Last Updated on May 8, 2024 by Paula

WordPress is my website platform of choice. One of the things I love most about WordPress is all the great plugins that are available!

Plugins are additional apps you can install on your WordPress site to add more functionality so that you can get the most out of your faith-based business website. They can make maintaining your website easier by giving you options to back-up your files and add extra protection to your website. And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to plugins.

Where to find WordPress plugins?

You can download plugins for free from the WordPress Plugin Directory or you can buy plugins from a variety of different sites or directly from developers.

And of course, you can go right to Plugins>Add New on your WordPress dashboard, then simply search for the plugin you want. Once you find it click install then activate to add it to your website. After you have the plugin installed and activated, you’ll need to go into the settings to set it up to meet your website’s needs.

The WordPress directory will only offer the free versions of plugins to purchase the premium you will need to visit the developer’s website.

Before You Install a Plugin

Before installing any plugin, you need to check to make sure it is compatible with your version of WordPress. This is shown at the bottom right corner of the plugin block.

Also, check when the plugin was last updated. If a plugin hasn’t been updated in over a year, it has probably been abandoned. What this means is that the developer is no longer updating it, so the plugin could become a potential security risk for your website. Also, if they have abandoned the plugin and you have any issues with it, the developer won’t be available to offer support.

You’ll also want to do an audit and make sure you really need the new plugin. Or see if by installing the new plugin can you eliminate an older one. Like I mention below by using Elementor you eliminate the need for some of the other plugins I mention.

Plugins can affect your site’s speed so you don’t want to overload your website with unnecessary plugins. But there are plugins that will make your website better and not only improve your experience as the website owner but also improve the experience of your visitors.

There are a ton of plugins out there, so I know it can overwhelming deciding which ones you need for your business website. That’s why I want to share my list of favorites so you’ll have a good idea of what you need for your site. I’ve used many of these plugins for years! A few I no longer need, but I still included them because I like them and you may find them useful.

My Favorite WordPress Plugins for Your Small Business Website

Yoast SEO

This plugin is a handy tool to help optimize your blog posts for search engines. Yoast SEO will let you know what you’re doing right for your on-page SEO and it will tell you where you can improve. Yoast SEO gives tips on how to improve your writing for SEO too.

UpdraftPlus

One of the worst things that can happen to your website would be to lose all of it! And this can happen! So you will need a way to backup your website and I love this option.

I recently had an issue on a client’s website and we lost all of their images. All of them! But you know what? I wasn’t panicked because I knew they were backed up with UpdraftPlus. In just a few clicks, I had all of those images back. This is one of the few plugins on this list that I suggest getting the premium plan.  It’s really worth it to know your website is safe.

Ninja Forms

A contact form is a must for your website. This will allow you to get the information you want from a potential client. I now use Dubsado to create my forms and embed them on my website. But if you don’t have a Client Management System (CMS) that allows you to do this, Ninja Forms is a great option to use instead,  They have a free version that I found very easy to use.

Akismet

SPAM! It’s the bane of the online business owner’s existence! But you can at least stop a lot of the SPAM comments from reaching your website with Akismet. Everyone recommends this plugin because it’s the best! It is free for personal websites. And only $5 per month for business websites.

Wp-Optimize

This plugin will clean up your database, remove post revisions and spam comments, compress images, and more so that your site will load more quickly.

If your host doesn’t provide a cache plugin, then this is a great one to use for this as well. Caching creates static copies of your posts and pages that it serves to visitors so your website doesn’t have to load each time they visit. Making for an even better user experience for your visitors as your site is loading faster for them.

Just make sure that if your host does provide caching that you turn this feature off. Having two cache plugins running at the same time can have the opposite effect and slow your website down.

HubBub

This is a social sharing plugin with all the bells and whistles that you need to make it easy for visitors to share your content on their favorite social platform.

You can create custom Tweets so the visitor doesn’t even have to write one. Write your pin titles and descriptions. Hide your Pins. And not just one hidden pin, but multiple.

The social sharing buttons can be customized to match your brand. Not to mention you can have them float with your page! I love it! It also includes a Click to Tweet option. Hubbub has a yearly fee to use it but it completely worth it.

Affiliate Disclosure

Did you notice my affiliate disclosure above? I used this plugin to add it. You add an affiliate disclosure to posts with a certain tag or use a shortcode to add it as I did.

GDPR Cookie Consent by WebToffee

It’s important to make sure that your website is compliant with GDPR. One of the things you need for that is to inform visitors to your website that you use cookies. This banner does that for you. It’s a simple banner that you can customize to match your brand colors. And it’s free.

Inline Related Posts

Keep visitors on your website longer with this plugin. Inline Related Posts automatically recommends related blog posts right in the blog post. You also have the option to turn it off in posts that you don’t need it on.

One-Click Accessibility

Accessibility is something that should be a priority for every business owner. This plugin gives your visitors more control over how they view your website and ensure that your content is accessible to all your visitors.

Wordfence Security

This firewall and security scanner will help keep your WordPress website safe. There is a free and premium version, but the free version will do for most of us. This YouTube video is really helpful in setting up the Wordfence Plugin.

Elementor

Elementor is a drag and drop builder that gives you more control over your WordPress website’s design. You can use a free theme plus Elementor and create the website of your dreams.

Elementor is one of the easiest to use of the drag and drop builders. The base plugin is free, but I highly recommend the Pro because you get so many great options with it. You’ll also have even more control over your website as you’ll be able to customize your theme, blog posts, archives, headers, and footer.

By using the Pro version of Elementor you can eliminate a lot of other plugins. You will be able to create beautiful forms, testimonials, pop-ups, pricing tables, and more.

Ultimate Addons for Elementor

Pair this plugin with Elementor Pro to give yourself even more design options for your blog post feeds, forms, price boxes, and more.

Header Footer Code Manager

This plugin makes it easy to insert codes and scripts into your header or footer. It’s perfect for adding the codes for Google Analytics or the code to verify your Pinterest account. While many themes will have the option too, I prefer to use this plugin so even if I change my theme, I still have my codes in place.

That’s it! My list of plugins that I love! I hope you find them as useful as I have!