WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that works great for building websites without even having to code or learn about programming languages (even though understanding them is always a plus). Its multiple themes and customization options make the process of promoting your business through a website seamless. Moreover, it also offers a large number of free and paid plugins for various features that help you run the website smoothly. Different plugins serve different purposes, and to build a robust, user-friendly website, it is crucial to know which ones to use and how to use them. In this blog, we have listed the most commonly used WordPress plugins for photographers and how to make the best use of them.
SEO Plugins for Photographers
1. Yoast SEO
In addition to building a stunning website, it is also important to optimize it for search engines. And Yoast SEO plugin is one of the best WordPress plugins for keeping track of your on-page SEO. Post installing this plugin, it will display the SEO status – green (good), orange (ok), and red (needs improvement) – for each page along with listed factors. This plugin will access your web page based on 15 SEO factors such as focus keyword, meta title, meta desc, keyword density/distributions, etc. It will also analyze its readability score and give you suggestions to improve. Yoast also gives you the ease to optimize your title and description for different social media platforms, which is especially helpful if you blog.
2. MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights is a Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It helps you keep track of your traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rate. It also provides you with valuable data about your website and business on several web-based metrics. Carefully analyzing this data can help you improve your website for better reach and user experience. With this plugin, you don’t have to work on the Google Analytics interface separately as it sets it up on your website. To access advanced features and target specific insights such as ads tracking, popular post tracking, e-commerce tracking, etc., you can sign up for the pro version of this plugin.
Related Read: SEO For Photographers: Boosting Photography Websites & Blogs
WordPress Gallery Plugins
3. Envira Gallery
Any photography website is incomplete without a gallery. A well-structured web gallery on your website allows you to put your past work and projects on display. And to build a gallery that does justice to your work, the Envira plugin is a top-notch choice. It is a responsive WordPress gallery plugin that helps you create stunning galleries with features such as drag & drop gallery builder, forms with pre-built templates, multiple themes and layouts, WooCommerce integration, and much more. The plugin also allows you to add metadata for images, making your gallery SEO-friendly. Another benefit of using this plugin is that it is the fastest gallery plugin on WordPress, ensuring a good user experience.
4. Storyform
Storyform is a unique plugin that enhances how you tell stories with your images. It is not exactly a gallery plugin, but it transforms your page into a photo essay. It is an excellent plugin if you wish to narrate the behind scene or the story of your added images. You can also add them to a post that you have already created. It comes with multiple features such as full-screen responsive magazine layouts, different animation styles, creative content space, etc., – helping you perfectly blend the words with the pictures into a storytelling platform.
WordPress Slider Plugins
5. Soliloquy
Want to create a WordPress slider that is easy to build and SEO-friendly? Soliloquy plugin can help. This WordPress slider plugin comes with many built-in features that can help you build a customizable image slider. With features like slider themes, dynamic sliders, different animation styles, a one-click image import option from social media, and video sliders, you can enhance the overall look of your website. Moreover, with Soliloquy, you can create mobile-friendly sliders too.
Social Media Plugins for Photographers
6. Pinterest Pin It Button
Making your website more compatible with social media makes it compatible with today’s world. It’s important to ask yourself – how easy is it to share my website content on various social media platforms, and how does it appear when it is shared. Pinterest Pin It Button is a great WordPress plugin for photographers since it shows a Pin it button for all the images on your website. You can also choose to apply it to specific photos manually. This way, any web user can pin an image they like while going through your content. Pinterest is a great platform for sharing pictures, and having this plugin helps increase your reach.
7. Instagram Feed Pro
Instagram Feed Pro is the paid version of the Instagram Feed plugin. It is one of the most used WordPress plugins for photographers since it allows you to integrate your Instagram feed to your website. Most photographers try to maintain an active social media presence by posting their work on Instagram as well. And so, having the feed integrated into your website is a plus. Moreover, with this plugin, you also get to add a “Follow on Instagram” button – making it easy for users to follow. If you don’t like how your feed looks – you can easily customize it with this plugin. The pro version comes with many built-in features like multiple layouts, multiple feed displays, smart feed cache, backup functionality, etc.
8. Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons is a free plugin with which you add social sharing icons for various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc. And that’s not all. You can also customize these icons with the help of 16 different designs while assigning a specific action (follow or share) to them.
Image Optimization Plugins
9. Imsanity
As a photographer, you are likely to have high-resolution images with large image sizes. Even though that is great for your clients, it slows down your website loading speed. So you must resize your images for optimal use. And Imsanity is a great WordPress plugin for photographers to optimize image sizes. Once you have set a particular dimension for your pictures, it automatically resizes any larger image you upload on WordPress, saving you a lot of time while making your website faster.
10. WP Media Tagger
It is easy to upload images on WordPress, but sorting them can sometimes be a problem – especially for a photography website where you have to upload several photos. WP Media Tagger plugin helps you sort your images into different tags and categories, making them easy to find. To learn more about how to use this plugin efficiently, go through this guide.
11. Post-Thumbnail Editor
Post-Thumbnail Editor is another fantastic image optimization plugin that focuses on the appearance of your posts’ thumbnails. The thumbnail of your post’s featured image is usually the first thing that a web user sees. And your featured image can be pleasing and stunning, yet if that is not how it appears on the thumbnail, web users are less likely to be interested. This plugin helps you adjust your thumbnail appearance the way you want it to display, giving you the power to crop and recenter the featured images specifically for the thumbnail.
Contact Forms Plugins
12. WPForms
A contact form is essential for your photography website. It is how potential customers can directly reach out to you. And WPForms is a WordPress plugin for photographers that will create simple, user-friendly contact forms. Moreover, its drag and drop builder makes it easy to use – especially for beginners. You can also sign up for the upgrade version to access more advanced features.
Further Read: SEO Tips For Wedding Photographers: The Complete Guide
WordPress supports thousands of plugins that can help you structure, optimize, and organize your web content in many different ways. However, it is crucial to analyze the requirements of your website and choose wisely. Where installing some plugins can make your backend work easy, others might just slow down your website or create unnecessary compatibility issues. Therefore, you need to check that the functions of the installed plugins are not overlapping.
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