If you have a WordPress blog, you will know that plugins are an essential part of creating a customized experience for your readers, making maintenance easier, and amplifying your voice. From installing elegant slide shows to backing up your blog, keeping things going takes research and work. When I first started blogging, I loved plugins so much installing everything that tickled my fancy, these days after installing too many and slowing down my site, I’ve learned to pick only the necessary. Here’s a list of plugins you can use for your blog. Don’t use them all at once… but they will basically cover almost everything you need as a blogger!

Administrative:

• Jetpack: Basically the all-in-one plugin pack that gives WordPress users site notification capabilities, social media integration, URL shorteners, commenting system, simple stats and so much more.
• WE Total Cache: Your site can only hold so much information. Avoid overloading it and use this plugin to help your server’s performance, reduce downloading times.
• Bulletproof Security: Helps protect your blog from being attacked by hackers.
• All in One SEO: Increases you SEO visibility
• Broken Link Checker: Helps you find those broken links.
• Adsense Made Easy: Allows you to add AdSense to any widgetized area of your blog.
• Editorial Calendar: Just in case you want something fancier than an excel spreadsheet.
• WordPress Backup: You’ll need this just incase you are doing work on your site and things go bad.
• WordPress Backup to Dropbox: In case you don’t have space on your hard drive.
• Pretty Link Lite: Shrink, beautify, track, manage and share any URL on or off of your WordPress website.
• P3 Profiler: If you have too many plugins they can slow your site down and start to cause problems. This plugin will help you identify problem plugins.
• Outbound links: Slightly out of date, but nice idea to make all your outbound links open in new windows.
• WP-UserOnline: Want to see how many lurkers are on your site? This will help.
• SEO Images: Automatically adds “alt” tags to your images, making them search friendly.
• SEO Rank: Gives you an update every 3 days about your rankings in Google.
• User Switching: Do you have multiple user accounts on your wordpress? This plugin will enable you to switch between users.
• Simple Login Log: Want to know who’s logging into your site. This will keep track.
• Plugin Organzier: Plugin Junky? This will help you manage your plugins.
• Anti Malware: Gets rid of malware because we know you don’t want it.
• EditFlow: Allows you to better organize with your editorial team within WordPress.

Design/Usability:

• Portfolio Slideshow: Assemble your very own image gallery with minimal work. Not to mention, the actual slideshow itself looks good on every blog, no matter the design. Clear frames, simple navigation options, and more.
• LinkWithin: Increase pageviews with this widget that delivers similar content to your readers in thumbnail format.
• WP Polls: Get feedback and measure your reader’s opinions with this customizable polling plugin.
• WPtouch: Give your readers mobile access to your site all thanks to this easy and simple plugin.
• Post Ratings: Lets your readers rate your posts!
• Pricing Table: If you’re selling a product on your site, this table will help your customers weigh their options.
• Greet Box: If you want new readers to get a special message, this box is for you.
• Post Ender: Allows you to automatically add text to the bottom of your post. Signing out!
• RSS Footer: Adds text to your RSS feed.
• Subscribe to Comments: Hot topics a regular thing on your blog? Have your readers subscribe to your comments.
• WP Sidebar Login: Allows your users to log in from the sidebar.
• HTML5 Jquery Audio Player: Want to add music to your posts in a visually appealing way? This plugin’s for you.
• SlideDeck Lite: Create beautiful slideshows with no need for code.
• HelloBar: Adds a colorful top bar to your blog which can be used as a call to action.
• NextGen Gallery: Create beautiful galleries with this plugin.
• Login Logo: Adds your logo to you login page.
• List Posts: Got great posts in a category? List post will turn any category into a list post.
• WordPress Wiki: Turn any of your posts into a Wiki style post.

Social Media:

• Tweet Old Post: Helps driving traffic by digging up old posts and tweeting them again.
• Cevher Share: This plugin will place a nifty floating sharing widget similar to the one you see on Mashable.
• Scrolling Share Buttons: Don’t let your readers forget to share, these buttons will follow them around.
• Easy Tweet Embed: Makes it easy for your readers to Tweet exactly what you have written. (great for contests)
• Social Media Tabs: Allows you to add social media tabs with sliding feeds to any widgetized area.
• Pinterest Auto Pin ($4): Nearly free, this plugin automates your post pinning.
• Liveblog: Ever do a liveblog? Well, this will make it so your readers don’t have to refresh to see new content.

Monetization:

• WooCommerce: In case you want to bring commerce to your blog.
• Ad Injection: Helps add more Ad inventory by adding Ads to your content, similar to AdSense.
• AdRotate: Rotates your banner ads.
• Cleeng Content Monetization: Sets up a paywall for posts (sort of like how WWD does).
• Cranky Ads: Ad manager for your banner ads.
• Social Metrics: Tracks how well your posts have done in social media.

People plugging in via Shutterstock