The biggest difference between a Blogger (blogspot) and a Wordpress blog is the use of custom plugins. These plugins have made Wordpress blogs better in terms of functionality. Believe it or not, a lot of Wordpress blog owners depend a lot on plugins. If you understand the structure and the codes, you can even make your own Wordpress plugin.
How flexible! This additional piece of codes can benefit both you and your readers.
There are a lot of custom ready made Wordpress plugins available to feed your needs. Here is a list of 16 great plugins which I think is really useful (however some are optional) for enhancing your Wordpress blogs.
[1] Adsense Manager
Control and arrange your AdSense & Referral blocks on your Wordpress blog. With Widget and inline post support, configurable colours. If you monetize your blog with Google Adsense, this is a good plugin that allow you to add your Google Adsense ads using widget.
[2] Akismet
Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. You need a WordPress.com API key to use it. You can review the spam it catches under “Comments”. By deafault, this plugin is included in every Wordpress.org blogware. All you need is the WordPress.com API key to activate this feature. Signup an account in Wordpress.com to obtain the API key. Without this plugin, you will receive a lot of spam comments when time pass by.
[3] All in One SEO Pack
Out-of-the-box SEO for your Wordpress blog. This make it easier for you to introduce SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to your blog.
[4] Anarchy Media Player (AMP)
Plays mp3, flv, mov, mp4, m4v, m4a, m4b, 3gp, avi, asf and wmv hypertext links directly on your webpage. Adds buttons to the post editor for embedding swf movies including Google Video etc. I love this plugin. I found it really useful when you want to insert media content to your blog post. An essential tool for music blogs and video blogs.
[5] CommentLuv
Plugin to show a link to the last post from the commenters blog in their comment. Just activate and it’s ready. You must be grateful to your loyal readers. To show your appreciation, why not give them some link love? When your reader enable CommentLuv when they post a comment in your blog, their latest blog post link will be added at the end of his/her comment too.
[6] Enhanced WP-ContactForm
WP Contact Form is a drop in form for users to contact you. In the message it sends to you it gives the page the user visited before the contact page, as well as the original outside referer. It can be implemented on a page or a post. It would be easier for your readers to contact you by using this feature if you embed it in your blog. The “Contact” page of this blog is an example.
[7] Flexible Upload
Resize picture at upload and make thumbnail creation configurable (like WP1.5), optionally include a watermark to your uploaded images. This is really a great plugin for those who upload their pictures directly to their host via the Wordpress platform. It is really flexible as you can set the resize pixel of your image, add watermark automatically to your images, multiple uploads at once, and many more.
[8] Highlight Author Comment
Automatically applies a distinctive style to comments by the post’s author. This is an optional feature. It helps to differentiate the author’s comments/feedback among the readers’ comments. You can customize how your comment via CSS. Here is an example of using this plugin. Notice the author’s comment is in outstanding pale green background.
[9] KG Archives
This is definitely a great plugin to sort out your archive. It will be really handy when you have a lot of archives made up by old posts. You can configure how your archive page look like.
[10] My Avatars
This plugin allows you to add MyBlogLog.com avatars to Wordpress comments. Yet another optional plugin, but can add some colors to your blog.
[11] Random Redirect
Allows you to create a link to yourblog.example.com/?random which will redirect someone to a random post on your blog, in a StumbleUpon-like fashion. When you have a lot of old posts, it is likely that your new visitors will miss out those wonderful old posts of yours. This plugin enable you to add in the code and let your readers read any random post from your archives. An example can be found in A.P.P.L.E. Click on the 
to try it out.
[12] Similar Posts
Displays a list of posts similar to the current one by comparing the way they use words. This can bring your readers further to any related/similar posts.
[13] Sociable
Automatically add links on your posts to popular social bookmarking sites. These little color icons make it easy for your readers to bookmark your posts to their bookmarking sites. There is a variety of bookmarking sites icons to add on. It also make your blog more cool.
[14] Subscribe to Comment
Allows readers to receive notifications of new comments that are posted to an entry. This is a great feature so that your readers can receive updates on any new added comments to the post that they have subscribed.
[15] WP AJAX Edit Comments
Allows you and your users to edit their comments inline. Admin and editors can edit all comments. We often make mistakes. Sometimes when I leave comment in other blogs, I make some typo mistake, but I am not able to edit my comment. With this plugin, your commentors will be able to correct their mistakes made in your blog.
[16] WP-PageNavi
Adds a more advanced paging navigation to your WordPress blog. I love this plugin very much. When you have a lot of old posts, it makes it easier for your visitors or even yourself to navigate around your posts.
These are the basic great plugin that you should consider using in your Wordpress blog. Feel free to try them out yourselves.
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Nice shot on the plug-in picture. This is a great read for readers who are in a rut to choose between Wordpress or Blogger.
Anyway here’s a few questions for you.Hope you can provide some enlightment for me.
To upload new plugins to Wordpress, I’m required to use FTP or the cpanel(if I pay for my own hosting), am I right? Are they any alternatives apart from using FTP or cpanel to upload new plugins?
What if I am using the free hosting by Wordpress, is it possible for me to upload plugins to my Wordpress account?
Regards
SeeSK
Bloggerfocus Dot Com
sksee’s last blog post..5 Characteristics of A Successful Blogger
hey! I like this post.
Anyway, a question. I think i saw somewhere in the internet before that having more plugins will make ur website load slower..is it true??
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@sksee,
Thank you for the comment.
Yes, you can upload the plugins via the cpanel or FTP . FTP will be a more convenient way as you just need to upload the whole file/folder to the corresponding directory. I always upload my files to the host via FTP . However I don’t install any FTP software in my computer. If you are using Firefox, you can install an extension called FireFTP, it works exactly like any FTP software available. Alternatives? Well, basically I will consider FireFTP an alternative.
You mean the free hosting from Wordpress.com? Unfortunately, Wordpress.com does not allow you to upload any plugins nor customize the blog theme (css) unless you pay for it. That is why, those who want to blog in Wordpress platform and want to get more control over it, choose to host their own blog by installing Wordpress.
@ – c H i E n -,
Thank you very much. I’m glad you like this post. It really depends on what sort of plugin do you use. Take for example, the CommentLuv plugin. It has to go to your blog and grab your latest post and add it in the comment, so it definitely take some time. (However there’s an option to allow commentors to disable it) Most plugins do their job “from behind”. So far, the plugins that I used haven’t cause any slow loading.
Cheers.
Greetings,
Why not write a guide on how to install FTP Firefox and upload plugins to Wordpress, it will be a great read for readers who have intentions to use Wordpress as their blogging platform.
sksee’s last blog post..5 Characteristics of A Successful Blogger
@sksee,
Thank you for the suggestion. Perhaps I will arrange some time for that.
Thank you for compiling this nice list of wordpress plugins. Hehe… sorry for a while cos I am gonna update my wordpress plugins now.
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nice collection of plugins, you should also try installing keywordluv since you have commentluv, this two plugins are the best combo for blog commenter.
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@Busby Eli,
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out!
Wow, got many plugins i am looking for, thx!
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Nice list you got here! I’ve got all of them except for a couple. Time to try them out!
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Phew, I kinda break out into a sweat each time someone provides a list of plugins. I know in the main, they are not difficult to configure but I usually think “work!” I do feel sorry for those who have the default WordPress theme and have to upload and configure each of these plugins.
I’ll stick to the theme I use since it has about 80 plugins preinstalled and then when I see a nice, comprehensive list like yours, I can add the extra one or two I don’t have.
Thanks, Trish
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What do you think about auto social poster? It automatically submits your website to some bookmarking services when you add a new post… kind of like pinging?
thanks that was really helpful really appreciate your effort.
Will try some plugins
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you did a good job summing it up, I prefer to upload videos to youtube first and then embed the code onto my blog post. this way you get a backlink and potential visitors and no extra load on my server
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Good list! Thanks for sharing.Increasing your blog traffic constantly should be of highest priority.Personally, the all-in-one-seo plugin has been extremely helpful.
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This is a vey handy list! If I’ve to add an essential pluging, I would go for Google XML Sitemap; it’s a must for evey blog author and you can check the features yourself over Wordpress Plugins Directory
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Great plugins for the most part.
All in one seo leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the actual impact it has in terms of seo, as its effectiveness depends heavily on the WP theme that is used.
The pagination plugin removes content from the page and can have the effect ok removing valuable content from the post or page as far as seo is concerned.
Great post!
Ron
Affiliate Marketing Guy Ron Davies´s last blog post..Coming Soon! Ron T.V.!
Thanks for sharing this list – we started using Sociable as well!!
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Commentluv really do bring me to your blog.. interesting plugin. Thanks for the infos bout commentluv, will get one for my blog hehe =)
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Thanks for all of these, there were a few I have never heard of that your article turned me on to.
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i have used most of these plugins and they are all great. i love the adsense plugin.
internet search tool
A plugin you’ve missed from the list is SEO Smart Links its made internal linking a breeze I used to spend ages doing this manually now it takes hardly any time at all
i like your post.
Thanks for your guide.
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CommentLuv for WP is a very nice plug-in. Every blog should have this installed and enabled by default; it would allow much better traffic exchange between websites! And the developer should definitely consider expanding the compatibility to other CMS.
It was a great script sir. I learn a new function here, that is trigger_error() function. This script would help me much if i forgot which wordpress function i’ve ever modified using add_filter().
Thank you so much sir..
GREAT! very cool
Thanks for writing this great blog I really enjoyed.
Stumbled upon your blog and read a few of your postings.. Nice blog. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to reading more from you in the future.:D
Where is the motion , there is the money. We are hosting company ,your post is interesting.
Hey, thanks for the blog post, but can you tell me what’s this theme you’re using in your blog? Thanks in advance, Pete
Great articles & Nice a site
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Wow lot of choices of plugin, I think I need to try the ‘my avatar’ plugin, well it’s good to make my blog more colorful
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I like
commentluv
navigator
hmm, adsense manager
and SEO Pack.
thanks for sharing it
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i am using almost all the plugins but i want to use commentluv i just say it working here i’ll install it now thanks for the valuable post
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Normal comments are not good enough anymore. People will come up with new ideas all the time. There has some data that is very useful. You say Every blog should have this installed and enabled by default; it would allow much better traffic exchange between websites! And the developer should definitely consider expanding the compatibility.
found this post really interesting thanks, could you please tell me more about this?
I really like your blog, I try to follow as many blogs as possible and I will defenitly bookmark yours
Regards
I like to test and see some plugins from time to time, but if not required, I deactivate them soon. Can I ask you something, I have heard that too many plugins can make our wp blogs slower, is it true? If so, how many plugins, in your opinion, we can comfortably use in wordpress blogs?
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I create a video post when I’m done i cannot play because there is note error plugins… what the error all about for this?
Watch Movies
Thanks very much for the awesome post. I am always on the look-out for the best plugins like you mentioned to suggest to my clients. Much thanks for creating this post. I have a question: Will inactive plugins slow down WordPress? I am aware active plugins will slow things down, but I am just wondering if inactive plugins will? Can anybody tell me?
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great tips here,thank you!
what the error all about for this?
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Thanks for the great list of plugins. I am checking them out already.
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Woah, these are some really awesome plugins. I use about 12/16 of them, and I am gunna give the others a try, I appreciate the great list. You rock.
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thank you that is nice content. i’m following your blog usually.
thank you mean great info
Very informative. Sharing ideas and knowledge is awesome.