Best WordPress Plugins for Most Websites: SEO, forms, analytics and performance (2025 Edition)

There are thousands of WordPress plugins. Many “best WordPress plugins” lists throw the kitchen sink at you. But after designing and building WordPress sites for over 15 years, I’ve found that most websites only need a handful of carefully chosen plugins to function well, stay fast, and rank in search.

This list is not a dump of popular options. These are tools I install regularly, use personally, and recommend to clients who want their websites to be useful, secure, and effective.

Let’s get right into it…

Best WordPress Plugins for SEO & Analytics

AnalyticsWP / A Lightweight, Super-Accurate Alternative to GA4

If you’re looking for a WordPress analytics plugin that just works, skip the GA4 learning curve. AnalyticsWP installs in seconds, requires zero configuration, and gives you clean, accurate traffic data right in the dashboard. It also sends clean, client-friendly email reports weekly and monthly, automatically.

Here’s why I use it on most client sites:

• It’s more accurate than GA4 — no cookie banners required, no blocked scripts, no overcounting or undercounting. Just simple pageview and referral tracking.
• It sends clean, readable email reports to your inbox (and your client’s inbox) every week and every month, automatically.
• It’s perfect for privacy-conscious sites — no data is sent to third parties, and no user tracking is involved.
• It replaces most of what small and medium sites need from Google Analytics, without the bloat or confusion.

If your clients just want to know how many people visited the site and where they came from, this is a no-brainer.

Use it if: You want fast setup, clear stats, and email reports clients can actually read.
Skip it if: You need deep e-commerce or funnel-based analytics.

Read my full review of AnalyticsWP here.

But you can also still use…

Site Kit by Google / Connect to Search Console, AdSense & More

Even if you don’t want to rely on GA4 for your analytics, Site Kit by Google is still worth installing. It acts as a bridge between your WordPress dashboard and key Google services, including:

• Google Search Console (so you can see search performance inside WordPress)
• AdSense (if you run ads)
• PageSpeed Insights (for performance benchmarks)

It works fine alongside AnalyticsWP. While I don’t recommend using it as your primary analytics tool, it’s helpful for surfacing insights from Google’s ecosystem without having to bounce between platforms. I almost always install both. This also helps with clients who have already been using GA and have a deep data history with that service.

Use it if: You want at-a-glance access to Google data like search queries, indexing, and performance scores.
Skip it if: You prefer to manage everything outside of WordPress or don’t use Google tools at all.

RankMath Pro / The SEO Plugin That Helps You Actually Rank

RankMath Pro is lighter, faster, and more intuitive than Yoast. It includes everything you need: keyword optimization, schema, sitemaps, redirects, image SEO, and even basic analytics.

There was a time when Yoast SEO was the default. But over the years, it’s gotten bloated, clunky, and erratic. And the UI seems to reinvent itself every few months. I finally switched to RankMath Pro a few years ago and I’ve never looked back.

Here’s why I now recommend it to all my clients:

• It’s lighter and faster than Yoast, with a more intuitive interface
• Its content scoring tools are smarter — the keyword suggestions are actually useful
• Schema support, redirections, sitemaps, image SEO, and even analytics integrations are all built in (no add-ons required)
• It’s helped me rank: many of my blog posts and landing pages now hold top spots in Google search results, in part because RankMath has made it easier to optimize as I write

If you’re just getting started, the free version of RankMath is solid. But I use and recommend springing for RankMath Pro, especially if you’re managing multiple sites or serious about your SEO.

Use it if: You care about ranking and want modern SEO tools that don’t slow you down.
Skip it if: You’re never going to touch SEO beyond the basics (though RankMath still beats the competition).

Track the Click / Lightweight Click Tracking for Your URLs

Sometimes you just want to know: Are people actually clicking that link? Track the Click does one thing and does it well. It lets you log and count clicks on specific links without needing to touch Google Analytics or run external scripts.

Why I like it:

• You can track any link — affiliate URLs, buttons, CTAs, or even outbound references
• It’s GDPR-friendly — doesn’t collect personal data or require cookie banners
• It’s easy to use — just add a class to the link or use the built-in UI

If you run affiliate links or just want to quietly track user behavior on specific calls-to-action, this is a simple, private, and effective way to do it.

Use it if: You want to measure clicks on key links without analytics overkill.
Skip it if: You already have full event tracking set up via GA4 or Tag Manager.

Best WordPress Plugin for Forms & User Interaction

Gravity Forms / The One Form Plugin That Can Do It All

Whether you’re building a basic contact form or a complex multi-step workflow, Gravity Forms handles it. I’ve used it for email signups, conditional logic, payment forms, and even conversational forms.

The interface is smooth, the logic tools are powerful, and the add-ons ecosystem is excellent. Here’s why I recommend it to almost every client:

• Simple forms are dead simple — no extra fluff, just drop in a few fields and go.
• Complex forms are a breeze — conditional logic, file uploads, multi-page forms, and custom notifications are all built-in.
• It integrates with everything — Mailchimp, Stripe, Zapier, CRMs… whatever you’re using, there’s probably an add-on for it.
• The UI is intuitive — even clients who don’t love WordPress can figure out how to make edits.
• Conversational forms (like Typeform) are possible with add-ons, so it’s a great fit for modern landing pages too.

I’ve replaced WPForms on most sites with Gravity Forms. Not because WPForms is bad, but because Gravity Forms is better in nearly every scenario.

Use it if: You want one plugin that covers every form you’ll ever need.
Skip it if: You only ever need a contact form and want to keep plugin bloat to a minimum.

Best WordPress Plugins for Content Management

Advanced Custom Fields Pro / For When You Need WordPress to Do More

ACF Pro isn’t for every website but when you need to extend WordPress beyond basic post and page content, it’s long been the gold standard. I use it on more complex projects where custom content types and additional field inputs are essential.

Example: On mountain-hiking.com, I’ve built a structured database of mountains with custom fields for elevation, trailhead coordinates, hike difficulty, and more. ACF made that not just possible, but easy to manage and display consistently across the site.

Here’s what makes ACF Pro a standout:

• It turns WordPress into a real CMS giving you the flexibility to build structured content around anything your site needs to showcase.
• It lets you attach custom data fields (text, selects, images, repeaters, etc.) to posts, pages, users, and more.
• It plays beautifully with the block editor and traditional templates — just drop in the_field('field_name')and go.

Use it if: You need custom fields and want full control over how content is structured and displayed.
Skip it if: You’re running a basic site and don’t need to modify the post editing experience.

Better Search Replace / Clean Up Your Database Fast

This plugin is a lifesaver when migrating domains, switching shortcodes, or updating links across large batches of content. It lets you run safe, targeted search-and-replace operations in your database (with a dry run mode to preview changes before committing).

Use it if: You do any kind of site migrations or structural content edits.
Skip it if: You never touch the backend and always stay on one domain.

Redirection / Manage Redirects Without Code

Even though RankMath Pro handles redirection, I still use the dedicated Redirection plugin on some sites, especially on larger builds where redirects need to be organized, labeled, and tracked over time. It’s intuitive, reliable, and built with non-coders in mind.

Use it if: You’re reworking site architecture or need to manage lots of 301s.
Skip it if: RankMath covers your redirect needs and you don’t want to duplicate features.

Best WordPress Plugins for Performance & Security (Sometimes Less is More)

Should I Use a Caching Plugin with WordPress? Probably Not!

Many of these plugin lists will tell you to install caching and security plugins right out of the gate. But if you’re using a premium managed host like WP Engine, Kinsta, or SiteGround, there’s a good chance those features are already handled better at the server level. For example:

• WP Engine has its own aggressive caching layer and outright blocks most caching plugins
• SiteGround offers a tightly integrated performance plugin (SG Optimizer) that works with its own server cache
• Both hosts discourage Wordfence and similar security plugins that duplicate features they already offer and that may slow down your site

So if caching plugins are off the list of best WordPress plugins, what should you install?

Loginizer / Simple, Effective Login Protection

If your host doesn’t include brute-force protection by default, Loginizer is a great first line of defense. It blocks repeated login attempts, supports IP blacklisting, and even lets you rename the login URL to make brute force attacks harder. I recommend Loginizer for one simple reason: it does the basics well, namely…

• Limits login attempts
• Offers IP blacklisting and reCAPTCHA support
• Can rename or move the login URL for added obscurity

It’s lightweight, stable, and works on almost every host, including managed ones. You don’t need full-blown malware scanning and firewall layers on most sites, especially if you’re already backed by host-level defenses and good practices like strong passwords and 2FA.

Use it if: You want simple, lightweight protection for your login page.
Skip it if: Your host already provides login hardening or you use a full security stack.

Simple History / What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?

If you’ve ever opened a site and thought, “Wait… who changed this?”, Simple History is the plugin you wish had already been installed. It quietly logs key events in the WordPress dashboard, stuff like:

• Who logged in and when
• What pages or posts were updated
• Plugin installs, activations, deactivations
• Widget and menu changes
• Failed login attempts

You can view the log right from the dashboard or export it as needed. It’s especially useful for client sites or multi-author blogs, where knowing what happened and when can save hours of guesswork.

Use it if: You want an audit trail without installing a bloated security or activity plugin.
Skip it if: You’re the only one working on your site and don’t care about change history.

Health Check & Troubleshooting / Diagnose Issues

Sometimes things break. A plugin update causes layout issues, or a theme starts throwing PHP errors. Before you deactivate everything and risk making things worse, try Health Check & Troubleshooting.

This plugin offers two crucial tools:

• Site Health diagnostics: A full scan that highlights misconfigurations, missing modules, outdated PHP versions, and more.
• Troubleshooting Mode: Lets you temporarily deactivate plugins just for your user account, so you can isolate conflicts without affecting site visitors.

It’s my go-to for safe, low-risk debugging. And because it’s maintained by the WordPress.org core team, it’s stable and well-coded.

Use it if: You manage multiple sites or want to fix issues without impacting live traffic.
Skip it if: You rarely touch plugin settings or never troubleshoot issues yourself.

Broken Link Checker / Keep Your Links & Reputation Intact

Broken links erode user trust and damage SEO. But manually checking them? Not realistic. Broken Link Checker by WPMU DEV scans your site’s content, comments, even custom fields for borked links, and then alerts you when something goes dead.

I use it in Classic mode, which runs the link checks locally from your server, without routing data through a third-party cloud service. Doing it this way is less invasive, easier to control, and still gets the job done.

Why it matters:

• SEO maintenance — Google doesn’t like dead ends
• User experience — Visitors won’t hit broken pages or dead references
• Content quality — You can catch and fix outdated links without relying on user complaints

You can choose to get alerts via dashboard or email, and fix links right from the plugin interface.

Use it if: Your site has blog content, resource lists, or external links that need monitoring.
Skip it if: You run a small brochure site with few outbound links.

Best WordPress Plugin for Accessibility

WP Accessibility / Make Your Site Better for Everyone

Web accessibility matters not just for compliance, but because good accessibility is good UX. WP Accessibility by Joe Dolson is a lightweight plugin that adds practical accessibility enhancements without requiring you to be an expert.

Key features include:

• Skip links and landmark roles
• Image alt text notifications
• Longdesc support
• Color contrast tools and focus styles

It doesn’t fix accessibility on its own, but it helps you build with better defaults and spot issues early.

Use it if: You want to improve access and usability with minimal effort.
Skip it if: You’re relying on accessibility overlays (which, honestly, you shouldn’t).

Best WordPress Plugins for Presentation Tweaks

Advanced Excerpt / Fine-Tune How WordPress Summarizes Content

By default, WordPress excerpts are clunky. They often cut off mid-sentence, strip all formatting, and can leave archive pages looking awkward or bare. Advanced Excerpt fixes that with simple controls that give you more editorial polish. With this plugin, you can:

• Set excerpt lengths by word count (not characters)
• Preserve formatting like bold or italics
• Avoid awkward mid-word cutoffs
• Choose whether to apply settings to posts, pages, or both

It’s one of those install-it-and-forget-it tools that quietly makes your site look better, especially on blog indexes, search results, and category pages.

Use it if: You want cleaner post summaries that respect your writing and layout.
Skip it if: You’ve already customized excerpts in your theme templates.

Easy Table of Contents / Improve Navigation and SEO with Structured Content

Adding a table of contents isn’t just about making long posts easier to skim, it’s also a quiet SEO power move. Easy Table of Contents by Magazine3 automatically inserts a clean, collapsible list of jump links based on your heading structure (<h2>, <h3>, etc.). You choose where it appears: top of post, after first paragraph, or manually with a shortcode.

Here’s why I recommend it:

• Better readability — Visitors can jump to the section they care about, reducing bounce rates and boosting time on page
• Improved accessibility — Helps keyboard users and screen readers understand your post structure
• SEO benefits — Google loves well-structured content and sometimes uses ToC entries as sitelinks in search results

If you write blog posts longer than 500 words, you should be using this.

Use it if: You publish long-form content and care about UX, accessibility, and SEO.
Skip it if: Your posts are short and don’t use multiple headings.

Why I’m Moving Away from Jetpack

I used to install Jetpack on almost every site. It offered a convenient bundle of features like downtime monitoring, brute force protection, and a CDN. However, sadly, Jetpack has become bloated, increasingly modular (with upsells everywhere), and often intrusive. It now feels like a Frankenstein of semi-useful tools trying to do too much.

Many hosts already provide better versions of its core features — say, server-level caching and security — and the rest can be replaced by smaller, faster plugins that do one thing well.

These days, I rarely recommend Jetpack unless there’s a very specific feature a client needs. So it’s off the list of best WordPress plugins.

Final Thoughts on a Solid Plugin Stack

This list of best WordPress plugins covers the most common needs: analytics, SEO, forms, structure, security, performance, and accessibility. I’ve left out a lot of “popular” plugins that I believe create more problems than they solve. When it comes to WordPress, less is almost always more.

It’s a stronger strategy to focus your plugin stack tightly on whatever your website is there to do…

Pick smart.

Install light.

Run well.