WordPress plugins bring websites to life with extra features and functionalities. From email subscriptions and pop-ups to order management and product listings, there’s a plugin out there for pretty much everything. But with thousands available, how do you know which are the best for your website?

We’ve compiled a list of the top five WordPress plugins to make choosing the right one a little easier.

Top 5 WordPress plugins for functionality

1. Elementor: a website builder plugin

  • Free

Elementor’s Page Builder Plugin makes professional WordPress site building simple. The web creation platform currently powers over 10 million websites globally, and when you take a closer look at the features, it’s clear why. The drag-and-drop editor comes equipped with over 40 free widgets and features, like animations and effects, to bring your website to life. You don’t even need coding skills to get started!

2. WooCommerce: an ecommerce plugin

  • Free (optional paid add-ons)
  • Transaction Fee: 1.4% + £0.20 per transaction using a UK credit or debit card

WooCommerce is one of the best plugins for ecommerce websites. The fully customisable, open-source platform is built on WordPress and complete with a whole host of free and paid functionalities and extensions – like WooCommerce Shipping, WooCommerce Tax, and PayPal Payments. It also accepts major credit cards, bank transfers, checks, and cash. The best part? It’s incredibly easy to set up and use!

3. Mailchimp for WordPress: an email subscription plugin

  • Free up to 500 email subscribers

Mailchimp for WordPress (MC4WP) is the go-to plugin for managing and growing your email subscriptions. It connects your WordPress website with your Mailchimp account and allows you to easily create user-friendly, mobile-optimised sign-up forms – customised to your liking. It also integrates seamlessly with existing plugins and forms, such as WooCommerce and Gravity Forms.

4. Icegram: a pop-up plugin

  • Starter: $0 forever
  • Pro: $129/year
  • Max: $229/year

Icegram Engage is a powerful plugin that allows you to add non-intrusive pop-ups and banners to your WordPress website to increase conversions. The built-in WordPress editor means you can create personalised campaign messages to display at a time (and on a page) that suits you. You can even run split tests to experiment with different messaging types and analyse the impressions and conversions of each campaign.

5. All in One SEO: an SEO plugin

  • Basic: $49.60/year
  • Plus: $99.60 /year
  • Pro: $199.60/year
  • Elite: $299.60/year

All in One SEO (or AIOSEO) is a must-have plugin for anyone looking to optimise their webpages and analyse the effectiveness of their SEO content – without hiring a specialist. It provides an actionable SEO checklist to increase ranking and traffic. The plugin even integrates with popular social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn to get your content seen by the right people.

Searching for a reliable hosting provider?

Our WordPress Hosting platform has everything you need to create a fully-functional website – without the technical knowledge. All you have to do is pick a use case (like a blog or an online store), and we’ll pre-install recommended themes and plugins. Once your website is up and running, you can choose additional plugins (there are over 5,600 to choose from!).

Get in touch with us on 0800 0612 153 or drop us a message to get started.