WordPress’s popularity and wide-spread usage can most likely be ascribed to its wide-ranging network of tools, its overall intuitiveness of use, and the flexibility it offers to its users. Its themes and plugins, especially the latter, make enrichment of a WordPress website’s functionality, performance, or overall appearance possible.
If word term plugin is unfamiliar to you, it is simply an app that can be used to improve your website in some way. With over 50,000 plugins available in the official WordPress Plugin Directory, you can find a solution for nearly every need without touching a line of code. Knowing upfront what you need in a plugin, checking its compatibility, and assessing user reviews are the keys to making the right acquisition among a given group of potential candidates.
In this article you will find 7 awesome WordPress plugins, each of which excels in its specific purpose and area of functionality. They are:
What to Take into Account When Choosing WordPress Plugin
1. Function and Requirements
Define what it is you are looking for. Is it for example, general website appearance, SEO improvement, social media integration, or some other specific functionality?
2. Plugin User Ratings and Comments
Make it a point to determine what others have experienced in terms of results vs. expectations, problems encountered, and the quality of support they received.
3. Compatibility
Ensure plugin compatibility with your version of WordPress and any theme or other plugins you are using.
4. Update Frequency
Updates should be frequent enough to incorporate necessary improvements and ensure continuous WordPress compatibility.
5. Documentation and User Support
Good documentation can be a big help in troubleshooting and making optimum use of the plugin. Timely and effective customer support is important as well.
6. Security
Limit selection of plugins to those whose developers insist on delivering secure code of the highest quality.
7. Performance Impact
Plugins that are poorly coded or are overloaded with extraneous features could slow down your site.
8. Cost
Free is fine if it’s obvious your needs will be met but you should see if what a premium version has to offer might be more advantageous.
- awesome WordPress plugins in 2024
1 Amelia – Top WordPress Appointments and Events Booking Plugin
TL;DR: Amelia is the #1 choice for any services-oriented business looking to automate and streamline its appointment booking operation.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
Beauty parlors, fitness centers, consulting organizations, and many other services-oriented businesses will profit from installing Amelia. They will save time and money while boosting customer/client satisfaction. Check out Amelia’s new and improved booking form that is shown in the Revitalizing Beauty template.
Amelia’s Automated Notifications System further streamlines the booking process by making it easy to categorize appointments as pending, approved, cancelled, rejected, or rescheduled.
Key Customer Insight: Pros: “Good user interface which helps with the ease of use. Love the range of customization. Excellent value for money and lots of informative tutorial videos available.
Cons: We missed a direct refund function which had been available on the software we used for booking previously, but TMS recently added the facility to the Pro version, so I upgraded.”
User Score: 4.8 on Capterra
Support Material: Documentation, Discord Group, You Tube video.
2. wpDataTables WordPress Table Plugin
TL;DR: The intuitive functionality and powerful data management facilities of wpDataTables enable its users to easily create informative and responsive tables and charts.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
New users quickly take note of wpDataTables’:
- abundance of practical, user-friendly features.
- incomparable data management functionality.
- adroit management of complex data structures.
wpDataTables’ simplification of certain complex data management processes makes it easier for its users to create custom, responsive, and easily editable tables and charts than would usually be the case.
wpDataTables does a lot of things exceptionally well when it comes to visualizing data. The Responsive Catalog of Drivers template is one example. Note: there is no limit to the amount of entries that can be accommodated.
While wpDataTables enables users to manage and visualize huge amounts of complex data, its Multiple Database Connections feature gives them even greater data management capability by allowing them to simultaneously connect to separate and disparate servers.
Key Customer Insight: “Sorting, searching, creating, putting on a page, using… All excellent! Thanx a bunch.”
User Score: 4.83/5
Support Material: YouTube videos, Documentation
3. Classic Editor – Restored WordPress plugin
TL;DR: With Classic Editor, a favorite WordPress editor and its “Edit Post” screen has been restored.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
The original Classic Editor was replaced by the Gutenberg block editor. The new Classic Editor is an official plugin maintained by the WordPress team; it has received an outpouring of support from its users and is expected to be supported indefinitely.
While the plugin allows administrators to manage default editors, it also allows them to let users manage the editors and make their own changes.
Key Customer Insight: “Classic editor is the best plugin I have ever used. Before installing any other plugin, this is the one I always install first. WordPress, please remove the block thingy and make this one default.”
User Score: 4.9/5
4. Slider Revolution – not Your ordinary WordPress Slider
TL;DR: Slider Revolution is a preferred choice for website builders interested in creating jaw-dropping animated sliders, pages, or portfolio websites.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
Slider Revolution’s top feature isn’t any particular tool or function. Rather it’s the multiplicity of ways it can be made use of to create web page content that is designed to not only engage, but absolutely captivate a visitor.
Slider Revolution is the ideal tool for upgrading a so-so website into something very special in a matter of minutes. Creating a one-page portfolio website using Slider Revolution’s Visual Design One-page Portfolio Website template will be nearly as easy if you have the content you need at your fingertips. Slider Revolution’s library of 250+ templates can serve as a source of inspiration.
Key Customer Insight: “I love Slider Revolution. You can do everything you have in mind and more with it. The templates they provide are also a great help to create a stunning website in a short time.”
User Score: 4.2/5 on Trustpilot
Support Material: YouTube videos, Support Manual
5. LayerSlider – Popular Slider Builder Plugin
TL;DR: The popularLayerSlider WordPress plugin is ideal for making engaging sliders, popups, and slideshows.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
LayerSlider helps its users create a living connection between their website’s content and its visitors by enabling them to showcase their art, photography, images, or products worldwide by means of a slider, a popup, a banner, or an animated page section.
New users experience –
- everything needed to design and create right at their fingertips, and
- a Project Editor that gives you access to millions of stock photos and videos, as well as other online services, for a comprehensive visual content creation experience.
Do you have some images to share? Perhaps this Nature Photography template from the template collection will give you the impetus to do so. Look beyond the images and note its smooth transitions, unique navigation, and how easy it would be to customize.
All templates and other premium benefits are provided with your LayerSlider license. There are no additional fees.
Client Insight: “LayerSlider is a lifesaver! Pre-made templates are great and saved me so much time, my site looks stunning now.”
Support Material: Support manual, built-in help in LayerSlider’s Project Editor, email, and ticket system.
6. Essential Grid – the Intuitive WordPress Gallery Plugin
TL;DR: Essential Grid is an intuitive WordPress Gallery Plugin for anyone looking to create unique gallery layouts.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
While everything you need is already at your fingertips, you can also take advantage of Essential Grid’s 50+ plug-and-play customizable templates you can use to complete a project lightning-fast. The Pat Fontaine WooCommerce Grid for WordPress template for example features a sleek, shop grid layout with interesting, colored image borders and a “zoom-in on hover” effect.
Essential Grid also has a visual skin editor that enables you to create your own skin variations. You also have a choice of even, masonry, and cobble layouts, as well as the ability to mix and match grids.
Key Customer Insight: “Fast respond times so everything was resolved in a timely matter.”
User Score: 4.8/5
Support Material: Support manual, YouTube videos
7. Brizy – Website Builder for non-Techies
TL;DR: The expertly crafted Brizy Builder is especially suited for beginning WordPress website builders and non-technical types. But pros love it as well.
Click the video to see this builder in action.
New users quickly take note of Brizy’s intuitiveness which makes this website builder an ideal choice for small businesses, agencies, and freelancers planning to build small or medium-sized websites. The Brizy SaaS Landing Page template shows how easy website building can actually be when you have your own content at your fingertips.
Key Customer Insight: “Beautiful designs without being too heavy on the page load time. Very intuitive builder interface. The custom templates work like a charm to highlight your custom products – I find this to be the most user-friendly feature on Brizy. Also, the membership add on is a great plus – so you don’t have to go for yet another plugin and get the essential features to create a paywall-based membership site. Highly recommended.”
User Score: 4.4/5
Support Material: Academy with Video Courses , Written Documentation, Ticket Help-desk, YouTube videos, Facebook Community
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You need to make sure to choose the proper WordPress plugins if you intend to maximize your website’s potential in terms of functionality and performance. Knowing upfront your requirements for a plugin, assessing its compatibility with WordPress and other themes or plugins, and taking into account what you see in its user reviews are all important for making a proper choice.
The plugins described above are tops in their respective niches in that they offer exceptionally workable solutions for the obligations placed upon them.
Whether you choose Amelia’s multi-featured booking system, wpDataTables for its amazing data management capabilities, the Classic Editor or Revolution Slider or LayerSlider with their dynamic content tools, or for the benefits Essential Grid or Brizy bring to the table, you will be in a good position to significantly enhance your website’s UX, functionality, or visual appeal.