One of the best things about WordPress is how flexible it is. There are thousands of plugins that can help you add new features, improve performance, and keep your site safe.

But not all plugins are helpful. Some slow your site down, some break things, and others just create more problems than they solve. So here are five WordPress plugins we actually recommend — the kind that make your site work better, not worse.

1. Yoast SEO or Rank Math

If you care about showing up on Google, you need a solid WordPress SEO plugin. Yoast SEO is the most well-known, and it helps you manage meta tags, check readability, and improve your content structure. Rank Math is a great alternative, with more advanced features.

Both can trigger errors sometimes, like the common “Yoast SEO optimization error parsing the response to JSON” — which we’ve helped fix more than once. That is why it is smart to have someone keeping an eye on your SEO WordPress plugin setup.

2. WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache

Speed matters. A cache plugin WordPress tool stores copies of your pages and serves them faster to visitors. WP Super Cache is simple and effective. W3 Total Cache is more advanced but powerful.

Either way, a WordPress cache plugin is essential for performance and SEO.

3. All-in-One WP Migration

Things go wrong sometimes. Whether it is a bad update or a hacked site, having a WordPress backup plugin gives you peace of mind.

We always install All-in-One WP Migration, a solid plugin for WordPress that lets you back up your entire site in a few clicks. It is also one of the best WordPress migration plugins if you ever want to move your site elsewhere.

4. Elementor (or another WordPress page builder plugin)

Designing pages is easier when you can see what you are doing. That is what a WordPress page builder plugin gives you. Elementor is beginner-friendly and powerful. You can drag and drop elements, create beautiful layouts, and customize without coding.

It is one of the top WordPress plugins we install for business owners who want more control over their pages.

5. WPForms or Contact Form 7

You need a way for people to contact you. A WordPress plugin like WPForms makes it easy to build forms that actually work. No coding required. Just drag, drop, and publish.

If you do bookings, you can also add a booking plugin WordPress like Amelia or Bookly. These are great WordPress booking plugins for businesses that want customers to book directly online.

Bonus: Need multilingual support? Use a WordPress translation plugin like TranslatePress. Want to stay compliant? Add a WordPress cookie plugin to manage tracking and GDPR rules. Want a pop-up? Try a pop up plugin WordPress that lets you show messages or deals without annoying people.

There are a lot of cool WordPress plugins, but focus on the ones that keep your site fast, secure, and easy to use.