10 Plugins That Every WordPress Blog Should Utilize

WordPress is in my experience, the#1 blogging and free website platform out there. There are many others like WordPress, such as Blogger, SquareSpace, TypePad, Moveable Type, etc. However, the open-source capabilities and the vast community of users that WordPress offers far exceeds that of their competitors.

WordPress makes things easy for design-gurus and design-newbies alike. If you want to build a WordPress site from scratch, they have the WordPress Codex. If you want a design that is already completed, there are several great WordPress Theme directories out there (WP Theme Page, FreeWPThemes.net, Themes.Rock-Kitty.net and more!). If you’re looking for cool plugins & widgets for your blog, WordPress has that too!

Now all of this is pretty much spoonfed to those of us who use WordPress, but I come across a lot of WordPress blogs that aren’t utilizing some of the great WordPress plugins very well (or at all). I am of the belief that every WordPress blog should utilize the open-source technology that is being continually developed by all of the WP junkies out there. So it is because of this the I’ve decided to provide you with a the list of 10 plugins that every WordPress blog should be utilizing.

The List

Here is the list of WordPress plugins that I feel all blogs should be using.

1. Akismet

Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. You need a WordPress.com API key to use it. You can review the spam it catches under “Comments.” To show off your Akismet stats just put <?php akismet_counter(); ?> in your template. See also: WP Stats plugin. By Matt Mullenweg.

2. Enforce www. preference

Provides 301 redirects to queries with /index.php and enforces your use or non-use of www. By Mark Jaquith.

3. Ultimate Google Analytics

Enable Google Analytics on your blog. Has options to also track external links, mailto links and links to downloads on your own site. Check http://www.oratransplant.nl/uga/#versions for version updates By Wilfred van der Deijl.

4. Google XML Sitemaps

This plugin will generate a sitemaps.org compatible sitemap of your WordPress blog which is supported by Ask.com, Google, MSN Search and YAHOO. By Arne Brachhold.

5. WordPress Automatic Upgrade

WordPress Automatic Upgrade allows a user to automatically upgrade the wordpress installation to the latest one provided by wordpress.org using the 5 steps provided in the wordpress upgrade instructions. Go to WordPress Automatic Upgrade to upgrade your installation Thanks to Ronald Huereca for making the plugin run in automatic mode. By Keith Dsouza.

6. Yoast Breadcrumbs

Outputs a fully customizable breadcrumb path. By Joost de Valk.

7. Feedburner Feedsmith

Originally authored by Steve Smith, this plugin detects all ways to access your original WordPress feeds and redirects them to your FeedBurner feed so you can track every possible subscriber. By FeedBurner.

8. All-in-One SEO Pack

Optimizes your WordPress blog for Search Engines (Search Engine Optimization). By hallsofmontezuma

9. cformsII

cformsII offers unparalleled flexibility in deploying contact forms across your blog. Features include: comprehensive SPAM protection, Ajax support, Backup & Restore, Multi-Recipients, Role Manager support, Database tracking and many more. Please see the VERSION HISTORY for what’s new and current bugfixes. By Oliver Seidel.

10. Twitter for WordPress

Displays your public Twitter messages for all to read. Based on Pownce for WordPress by Cavemonkey50. By Ricardo González.

Set up these WP Plugins on your blog, and you will be well on your way to running a successful blog!