It’s easier than ever to set up your own website or blog, but not everyone has the skill set needed to help their website level up into pro territory.
That said, there’s a whole ocean’s worth of widgets and plug-ins that help you get more out of your website.
These WordPress Widgets are sure to help you keep things just a little more professional.
Broken Link Checker
Broken Link Checker isn’t the flashiest tool out there, but it is insanely useful. This widget monitors the links inside your blog posts, your comments, your web copy and your blogroll. The plugin identifies any broken links that no longer work, missing images, or any redirects.
The idea is, by identifying the broken links on your site, you can edit directly in the plugin page–no manual editing required.
Meks Smart Author Widget
Standard WordPress doesn’t necessarily allow for much personalization when it comes to author bios, and about me sections. The Meks Smart Author Widget stands to change that.
This widget brings stylish author bios to your website and allow you to add multiple authors or just stick with the one.
For multi-author blogs, the plugin finds the writer of a post and automatically includes the correct bio.
Think of this as an “About Me” plugin, a means of making yourself more relatable to visitors.
Testimonials Widget
Testimonials give your site some extra, oomph. Visitors see that others were buying what you’re selling–and liked it enough to throw you a compliment. Testimonials let you show off your customer service skills, in your customers’ own words.
The Testimonials Widget lets you choose how you want to display images, text, or even video testimonials in a series of stylish sliders. You’re even able to adjust the testimonials based on the content on the page.
Contextual Related Posts
A powerful plug-in that comes with an algorithm that determines which posts are related, Contextual Related Posts is bound to save you lots of time.
The widget analyzes both the title and the body of any given blog post to determine which pieces fit into the same category. However, you can omit posts or entire categories from the search should you wish. Related posts can be displayed with thumbnails, plus the posts are cached to increase website speed.
Instagram Feed
If you’re in a very visually-oriented business, you may prefer to load your site with all the filtered images from your Instagram.
If that sounds like you, the Instagram Feed plugin, a top-rated WP widget won’t disappoint.
This plugin allows you to display thumbnails, as well as large or medium-sized images. You can also mix-and-match multiple Instagram accounts.
Additionally, you’re not limited to your own Insta pics. So long as you’re linking to public accounts, you can add other accounts. Plus, visitors can load their own images to your site, too.
It’s a more engaging experience than your average WordPress site–perfect for anything in the arts/crafts/design space, and of course, highly enticing to all those foodies out there.
YouTube Channel Gallery
The perfect widget for the YouTube pros out there. This option allows you to display your latest videos straight from your channel, on your WordPress site.
Videos can be added to your through the widget, or you can paste them directly into a post using the shortcode.
The widget displays a set of thumbnails under your featured images, which may be customized according to your preferred size.
What’s more is you can further customize videos. For example, you can select whether you want to have videos play automatically, change the quality or the color of the progress bar.
Google Analytics – The Most Essential of WordPress Widgets
Any digital marketer knows that Google Analytics is an essential piece of your strategy. This plug-in allows you to check your traffic directly from WP, no need to log into the full program.
The benefit here is, you’ll be able to quickly determine which pieces of content are performing well, and which ones people are avoiding like the plague.
Track visits and page views, your bounce rate, referrals, and average time spent on the site. These insights will help you build authority and analyze visitor behavior.
My Social Counter
Upgrade your social icons with the My Social Counter widget. This tool allows you to display your visitor counts, shares and like for up to 11 social media channels.
The plugin lets you choose your layout and the style of social icons through 10 unique templates.
While it might seem a little unnecessary to show off your shares and likes, it adds a layer of legitimacy to your website from a customer perspective. If they see others sharing your content or following your accounts, well, they might be inclined to do the same.
Ultimate Branding
You already know that branding is a big deal. But, it can be hard to get all the details just so when you’re running the rest of the business, too.
Between your blog content and your web pages, your products or your services, consistency helps you put your best foot forward. That’s where Ultimate Branding comes in.
This tool is the ultimate white labeling plug-in. You can swap out anything with the WordPress logo for whatever you’d like–this means the admin bar, the footer, and more.
The best part? You don’t have to learn coding to get this level of customization. Pretty cool, right?
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Well, of course, there are a million more WordPress widgets set to transform your site for the better. We hope this list serves as inspiration for all you can do with your site–without having to become an amateur coder.
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