Blogging can be something as simple as a hobby or as detailed as a business, or anywhere in between. Creating new, fresh content can become a time-consuming task and keeping up with other blogs can be daunting as well. With so many things to do, it can be easy to overlook tweaking your own blog. However, in both Blogger and especially in WordPress (self-hosted, remember) there are various plugins and add-ons to install to make your blog even better.
WordPress
Akismet
“vjlauoejalk jlihowe jsiohlw hgiopw”- Ever have a comment like this on your blog? If so, chances are you do not have Akismet installed on your blog. Go install it. Immediately. While you will have the ability to read through the spam comments if you so desire (and to make sure any link-happy commenters don’t get lost in there), Akismet will catch almost any spam comment made on your blog.
Editorial Calendar Plugin
This plugin will change your life. Okay, maybe not, but it will make your blogging life more organized. The drag-and-drop interface allows you to move posts around, set them as drafts or published and schedule your upcoming brilliance all right within WordPress.
WWSGD
I know these letter seem nonsensical, but this is one of the most powerful plugins you can possibly have installed on your blog. The What Would Seth Godin Do plugin displays a message to new visitors to your blog (such as, Welcome! Thanks for visiting!). Taken a step further the plugin also allows you to configure a different message for returning visitors. It’s a great, personalized way to greet your readers and to remind them to subscribe and connect with you!
WPTouch
A personal favorite of mine as an iPhone/smart phone lover, WPTouch presents your blog in a mobile-friendly platform, making it easy for readers to read and comment from their phone. Accessibility is always important and I love a blog I can read easily while waiting in the carpool line for an hour every day!
WP-DB-Backup
While not necessarily a fun plugin, the WordPress Database Backup Plugin is an essential to maintaining a database backup of your blog in case something goes wrong, such as a server hack or some type of blog crash or fail. I currently have the plugin configured to email me weekly backups, but you can do it daily, monthly or on demand (such as before doing a theme change or WordPress update). It is much easier to restore your broken blog if you have the contents easily accessible and this plugin will help minimze downtime in case a problem should arise.
Blogger
Slightly different from WordPress, Blogger has a combination of add-ons, gadgets and theme tweaks available to improve your blog. These are just a few of the must-haves.
About Me Widget
Such a simple detail that is often overlooked, Blogger makes it easy to have an about me box right in your sidebar. Alternatively, if you do not want it on the main page, consider adding an About Me Page. Readers want to connect with a blogger and feel like they “know” the person behind the blog. An About Me widget or page is a great way to accomplish this.
Random Posts Gadget
Great for increasing traffic to posts that you may have written quite some time ago or did not receive a lot of attention, this widget will display random posts from your blog and will include a thumbnail if desired. (Also available is a Related Posts Gadget that operates in the same manner.)
Social Bookmarks after Each Post
Essential to each blog is the ability to share with others. This code allows you to add social bookmark icons and links after each one of your Blogger posts.
Official Twitter Share Button for Blogger
Simply input your information into this page and code is generated for you to copy & paste right into your Blogger theme to have the Tweet button at the ready for each of your posts. Twitter is a powerful tool to promote your blog posts; make it easy for your readers to help promote it too.
Featured Post Content Slider
Featured Content Sliders have been becoming more and more popular on blogs. With this code, you can add one to your Blogger blog. *Note that this is a slightly more advanced trick, but it is fast becoming a requested feature so I wanted to share it.
Your unique blogging voice will make your blog stand out, of course, but adding a few bells and whistles can really help elevate it to the next level. I do want to note that while plugins are amazing resources for helping to make your blog run just as you want it to, you should also keep in mind that too many plugins can slow down your blog. Try to limit the usage to about 10 or so if possible. More can be used, but if you notice your site is slowing down, take a look at the number of your plugins.
About Ashley
I had never heard of the WWSGD plugin til just now! As always, you’re teaching me so much!
Blogger users have access to akismet too! I’ve been using the IntenseDebate plugin on my blog for a couple of years and have had no problems with spammers. IntenseDebate also has a feature that is also available on WordPress called ComLuv, which is AWESOME. EVERYONE should use it. If you post your blog’s URL when leaving a comment on a blog powered with ComLuv, a drop-down menu appears that shows which of your most recent posts you’d like to link back to. It’s like a link exchange without all the hard work. The more people who use it, the better our blogging communities become!
I am definitely going to check out the editorial calendar!
THanks great list I’ll be looking into the back up one for sure.
Great post with lots of useful plug ins. I have just about every one that you mentioned!