Most bloggers know about the basic WordPress plugins to use on their blogs. Akismet for spam. Contact Form 7 for your contact page. However, how about the plugins that will each add a small dose of awesome to your blog?
The ones that not everyone is using…or even talking about…probably because they haven’t become acquainted to their awesomeness.
These 7 WordPress plugins will give your blog more functionality and make it easier to use!
7 Little-Known WordPress Plugins that will make your Blog Awesome
Pretty Link
Pretty Link masks your affiliate links so they are easy to remember and include into blog posts. Instead of seeing the horrible “http://productwebsite.com/product-name&id=3948375934” as your affiliate link, your visitors will click on links that look like this: “http://yourdomainname.com/productname”.
This is a lot easier for you to share on social media or through email to your family, friends, or readers. Plus, Pretty Link gives you the options to nofollow the link as you create it, so you don’t have to add in the code every time you want to add the link in your posts.
Pretty Link Lite, the free version, is enough to get your started. If you want more features, upgrade to Pretty Link Pro. I have always used the free version but I know other bloggers opt for the paid one.
Inline Related Posts
When you get readers to your blog, you want them to stay a while. Making related posts easy to find and read is important, and the Inline Related Posts plugin helps with that. It automatically places links to related blog posts within the posts on your blog.
This makes interlinking your blog posts easy. No more looking back through your blog for a link to a similar post you think your reader may like. The plugin offers customization as well, letting you set the colors for the message and link that is placed in your posts. Look for the “Related” message in this post to see the plugin in action.
Inline Related Posts is free!
Magic Action Box
This WordPress plugin lets you add subscription forms for your email list all over your blog. The form will be added just like you would a widget. The great thing about Magic Action Box is you can customize the look of your form to fit with your blog’s theme and colors. It just looks more professional to have everything coordinating.
Magic Action Box is free! There is a pro version you can purchase for $47 if you need more features.
Image Watermark
To help prevent your images from being stolen, you will want to watermark them before placing them on your blog. The Image Watermark plugin will automatically watermark your images so that you don’t need to worry about it. Plus, it will watermark the images already on your blog, reducing the amount of back work you have to do to protect your photos.
Image Watermark is free!
MiloTree Pop-Up
If you want to increase your social media following, the MiloTree plugin is for you. Use it with your Pinterest, Facebook page, or Instagram account. The plugin places a pop-up in the bottom right of your blog. When a visitor lands on your blog, this pop-up will appear, suggesting they follow you on the network you have chosen.
I currently have mine set to my Facebook page, as it is new and could use more likes! The free version of MiloTree can get you started. For $6/month, you can upgrade to the Blogger Plan to remove their logo/branding, change the pop-up’s colors, and have more freedom and tracking information with the pop-up.
Click to Tweet
If you tend to write blog posts that you’d love your readers to quote, you need to install the Click to Tweet plugin. I have used this on my other blog with great success. The plugin will allow you to create tweetable phrases that your readers simply have to…you guessed, it…click on to tweet!
Click to Tweet is free!
Editorial Calendar
This is one of the WordPress plugins I recommend the most to other bloggers. Editorial Calendar gives you a visual as you plan and schedule your posts. It creates a calendar in the WP dashboard, so you can see what you have going live when. I have used it successfully to ensure I don’t miss a deadline and publish too many posts on the same topic too often.
The drag and drop functionalities of Editorial Calendar make it super simple to use. Moving a scheduled post from one date to the next will automatically change its publishing date with no further action from you. Plus, the plugin is free!
What are your favorite WordPress plugins?
If you found this post helpful, please share!
Thank you for the great ideas! I hadn’t heard of any of these widgets. There are so many that it’s a bit overwhelming!! I definitely need to try the Image Watermark, that sounds easy and very useful!
There are definitely hundreds of plugins out there! I try to only use those that I know others use and trust.
I have been using “sticky notes” on my Mac for scheduling my posts! Perhaps I should “upgrade” to this editorial plug-in instead! More professional! Also – I’ve heard differing ideas with watermarking or not. I dont now…and some say not to… but then if your image is taken without permission seems smart. Hmmm….
I believe watermarking helps prevent image theft. Also, it can help you find new readers, should your photos be indexed in Google. People can see your watermark, then search for your blog name.
Great tips! Looking for plugins can be overwhelming. I never know where to start.
Yes, Kim, there are so many out there!
I just found a few plugins i like. I am definitely installing the related link plugin. thank you so much for this help.
You’re very welcome, Rebecca! I hope you like the related post plugin.
Ohhh… I love the image marker plugin!
Just downloaded it. Can’t wait to explore it. I don’t have a lot of plugins as I have had my site crash hard when the updates for the plugins failed. That’s been a nightmare!
I feel you, Heather. I try to keep my plugins to a minimum as well.
This is such an awesome post. I will be checking into some of these hidden gems.
I have heard of some of these but definitely not all of them. I will have to see which I can use to definitely make my life easier.
We love every little tip and trick! These are so great.
I want to hug you!!! These are awesome suggestions with great descriptions!! I’m so new and can use all the tips I can get. Thank you.
You are so welcome, Kim! I hope these can help you in one way or another.
I am not a word press blogger but these sound like great plug ins to use and sound like they would make your life easier.
These all sound great! I have a designer who codes for me instead, but plugins are really great!
That pretty link is perfect especially if you’re monetizing your blog, it’s going to make affiliate links and blog posts a lot easier on the eyes! These are awesome tools, thanks for the list!
You’re welcome, Amanda! Pretty Links has been one of my favorite plugins in a long time. It does make links look so much better!
I am not on WordPress unfortunately but these are great plugins for anyone who is. I will have to share it with my blogger buddies!
I just installed the Image Watermark and MiloTree. Thanks for the tips!!
It seems I learn something new about WordPress every day. These plugins are so helpful. Making your blog run smoother is such a nice feature to have in place.
I agree, Blythe. I don’t know what I would do without plugins!
I’ve been meaning to check out MiloTree forever! I think it would be a great way to grow my following, but haven’t done it because I already have so much going on with my website.
Yeah, its easy to overload a blog with too much. Hopefully you like MiloTree!
I don’t have wordpress, but it is something I have thought a lot about. I think that I just get nervous moving 7 years worth of blog posts/comments/pictures…that scares me a bit 🙂
I’m not on word press so have no clue what plugins are. But I do know that my host doesn’t offer them and some are not even code-able, which is a huge bummer
These are so cool! I use Blogger (and LOVE it) but I will pass around your post for my WordPress friends!
This is a great list! Thank you so much for sharing this. This is so much better to know than some of the other blog for blogger posts I often see. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge!
I use a lot of these plugins on a regular basis. They are quite awesome. They really make my blog top of the line and make life much easier for me.
Hey Kecia,
These are some fantastic plug ins – I’d never heard of inline related posts before. That’s a cool function, I’ve been doing it manually *facepalm* Can’t wait to give it a whirl!
Thank you for sharing these fun plugins! I had heard of inline related posts, but not the others. I need to check out the image watermark plugin for sure.
This is great. I am a relatively new blogger and love these recommendations and tips! I need to focus on socializing my blog more so I can just advertise my writing, get feedback and continue with my only form of creative outlet! Thanks for sharing!
Omg so many awesome plugins!!! I’m not on word press… But some of these plugins make
Me wish I was
I love finding new plugins! I’ve been trying to figure out what the pop bottom right corner plugin was…Now, I know. I’ll be installing that one for sure!
There are so many options out there for plugins. I love WordPress, but I’ve never heard of any of these!
I use almost all of these. Almost. I still haven’t jumped onto the whole popup bandwagon.
I love this! I switched to WordPress within the last year and I am still on the hunt for great plug-ins. I will be installing basically all of these!
love love love posts like this! i’m always looking to step up my WP game, and plugins will certainly do that! I’ll have to look into these 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by, Arin!
Thanks for this, I am saving this for future use. When I have some more time I will go through this thoroughly
Loved the tools, thank you so much for sharing. I just started blogging and just getting the hang of writing content, so have not given much thought to making money with it. Of course, it would be nice to at the very least break even.
Thanks, I have a couple of these, but haven’t heard of some, so I’m looking forward to checking them out!