Best Wordpress Plugins of 2016
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- dbloc
Please list the plugins you use most often.
- dbloc0
Advanced Custom Fields
Yoast SEO
Google Analytics Dashboard
- nocomply0
ACF / ACF Pro
BackupBuddy
Better Font Awesome
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget
CryptX
Format Media Titles
Gravity Forms
Intuitive Custom Post Type Order
Login Lockdown
Responsive Menu / Responsive Menu Pro
Yoast SEO
Custom Post Type UI
Imsanity
Regenerate Thumbnails
Responsive Video EmbedsI try to avoid using page builder / layout builder plugins when I can.
Column Shortcodes is a good alternative when only a couple of columns are needed
Standout Color Boxes and Buttons is a good one that can highlight just a section of content in a stylized box
For actual builder plugins I use Beaver Builder. It's really good for some cases, not as good for others. Depends on the content and the client.
- ArmandoEstrada0
WP-Types Toolset is a great dev style plugin suite to do some pretty advanced stuff. I don't use their page builder, i hate page builders.
- This always struck me as a poor man's ACF Pro.noneck
- I use both on the same site, ACF is great for front end forms and creating 'loops' quickly.ArmandoEstrada
- janne-2
Stop using Yoast you bunch of amateurs!!
- i expected the -1. well, sod off and suffer the consequences of an unreliable plugin then.janne
- 10,000+ Active Installs. Is it a fairly new plugin?dbloc
- ^
The SEO Frameworkdbloc - I'll test it out.dbloc
- I actually switch from All In One SEO to YOAST a while backdbloc
- yep Yoast is better than All in One - I switched also.fadein11
- I'm intrigued by this too. I have noticed Yoast is looking bloated and pushing premium bullshit more and more each time I install. But I mean the point of theseMattjanz3n
- plugins is to automate a lot of the SEO process. Install, few confis and done. Not to mix complex SEO techniques into a stupid plugin, just build into themeMattjanz3n
- noneck1
Slightly off-topic:
I was trying to explain to a client why page builders (WP Bakery Visual Composer in this case) are utter shit. This is what I came up with.
These things mix up content and presentation. When I build a WP site, I want my client to focus on the content; that's going to be their job. I don't want them thinking about the design/presentation of their content; that's my job.
But these page builder plugins put all of this presentation bullshit right in the area for the content. Fuck off. That's not where that goes.
- God I agree - few clients could handle Visual Composer without some serious training anyway - it's full of quirks.
But yes - ACF should do what most clientsfadein11 - need.fadein11
- Visual Composer is seriously handy for building quite complex layouts on smaller budgets. I would never let them use it though.fadein11
- curious (noob), why would a client care if you use a page builder or not?Gnash
- ^ nope its when they try to use it to update their site - you have way too much design control with those tools - better sticking to ACF and standard wordpressfadein11
- so they don't destroy the design in seconds (like ALL clients seem to love doing).fadein11
- I get it now :)Gnash
- God I agree - few clients could handle Visual Composer without some serious training anyway - it's full of quirks.
- fadein110
ACF / Yoast / BackUpWordPress / Duplicatepost / Custom Post Type UI
The last one is because I am lazy.
- nocomply0
Totally agree with noneck above.
I view page builders from the client perspective. With great power comes great responsibility.
Can the client handle the power (and complexity) of a page builder?
Some can, some can't. I make the decision to use a page builder based on my read of the client and the client's needs, goals, and budget.
To get a lot of unique, grided layouts into a single website on budget I sometimes rely on a page builder, but it comes with the disclaimer, "Hey, I'm doing it this way to deliver on budget. If you mess with this in the wrong way you can screw it up and you'll need to pay me to fix it."
The best solution IMO is a thoughtful configuration of ACF Pro, but that can be a significantly longer process to create.
- dbloc0
We just got sent a Google Speed Test & ranked 50/100. The client didn't like this number so we are looking for ways to optimize better.
(looks like QBN doesn't rank very well either)
https://developers.google.com/sp…What are the Best Optimization plugins for speeding up the site?
- Ignore that shit. does the site load in 1-3 seconds? done.ArmandoEstrada
- the client sent it to us. We need some sort of rebuttaldbloc
- nocomply0
dbloc - I gave a WordCamp presentation this year on that exact topic. Check it out: http://evanwebdesign.com/dude-sp…
- elahon0
dbloc, I use a caching plugin on all of the sites that I build, most of the time it's WP Fastest Cache which I have the paid version for. Depending on the site, not all options are usable, but most are and I find that I can go from a 40/50 up to a 70/80 with basic settings. W3 Total Cache is another option that is more feature rich, but WPFC has worked really well for me.
- I tried the free one and it went up about 10 points with everything check. Is the premium version better, using the image optimization options?dbloc