Here is a list of useful WordPress Plugins that I have used within the last couple of years on my websites that I have found to be helpful.
SEO Plugins
WordPress SEO – In my opinion, this is the best WordPress SEO plugin available. You can specify a keyword and the plugin will rate the on-page SEO based on how well written the post is and basis the score based on how effectively you use your keyword. A must have plugin!
Google XML Sitemaps – A must have plugin! This will upload your website’s ‘map’ to Google they can properly search your site. Checkout the plugin page for more info.
Google Analyticator – Used for Google Analytics tracking.
Ultimate tag cloud widget – A highly customizable tag cloud for WordPress.
W3 Total Cache – This plugin will help increase your website load times.
Comments and User Interaction
Subscribe to Comments Reloaded – This is an advanced comment subscription plugin, you can allow users to ‘subscribe’ to specific posts so that when there is a reply they will be notified via e-mail. I really like this plugin as it encourages users to return to your site.
Social Login – This plugin allows you to login to the WordPress site using one of 20 social media sites! Great for your users that visit.
Yet Another Related Posts Plugin – This is a nifty plugin that will display other similar posts based on criteria on each post or page, I run this on my music video site and it’s great for displaying similar posts.
Fast Secure Contact Form – This is an amazing plugin that has a very highly customizable form that can create with an auto responder. I think this is by far one of my favorite plugins and it just so happens to be one of the most popular WP plugins out there!
Other Plugins
Page Links To – This plugin allows you to link specific pages or posts to any URL you want, very useful!
Redirection – This is a handy plugin that helps manage 301 redirections, and keep track of 404 errors that may be present on your site.
EZPZ One Click Backup – This is a plugin used for backing up your website, pretty straight forward!
Widgets on Pages – Exactly like it sounds! You can put widgets on pages within your WordPress site.
What plugins do you use? What can you recommend?