The Top Five Essential WordPress Plugins

No other blogging platform offers the flexibility and versatility that WordPress does. In addition to all the useful features you get with this popular blogging tool, WordPress has one particularly notable feature that stands out from the rest: the ability to store and use WordPress plugins.

What is a WordPress plugin?

A WordPress plugin is a small application that you can add to WordPress to enhance your blogging experience. There are WordPress plugins you can use for everything from eliminating spam to posting audio to your blog using your cell phone.

There are tons of WordPress plugins on the Internet... and most of them are free! This article will cover the top 5 free WordPress plugins that you absolutely shouldn't blog without.

1. Google Sitemap Generator Plugin

If you want an audience, getting your blog indexed in the search engines - especially Google - should be one of your top priorities. This nifty WordPress plugin automatically creates a Google Sitemap of your blog, which makes it easier for the search engine's spiders to navigate your site.

The plugin updates your Sitemap each time you update your blog, and it sends Google a ping so that they're always up-to-speed. The Google Sitemap Generator can be found at http://www.arnebrachhold.de/2005/06/05/google-sitemaps-generator-v2-final.

2. Search Everything Plugin

Incorporating a search engine on your WordPress blog will help improve the navigability of your website by making it much easier for users to find what they are looking for. The Search Everything WordPress plugin places a search engine on your blog that will sort through your pages, comments, and more. Download the plugin at http://dancameron.org/wordpress/wordpress-plugins/search-everything-wordpress-plugin.

3. Akismet Comment Spam Plugin

One of the main tasks for many bloggers is deleting huge loads of spam comments left by spam bots. Without the Akismet spam-fighting WordPress plugin, some bloggers would spend more time deleting comment spam than actually writing content. The best thing about the Akismet WordPress plugin is that it scans a database of past spam comments to analyze whether comments left on your blog are spam or not. And if a spam comment does happen to get through, Akismet will add it to the database for future reference. You can pick up the Akismet plugin at http://akismet.com/download.

4. WP-Contact Form Plugin

With all the spam on the Internet nowadays, the last thing you want is to publicly display your e-mail address on your blog. The WP-Contact Form plugin puts a contact form on your WordPress blog so that your readers can contact you without seeing your e-mail address. This very useful WordPress plugin will save you the hassle of having to code a contact form on your own. You can get the WP-Contact Form plugin at: http://ryanduff.net/projects/wp-contactform.

5. WordPress Related Entries Plugin

This WordPress plugin displays a list of related entries beneath some of your posts, bringing more value to your blog by offering your readers more of what they want. The plugin also helps better organize your blog in the eyes of the search engines, which can potentially lead to higher rankings. You can get the WordPress Related Entries plugin at http://www.w-a-s-a-b-i.com/archives/2006/02/02/wordpress-related-entries-20.