Yoast SEO (Free)
What it does:
- Helps your site rank on Google
- Optimizes every page/post for search
- Creates XML sitemaps automatically
Cost:
Free (Premium: $99/year, not necessary for most)
Why you need it:
70% of website traffic comes from Google. This helps you get found.
WPForms (Free + Paid)
What it does:
- Creates contact forms
- Payment forms
- Survey forms
- Lead capture
Cost:
Free (Pro: $49/year for advanced features)
Why you need it:
Every business needs a way for customers to contact them.
UpdraftPlus (Free Backups)
What it does:
- Automatic backups of your entire site
- Restores site if anything breaks
- Saves to Google Drive/Dropbox
Cost:
Free (Premium: $70/year for more features)
Why you need it:
Your site WILL break eventually (updates, hacks, mistakes). Backups save you.
WP Rocket
What it does:
- Makes your site load FAST
- Caching, minification, lazy loading
- Boosts Google rankings
Cost:
$59/year
Why you need it:
Slow sites lose 40% of visitors. This makes you fast.
Wordfence Security (Free)
What it does:
- Firewall protection
- Malware scanning
- Login security
- Blocks hackers
Cost:
Free (Premium: $119/year, overkill for most)
Why you need it:
WordPress sites get hacked 30,000+ times per day. This protects you.