As photographers we spend the majority of time either shooting, editing or networking that sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to our photography blogs. Our photography blogs need attention and on occasion daily attention. Granted most of us are photographers and not web developers (I’m both) and that was why I compiled a list of essential WordPress plugins for photographers.
Our photography blogs require the same amount of care and upkeep as our gear does. Prospective clients don’t want to visit a slow blog or a blog missing a contact form etc. When I compiled my list of essential WordPress plugins for photographers, I did it with the intention of recommending plugins that were easy to use and that also had the ability to help not hinder our photography blogs.
Askimet
Nothing irks me more than when people try to spam my comments section with absolute nonsense that has nothing to do with my post. Askimet is the perfect plugin to stop people from flooding your comments with links to a new phone case or asking for a link back to their site etc. It’s easy to use and Askimet flags comments they think as spam and allows you to review them etc. I cannot tell you how many times people try to spam my blog and Askimet catches them before they can wreak havoc.
Jetpack
I use to have all these plugins to send my posts to Twitter or Facebook but when I found Jetpack I hit the jackpot. Jetpack allows me to connect to social networks and share my content all at once. This plugin has so many features it definitely will make your life easier. The social aspect is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this plugin. I highly recommend installing this.
WordPress SEO by Yoast
Lets face it, if we want our blogs to show in search results on Google or Yahoo we need SEO. If you don’t have a clue as to where to start with SEO, let this plugin help you. When you install this plugin, a SEO Check link will appear above your Publish button on your post page and when you click on the link it takes you down to the WordPress SEO section where it gives you details about your post. It shows you a snippet preview of how it will look in search results from Google as well as give suggestions to help your post be more SEO compliant.
WP Super Cache
No prospective client wants to visit a slow loading website. That is a sure fire way of losing a potential customer. With WP Super Cache it helps speeds up your blog by caching your pages which allows for faster page loading. Faster loading means happier potential clients and it could be the difference between getting a job or losing out on one.
Broken Link Checker
The Broken Link Checker does exactly what it’s name implies; it checks your blog for broken links. Why would a broken link matter you ask? Well Google tends not to like broken links on websites which affects SEO and search ranking. With this tool, broken links will appear on your Dashboard and all you have to do is go into the blog post and either update or remove the link. Simple as that.
That was my list of essential WordPress Plugins for Photographers. I’m always on the prowl for new plugins and if you have any recommendations please feel free to list them below in the comments section.