Published: October 23, 2025
by Justin Difazzio
It’s no secret that we love WordPress. We built our own website using this versatile platform. In fact, it’s what we use to build all of our client websites. As we’ve built these seventy or more websites, we’ve tried a LOT of plugins. Because of that, we have favorites in each type. Here are the six types of plugins we install and would recommend for every website, along with the specific plugins we’ve used after exhausting our options.
1. A Security Plugin
The internet can be a scary place, so the first and most important plugin that every website needs is for security. Anything that offers protection from malware, phishing, DDoS attacks, and data theft will suffice, but our chosen security plugin is Wordfence. Firstly, it’s free! Usually free plugins are not the most well supported or robust, but Wordfence is VERY robust. If the free version isn’t enough for you, there’s an even better paid version with tons of features. Whatever the case, the free version is good enough for most of our needs.
2. An SEO Plugin
Search engine optimization is one of the most necessary practices if you want your website to get seen in search results. For that, we recommend Yoast, hands down. The free version is extremely capable, allowing you to customize posts, optimize content for search engine visibility, and perfect site structure. The paid versions go even further, allowing for more customization and offering more features.
3. A Contact Form Plugin
While it might not be the most exciting, contact forms are an incredibly important part of any website. The ones that come with WordPress aren’t going to blow anyone’s socks off with customization options. That’s why we recommend getting a plugin with customization options and more. Our plugin of choice is Gravity Forms. It features simple drag and drop building so you can make contact forms, polls and surveys, payment forms, and more.
4. An Analytics Plugin
The second type of plugin every website should have will be one that handles your analytics account integration. There’s a lot of data to be had by paying attention to site visitors and trends over time. These plugins deliver that data from your analytics account to your dashboard so you can more easily take action. We’ve found success with SiteKit, which connects directly to Google Analytics, Search Console, and Ad Sense, making it a straightforward option for all your website’s Google platform needs.
5. An Image Optimization Plugin
Image optimization can make a huge difference to your website’s performance. Large images can make your site load at a snail’s pace. Reducing file size can keep people engaged with your content and keep them from wandering off to somewhere flashier. It’s so important, we’ve even written a blog about it. Though we reduce our file sizes the old fashioned way, we recommend our websites use a plugin called Smush. It compresses new and existing website images without a significant loss of quality, and it can also convert images to more modern formats, among other things to speed up loading on a site.
6. A Caching Plugin
When you visit a website, a little bit of memory keeps a version of that website fresh to load quickly next time you visit. The problem is that websites change, and your cached version can load instead, leaving you looking at outdated information or not seeing the latest products and services. The website works similarly itself, so a plugin that clears your website’s cache will keep it from displaying outdated info to visitors. Keeping the cached data to a minimum also helps it load faster and improves SEO. We recommend WP Rocket, a plugin that ensures cached info stays fresh and that visitors see the most recent version of your site. It does a lot of this automatically, so it’s easy for anyone to install and make use of.
These may not be all the plugins you may need or want, but it’s a great way to cover your bases with safety, make sure your website is efficient, and help it get seen. That should put you head and shoulders above the competition, digitally speaking. If you need help with recommendations for other plugins, or if you want more expert opinions from our web developers, get in touch! We love talking specifics with our clients and friends.