5 Essential Wordpress Plugins You Should Be Using

No this is just not other post about Wordpress Plugins I am using or others are using for that matter.

I will try to list in this post 5 essential Wordpress plugins which everybody must use on their Wordpress blogs irrespective of whether you have a low traffic or a high traffic blog.

1. Wordpress Database Backup

This is one plugin you should install and use at least once every week. It gives you an on-demand backup of your WordPress database. In simple words, it helps you back up your Wordpress blog posts, comments and all. The back up will be helpful if you ever need to restore your Wordpress blog after a crash.

Other useful features of this plugin include automatic backup of the databases and e-mailing the back-up as an attachment to the e-mail address you specify.

Download Wordpress Database Backup

2. Akismet

According to me Akismet is the boon of the Wordpress platform. Install Akismet, put in your API key and say bye bye to comment spam forever.

Akismet filters comments made on your blog by comparing them against the Akismet web service to find if they are spam comments. In short it saves you a lot of time and energy.

Download Akismet Plugin

3. Wordpress Cache

According to popular perception you need caching only when you have a high traffic blog. But this is not true. This plugin basically serves static HTML pages to users rather than dynamic PHP pages. This not only lightens the load on the server but it also helps your pages load a little faster.

Also helps your blog survive the high traffic times like during a Digg.

Download Wordpress Cache

4. Wordpress Contact Form III

Ever been on a blog and have been cursing the author because you cannot find a clue on how to contact him. Do not let your blog’s visitors that opportunity. Its time you create a contact form for your blog.

WP Contact Form III is a simple drop in form for users to contact you. It can be implemented on a page or a post. It is a modification of Ryan Duff’s project and includes an anti-spam challenge question and also allows the visitor to specify the subject of the message.

Download Wordpress Contact Form

5. Google Sitemaps Plugin

Now this may be essential to some but not so important to others. But this plugin is very important to me. This plugin creates a sitemaps.org compliant sitemap for your blog enabling search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft) to index each and every post you write.

Helps give better exposure of your blog to search engines.

Download Google Sitemaps Plugins

Are you using these plugins ? Any other plugin you think should be here in this list ?

Tell us with your comments.