Have you ever thought about how incredible of a dessert a s’more is? It’s simple to make, ready in basically a minute, and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. We almost hate to say this…but there are actually some ways to make that s’more even better. Crazy, we know! But until you’ve swapped out those graham crackers for a couple of chocolate chip cookies and upgraded that chocolate bar to a Reese’s peanut butter cup, you just have no idea the heights this classic dessert can soar to.
That same idea rings true with your website. (Hear us out!) Your website on its own is likely doing well. It’s holding your place in the world of the internet, it’s giving your business the chance to be seen by someone new, and it’s a virtual business card available 24/7. Is your website serving its purpose? Probably. But if it could do even more for you!
Marbury’s Digital Production and Design Manager, Dave Dodson, shares his take on some WordPress plugins that you should consider adding to your website’s toolbelt. And the good news? They don’t require a massive overhaul!
Here are five types of plugins your website could benefit from:
Social Media Sharing
It’s hard to remember a time before it mattered how many likes or shares your post got on Facebook or Instagram. Website visitors are becoming very accustomed to seeing “share” buttons on website pages. This may be a simple feature to think about adding depending on your business. In any case, it would be an easy addition to your blog. There are many plugins available (free or paid) that seamlessly add quick one-click share options for almost all social media platforms. Give your visitors the ability to be your biggest advocates!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Like social media, SEO is a term frequently thrown around in marketing conversations. A quick and dirty definition for SEO is optimizing your website’s content so that it is highly desirable to search engines, which means they will rank your website higher in search results. SEO plugins often take the guesswork out of trying to optimize your content on your own. Some plugins will help you maximize your SEO punch on regularly posted content like blogs. Other plugins can help you give your entire site an SEO check-up. You can’t avoid SEO anymore!
Email List Growth
If your business relies on email marketing, you should be using your website as your main net for catching new subscribers. Contact forms are a great way for people to directly contact you, but you should also have a dedicated place for signing up for your emails. There are many plugin options available that feature stylish and minimally-invasive ways to capture those emails. These plugins will help drastically improve your customer conversion rates and give you the chance to get your message and products right into the hands of those looking for it!
Analytics
It’s difficult to make educated decisions about your website without analytics. You would be surprised how many sites still don’t have some form of tracking on their website. Analytics plugins use existing platforms like Google Analytics and a great route to take when looking to beef up your website traffic reporting. Using a plugin can just make viewing analytics a little easier since you see it whenever you log into your website. Armed with thorough analytics reports, you can start making better decisions about your website and understand your customers on a much deeper level.
Data Backup
This might seem like a boring subject to think about, but when something catastrophic happens to your website, you might have different perspective! With all the hacking and data breach scandals, protecting your data and your customers’ should be a high priority. A good backup plugin will constantly save every crucial piece of code and content and keeps it in a secure holding spot. If the worst happens and you have to completely restore your website, having a plugin could make the process a half-day’s work instead of a complete rebuild. If you ever need to switch servers, having this backup will also make your web developer’s life much more enjoyable!
What upgraded ingredients could your website use? We know it’s a lot to think about, but the good news is we are here to help manage it for you! We love our plugins and are happy to help talk through your current website to see where a few swap-ins could occur. Contact us today at group@marburycreativegroup.com to start cooking up some new ideas!
