The functionality of a plugin matters a lot. Users tend to choose plugins which solve a problem and bring in a couple of other great features along the way. Also, they give priority to the ones that are quick and easy to set up, customize, and use, so that it won’t hinder their productivity. And really. If a plugin takes long to figure it out, it takes away the time which you’d otherwise spend on creating content and bettering your blog.
There is a common belief that most of the cutting-edge WordPress plugins are complex and hard for new users to figure out. In this post, I’m going to challenge that widespread belief and present to you ten functional yet super easy to use WordPress plugins. No matter what your blog is all about or what your niche is, these plugins would give it an extra edge and save you a lot of time along the way.
Theme Check
Theme Check plugin provides a straightforward and easy way for testing your website for WordPress standards and compatibility issues. It uses the same theme review practices that WordPress uses for theme submissions. The plugin has a very simple and straightforward admin area, where you can run tests and check the test results. It’s actually an excellent way to make sure your theme is up to date with the latest WordPress standards.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". The publisher name is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get published on June 09, 2018. It was last get updated on December 20, 2023.
Simple Membership
As the name suggests, Simple Membership plugin provides an easy way to add a membership functionality to your blog. With its help, you can protect your content and make it accessible only to your site members. You can set up unlimited membership levels and protect your posts from non-member viewing. Membership levels are easily configured based on the specifications you choose, such as free or paid memberships. You can assign membership levels to your posts and pages directly from the WordPress editor. The plugin supports membership payments via Stripe and records all of them so that you can later view them.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". It is developed by Smp7, Wp.insider. The publisher is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get released on May 30, 2014. It was last get updated on March 25, 2024.
Simple Download Monitor
Another feature-packed yet simple and fast WordPress plugin, built for monitoring and tracking digital downloads on your blog. It’s a useful plugin with a user-friendly interface, allowing you to configure the downloadable files from your admin area dashboard. It logs the IP addresses of the users who have downloaded your files or documents and also lets you know the date and the time for each of the downloaded files. You can protect file downloads with a password so that only the users who have the password can download and use them.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". The name of the author is Tips And Tricks HQ, Ruhul Amin, Josh Lobe. The publisher is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get available on October 28, 2009. It was last get upgraded on March 25, 2024.
Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth
Jetpack is simple, and it works. It really does too much but is yet user-friendly and easy to set up. It takes care of different aspects of your blog, including traffic growth, security, widgets, image performance, etc., and does it all of from a centralized WordPress dashboard. Jetpack is famous for its sharing, related posts, and enhanced distribution functionalities. This will help you expose your blog content to a wider audience. It simplifies overall blog management and will be a good addition to it.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". The author name is Automattic. The name of the publisher is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get available on January 20, 2011. It was last get updated on April 17, 2024.
Yoast Duplicate Post
It’s one of the most simple and easy to use plugins I’ve used so far. If you want to duplicate any of your posts or pages, Duplicate Post will let you do that with a single click. As soon as you have the plugin running on your blog, you can immediately clone your posts, create new drafts, copy the content to new drafts, and do all of this from the posts admin area. You can exclude some posts types from being cloned and set user roles who can clone or copy your content.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". The author name is Enrico Battocchi & Team Yoast. The publisher name is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get published on December 05, 2007. It was last get updated on March 20, 2024.
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy
TablePress allows you to easily create and embed responsive tables to any of your posts and pages without touching a single line of code. You can include any type of data in the tables and edit them any time directly from the spreadsheet-like interface. The tables can be displayed anywhere on your blog as widgets with the provided shortcodes. The plugin features an advanced styling editor, where you can give the tables custom look and feel with absolutely no HTML knowledge.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". It is developed by Tobias Bäthge. The publisher is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get published on June 14, 2012. On April 02, 2024, it was last get upgraded.
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress
With Newsletter you can easily create unlimited newsletters, build an extensive email list and ultimately get more subscribers to your blog. It features a responsive drag & drop email composer, which will help you create any kind of emails. It also comes with a customizable subscription widget and displays a subscription checkbox on the standard WordPress registration form. The plugin has an advanced email tracking functionality to help you get the most out of your emails. Also, there is a variety of customizable email themes that you can adjust to your needs.
It is listed under "WordPress" > "WordPress Plugins". It is developed by Stefano Lissa & The Newsletter Team. The publisher is WordPress Plugin Repository. It was first get released on May 23, 2009. It was last get updated on April 15, 2024.
Final Thoughts
I’ve tried and tested tons of WordPress plugins, for quality, functionality, features, and ease of use and this short list is the result of it. You can find truly feature-packed WordPress plugins which are also incredibly easy to customize and use. If you’re a new member to the WordPress community, these plugins will be a good starting point for you and equip your blog with some great functionality along the way.
This article is written by Gayane Mar. She is a passionate web-blogger who started her blogging activity a few years ago. Her posts are all about web design and web development. She writes all these posts for good people who need some guidance or advice on web development. The driving force behind her writings is the great hope that her blog posts would be helpful for each and everyone reading them. If you are interested you can follow her blog wpcapitan.com. Follow her on Google+.
This article is written by Gayane Mar. She is a passionate web-blogger who started her blogging activity a few years ago. Her posts are all about web design and web development. She writes all these posts for good people who need some guidance or advice on web development. The driving force behind her writings is the great hope that her blog posts would be helpful for each and everyone reading them. If you are interested you can follow her blog 
Web Developer & SEO Specialist with 15+ years of experience in Open Source Web Development specialized in Joomla & WordPress development. He is also the moderator of this blog "RS Web Solutions".