reference soon!
thanks!
kellie
Kelly says
You will LOVE it 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Hugs.
Stephanie says
Love this post Kelly! I’m off to install greet box and zip list! Thanks for the rec!
Kelly says
Yay! You’ll love those plug-ins, Stephanie.! Have a great end to your week. Hugs.
Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon says
great collection! thx kelly!!
Kelly says
Thanks, ladies 🙂
Debbie says
Great information, Kelly! Thanks for sharing, it is something I might think about doing in the future. I have saved this link to refer to when I’m ready.
Debbie 🙂
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Debbie 🙂 You’ll transition if and when the time is right… wishing you all the best! Hugs.
Diane | An Extraordinary Day says
Wow Kelly! You rocked my socks off with this post!! I love seeing what others are doing and what they find to be successful.
Right now I’m using “All in One SEO Pack” – which seems pretty good….I am getting traffic because of it….but I see that Yoast has some other features, too. Is there a cost to Yoast? And have you by chance used the “All in One SEO” before?
Thanks!!!!!!
Kelly says
Aww. I’m so glad to hear that, Diane 🙂 I have not used the All in One SEO, so unfortunately I’m of no help there. Use what works best for you. There is a lot of chatter about Yoast, so keep your ear to the ground. Maybe give it a try for a few weeks and see. There is no cost to use Yoast, it’s a free plugin.
Have a good one! Hugs, Kelly
Krista says
Super informative! Thanks for the coaching on WordPress! Very appreciated.
Amanda {at} Royal Daughter Designs says
I bookmarked this a LONG time ago and now I finally get to take advantage of it! Thank you so much!
Mark says
Have you ever tried WP Online Contract? I am a freelancer and this plugin just hit Code Canyon and it is something that I cannot believe that I went so long without. It may not be for everyone, but it was a god send for me.