Why Your Blog is Going to Fail Without These Five Essential Plugins

I’m going to tell you why your blog is going to fail unless you have these five essential plugins. What? Which ones?!

I’ll get to that in a minute. Don’t worry because I’ve put this short list together to help you succeed!

Let’s face it, blogging is hard work but the RIGHT plugins can make blogging way more fun and efficient!

The great news is that they’re all free to start with! And by the way, I’m still using the free versions of all of them today. And even better, they should only take a few moments to install and learn how to use. Love that? Me too. So, let’s get started.

What Is A Plugin?

A Plugin is a software tool written to help make blogging easier and more efficient. Someone like you saw a need and they filled it with a mini program that solves it! They typically offer a free version to start with and paid versions with advanced features are usually also available.

*This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click a link on this page and make a purchase we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we use and love. Thank you for supporting our blog!  Our polices page can be found here. 

How Do I Install A Plugin?

So here’s a quick tutorial on how to install plugins. Go to your wordpress dashboard and click on plugins. Click add new and search for the plugins you want and once you find the one you want click install. (Don’t worry – I’ll tell you exactly which ones below!) Then once you’ve installed please don’t forget to click activate so your plugin can actually start doing its job. Next, if there is a setup or profile tab click on that and add any relevant information and input all pertinent profile information so everything is connected and working. Most have default settings which is a good thing to start you off.

Keep in mind that while it’s tempting to go plugin crazy, you don’t actually want to install too many plugins as they can slow down your site which may frustrate your readers. So keep it simple and life will be sweet. Less is definitely more with plugins. Using less than twenty plugins is probably a good idea.

You will probably end up needing more than the five I’ve suggested below based on your individual niche and goals. But start with these – as they’re essential ones – and you can build from there.

Akismet Anti-Spam

This plugin helps keep you spam free in terms of comments on your blog. I was getting a couple of spammy blog comments trying to link back to spammy sites in my comments until I installed this one and it really helped clean my comments up!

Social Warfare

We all remember the 1970’s commercial for a certain shampoo. And they told two friends. And they told two friends. And then everyone had great hair! Social Warfare allows you to add those social media sharing buttons to your blog so your readers can share your posts and pins to many social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and best of all Pinterest! Giving you the power of extending your reach exponentially with each shared post. A nifty little Pinterest button will even popup when your readers hover on an image!!! Plus, having those spiffy “share me!” buttons makes your blog look less newbie and more professional! And we all know where we would be without those essential ‘shares’ of our content.

Yoast

Yoast is your blog post’s SEO buddy. With its green, yellow and red light indicators you can power through the Yoast prompts below each post you write to make sure you’re SEO optimized! It even evaluates SEO for your images! It’s like having someone hold your hand and guide you through the SEO optimization process! How awesome is that? Write your draft then scroll to the bottom of your post and you will see all the red lights you need to correct and turn to green. One by one you can get them done and sleep better at night knowing you’re SEO optimized. Without this plugin I would literally be guessing how to best SEO my posts.

Google Analytics

Where would we be without the holy grail of analytics? This is available both as a plugin and on your Google Dashboard. I use it both ways. In any case it’s an essential part of setting up your blog so you can start tracking your stats, page views and sessions. Pro Tip: I also use another analytics plugin called JetPack in addition to Google Analytics although I refer to my Google Analytics more often it’s nice to have them both.

Thirsty Affiliates

I saved the best for last. This plugin stores your affiliate codes and gives you buttons on your blog post toolbar and with a quick click helps insert them into blog posts right from your wordpress tool bar. How awesome is that? It makes posting your affiliate links in every post SO easy.

Now that you’ve got your five essential wordpress plugins you’re ready to take on the blogging world! Or at least another blog post.

Was this helpful? What other topics can I cover on this blog to help you on your work from home or blogging journey?

Some Of My Favorite Resources…

*This page contains affiliate links which means that if you click on a link I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend things I personally use and like. Thank you for supporting my blog!

If you need to make some quick cash I recommend Survey Junkie. It’s free and is something easy and quick that you can do from your laptop or smart phone or even possibly on the go in your spare time to make some extra cash quickly. Just give them your honest opinion and earn money for it! Try Survey Junkie and earn $10 just for registering today!

Inbox Dollars pays up to $35 per poll and will give you a $5 bonus just for joining today! They pay you cash (not points) for taking surveys, playing online games, searching the web and more! Check out Inbox Dollars and start earning side hustle money today!

Vindale Research is another great survey site where you can answer market research questions about new products which are going to be released soon. You will not only make side hustle money but you’ll also be getting to learn about brand new products before everyone else does. Sign up with Vindale Research today!

Honey is my favorite new way to save and earn! I love it because it automatically applies the best coupon code to whatever I’m buying online! How great is that? I’ll never have to search for another coupon code while I’m checking out again. It’s a simple browser extension and I already used it to save money on an Amazon purchase I just made. And, it’s free! And for the side hustle aspect, for everyone you refer to Honey on your blog or social media with your link you will earn $5! Now that’s awesome! Try Honey today!

Another great way to get cash back for your everyday shopping is Ibotta. Just do your normal shopping, scan your receipt in their easy to use app and Cha Ching! Cash back! It’s basically free money. And just for signing up with my link you’ll receive a $10 bonus! Sign up here today!

Blogging is one of the best side hustles I’ve found. It’s low-cost, can be done remotely and when you put the work in, it can provide passive income that comes in even on days when you can’t make it to your laptop! The first day I made an affiliate sale on my blog I was sitting on the beach with some friends in town! That was THE BEST feeling EVER! Start Your Blog Today!

To help you start your blog today, here are some of my favorite blogging resources…

Bluehost: I’ve been with them from the beginning and have had nothing but a great experience. You can self-host your blog for as little as $3.95/month plus with my link you’ll also get a free domain ($10 value!)

Tailwind: My go to Pinterest scheduler – oh where would I be without you! Tailwind has automated my pinning and I simply couldn’t live without it! I started with the basic plan and have since upgraded to their unlimited tribes power up so I can make the most of my tribes and their reach to grow my traffic!

Fiverr: Freelancers can be invaluable to bloggers. Finding someone in a pinch to help you with an aspect of your blog can save you time and make you money!

You can also find a full list of my favorite resources and online tools here! 

*This post may contain affiliate inks which means if you click a link on this page and make a purchase we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we use and love. Thank you for supporting our blog!  Our polices page can be found here. 

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