• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Cart
  • Account
  • get started with WordPress
  • Blog
Code + Coconut

Code + Coconut

Feminine and Minimalist WordPress Themes

  • Themes
  • Showcase
  • Services
  • Support

Five Free WordPress Plugins that Every New Blogger Should Have

WordPress Tips November 27, 2017 15 Comments

Pin178
Share1
Tweet4
183 Shares

Five Free WordPress Plugins that Every New Blogger Should Have | Code + Coconut

So you’ve downloaded your WordPress theme and you’re ready to get started with your blog. To make your blogging process run smoothly and save you time, WordPress has these nifty apps called WordPress plugins. Today, we’re going to look at five of my favorite free plugins to get you started with your blog.

Before we get into the specific plugins, here are a few tips to keep in mind when working with WordPress plugins.

  • Download plugins that you have a use for. If you don’t find yourself using the plugin immediately, you don’t have to download it right now. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many WordPress plugins.
  • Make sure the plugins play nice with each other and don’t clash with your WordPress theme. Not every plugin works alongside each other and some are known to mess up your WordPress theme. That’s why it’s important to keep it simple and few.
  • Use plugins that have high ratings, constant updates, and positive feedback. You don’t want to choose a plugin, have it work for a few days, and then have it cause issues.
  • Choose plugins that are small, but powerful. Your plugins shouldn’t make your website drag or slow down. They should be accenting and adding a minor touch to your WordPress site to bring it all together.
  • Disable WordPress plugins that you are no longer using. There’s no reason to have them clutter up your account and potentially clash with the plugins that you are actively using. You don’t have to uninstall them completely, but disable the ones you aren’t using.

Wordfence WordPress Plugin

Get Wordfence

New bloggers can end up being the target for attacks and security issues. Wordfence will let you know when someone is trying to login to your website, without permission. They will send you e-mail alerts so you always know what’s going on with your website. As an added bonus, they will even block certain IP addresses from accessing your website if the IP address is a repeat offender of trying to break in.

A lot of new bloggers don’t think about the security of their website. This simple WordPress plugin can make the difference between getting hacked at 2am or running smoothly.

 

Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin

Get Yoast SEO

Yoast is by far the most popular SEO plugin. As a new blogger, you might be rolling your eyes at me a little saying, “But Virginie, I don’t really know much about SEO. I just got started with my blog. Do I really have to worry about this?”

The nice thing about the Yoast SEO WordPress plugin is that it is completely beginner friendly. You don’t need to know a single thing about SEO to make it work. This plugin will tell you exactly where and how to put your keywords throughout your blog post in order to rank higher on search engines.

Think of it as a “done with you” type of SEO plugin. It’s easy to use and completely free.

 

Prettylink WordPress Plugin

Get Prettylink

Prettylink is a super easy to use and simple plugin that can mask your links. This makes the links easy for you to remember, especially if you need them for social media.

For example, you have a planner that you want to recommend. You might mask the link to look like www.yourdomain.com/planner instead of a long Amazon link that no one will ever remember.

While you can get by using a bit.ly link, it looks so much more aesthetically pleasing to have the link be the same as your domain.

 

JetPack WordPress Plugin

Get Jetpack

JetPack is an all-in-one, but I love using it for its analytics. Being new to blogging, you might not want all the bells and whistles that come with heavy analytics software like Google Analytics. JetPack can tell you how many visitors you are getting to your blog, where they’re finding you from, and which posts from your website are the most popular.

This WordPress plugin is so easy to use. The simplicity of it is great for a new blogger because you won’t get overwhelmed by all the options of bigger plugins.

You get exactly what you need, nothing more.

Note: I still recommend installing Google Analytics from the beginning, but you don’t have to look at the data just yet. Start gathering it, and when you’re ready for it, you’ll have it handy. But on a daily basis, JetPack is a lot nicer to look at.

 

MailChimp for WordPress Plugin

Get Mailchimp for WordPress

One of the most important ways to keep readers coming back to your blog is reminding them that you exist and where to find you. You can do this by giving them a newsletter to subscribe to. A free and popular way to do that is with MailChimp.

You can add the MailChimp for WordPress plugin to your website to capture the e-mails of people who want to stay in touch with you.

The plugin is beautiful, lightweight, and completely free.

 

Have you started experimenting with WordPress plugins on your new blog?

There are literally millions of plugins out there. These are a few of my favorite ones for new bloggers, but I would love to hear which WordPress plugins you’re using. Let me know in the comments below and drop a link to your blog!

Find more posts like this one

Pin178
Share1
Tweet4
183 Shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ilka Elise says

    December 7, 2017 at 2:01 am

    I’m blogging now for almost two years, and the first ever Plugin I downloaded was YOAST SEO (it truly is THE BEST)!!! Other Plugins I really like are the Instagram Feed Plugin and Download Monitor.

    Reply
    • Virginie says

      December 7, 2017 at 2:06 am

      I’ve never heard about Download Monitor!
      Thanks for sharing, it sounds like a really cool plugin!

      Reply
  2. Jones the Writer says

    December 7, 2017 at 2:03 am

    Jetpack and Mailchimp are personal favourites. Great list!

    Reply
  3. Molly says

    December 7, 2017 at 2:07 am

    Thanks for sharing this! Super helpful!

    Reply
  4. Michelle - Hold the Moo says

    December 7, 2017 at 2:33 am

    I am also a big yoast fan. It really helps me guide my writing and now I start yoasting myself before checking it.

    Reply
  5. Natoya says

    December 7, 2017 at 3:14 am

    I’ve been meaning to try Yoast! But,thought meh! it wasn’t worth it! After this though. i’ll give it a go. thank you for the recommendation.

    Reply
  6. Caitlin Jones says

    December 7, 2017 at 3:21 am

    I’m so excited to get to the next step of my blog and this post definitely helped xx

    Reply
  7. Yondel says

    December 7, 2017 at 6:49 am

    I love Yoast. It is really simple to use. I have to add the pretty link plugin. Thanks for the tips

    Reply
  8. Brittany says

    December 7, 2017 at 8:24 am

    Enjoyed your post, I’ll be trying some of these tips and plug-ins for my beauty blog : Beauty by Miss Minny . I use Mail Chimp and Jetpack.

    Reply
  9. Nicole says

    December 7, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Great post! I agree, those plugins are all necessary. However, have you tried Mailerlite over Mailchimp? I find it to be a lot more blogger friendly!

    -Nicole

    Reply
    • Virginie says

      December 7, 2017 at 10:23 pm

      Hey Nicole!
      I’ve actually given MailerLite a shot, but to be honest I don’t like its simplicity. I love segmenting my list and sending the right email to the right people (depending on who opened last, who clicked which link, etc.) and I can’t do that in MailerLite… So unfortunately, it hasn’t won me over just yet!

      Reply
  10. Alysia Bear says

    December 7, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    I have all but one of these- you’re right, they’d make my top list too.
    I had the issue where a plug in messed up my theme- I had no idea why my logo had shrunk and I did everything possible to fix it. Turns out one was making it super tiny. Gah.

    Reply
    • Virginie says

      December 7, 2017 at 10:25 pm

      Aah, that’s too bad!
      Yeah, whenever activating a new plugin, make sure to double check your website and check if everything is alright!
      I find that caching plugins are generally the culprits, otherwise it’s low-review, poorly coded plugins (which could be anyone!) Reviews are usually a good indicator though, and the last time a plugin was updated. If it hasn’t been updated in 6-8 months, try finding something with a more recent update!

      Reply
  11. Tamara says

    December 8, 2017 at 10:19 am

    Love Yoast! Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  12. Deb Dutta says

    December 12, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    These are fantastic tips! thanks for articulating them so well!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

You’ve got big dreams, don’t you?

Dreams of living the coolest life possible, and making your own rules in the process. Whether you want to share your most awesome clothes, your best recipes or those gorgeous landscapes you just photographed, I want to help you do it.

Shop our themes

  • Kara Theme $39.00
  • Juniper Theme $39.00
  • Isla Theme $39.00
  • Hazel Theme $39.00
View all themes

find us on facebook

find us on facebook

Join our family and get a 10% off coupon

Be the first one to know when we're launching a new theme, running a promotion, etc. As a thank you for letting us into your inbox, we'll send you a 10% off coupon you can use on your first order.

Footer

Shop

  • Themes
  • Showcase
  • FAQs

Support

  • Theme Documentation
  • Submit a Ticket
  • My Account

Affiliate Program

  • Learn More
  • Affiliate Sign Up
  • Affiliate Area

Find Us

  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
✨BLACK FRIDAY SALE ✨⁠ ⁠ Get 35% off your f ✨BLACK FRIDAY SALE ✨⁠
⁠
Get 35% off your favorite theme in our shop until Nov. 28th! That's our biggest sale to date.⁠
⁠
Kara, Juniper, Isla & Hazel themes ― Only $25⁠
Florence, Ella & Daisy themes ― Only $19⁠
⁠
You won't find our themes at these prices until next year, so now is the perfect time to improve or start your blog! 👩‍💻⁠
⁠
Shop now by using the link in our profile or by going to codeandcoconut.com 💚⁠
⁠
⁠
#BlackFriday #CyberMonday #blackfridaysale #blackfridaydeals #blackfriday2022 #blackfridaydeal #cybermondaysale #cybermondaydeals #cybermonday2022 #blog #bloggers #blogging #bloggerlife #business #entrepreneur #blogs #blogpost #bloggingtips #businesswoman #businessowner #girlboss #bossbabe #ladyboss #bosslady⁠
#wordpress #wordpresstheme #wordpressthemes #wordpressblogger
I've been making a lot of changes over the past fe I've been making a lot of changes over the past few weeks to the Code + Coconut website and I hope you'll like them!⁠
⁠
They're not big changes, but little tweaks to improve your experience. One of the major things I've added is the ability to now leave reviews!⁠ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⁠
⁠
So if you're happy with your theme purchase, please consider taking a minute or two to leave a review on the Code + Coconut website 💚 New bloggers looking for their perfect theme will definitely appreciate it!⁠
⁠
⁠
#wordpress #wordpresstheme #wordpressthemes #wordpressblogger #blog #bloggers #blogging #bloggerlife⭐🌟
Say hello to Kara 🧡 If you love boho vibes with Say hello to Kara 🧡 If you love boho vibes with a unique touch, you'll love the new Kara theme!⁠
⁠
Check it out at https://kara.codeandcoconut.com or click the link in our bio to find all our themes.⁠
⁠
#wordpress #wordpresstheme #wordpressthemes #wordpressblogger
Happy first day of fall 🍂 We're hard at work to Happy first day of fall 🍂 We're hard at work to bring you a new theme soon, we hope you'll like it!⁠
⁠
Stay tuned for an announcement very soon 😁⁠
⁠
⁠
#wordpress #wordpresstheme #wordpressthemes #wordpressblogger #blog #bloggers #blogging #bloggerlife #business #entrepreneur #blogs #blogpost #marketing #entrepreneurship #bloggingtips #entrepreneurs #businesswoman #businessowner #entrepreneurlife #girlboss #womeninbusiness #bossbabe #ladyboss #bosslady #womensupportingwomen #womenentrepreneurs
We love what Inah at Fueled By Chapters has done w We love what Inah at Fueled By Chapters has done with our Hazel theme! If you'd like to see their website, go to https://fueledbychapters.com/⁠
⁠
To get the Hazel theme for your own blog, click the link in our bio!⁠
⁠
⁠
#wordpress #wordpresstheme #wordpressthemes #wordpressblogger #blog #bloggers #blogging #bloggerlife #business #entrepreneur #blogs #blogpost #marketing #entrepreneurship #bloggingtips #entrepreneurs #businesswoman #businessowner #entrepreneurlife #girlboss #womeninbusiness #bossbabe #ladyboss #bosslady #womensupportingwomen #womenentrepreneurs
🍂 Labor Day Weekend Sale ― Get 30% off your f 🍂 Labor Day Weekend Sale ― Get 30% off your favorite theme!⁠
⁠
Run, don't walk! You have until midnight tomorrow (EST) to get your favorite theme at the best discount we offer.⁠
⁠
If you have any questions about which Code + Coconut theme is best for you, don't be afraid to ask in the comments or send us a DM! We'd love to help you figure out which of our themes fits your goals 💚⁠
⁠
⁠
#wordpress #wordpresstheme #wordpressthemes #wordpressblogger #blog #bloggers #blogging #bloggerlife #business #entrepreneur #blogs #blogpost #marketing #entrepreneurship #bloggingtips #entrepreneurs #businesswoman #businessowner #entrepreneurlife #girlboss #womeninbusiness #womensupportingwomen #womenentrepreneurs #laborday #labordayweekend #labordayweekendsale #labordaysale #labourday #labourdayweekend #labourdayweekendsale

Terms & Conditions · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer

Copyright © 2017–2023 · Code + Coconut · All Rights Reserved