There are some notable WordPress plugins that almost every web professional knows about. They have a huge fan base and tend to be market leaders in their niche. But most of them started, at one point, as smaller projects. Their popularity has grown over time.
Today, we will look at 10 plugins that do not have the same level of name recognition. At press time, they have less than 200,000 active installations according to the official WordPress Plugin Store. Taking into account millions of sites running WordPress, 200k is a relatively small segment.
Regardless of the number of installations, the plugins below are quite useful. I hope you find a new favorite (or two) in the collection.
Web hosts can be stingy when it comes to file upload size limits. Large File Uploads allow you to adjust those limits, along with other useful features. File size limits can be set according to the role of the user, and large files can be split into smaller “skips”, helping to avoid time-consuming errors.
Using an insecure password is an invitation to hack your Web site. Evolved Passwords help in a few ways. First, it safely checks the first five characters of administrator passwords (and other user roles, if you choose) per Have I been phwned? API.
Users will be forced to change their password if it has been previously tampered with. Secondly, it strengthens password encryption within the WordPress database.
Brand facilitates the creation of a white label experience within different parts of WordPress. Administrators can change the login screen, admin menu, desktop widgets, or even add custom CSS.
It also adds features for the front end, including author boxes, and a GDPR / cookie flag. You will find plenty of settings to explore here.
WordPress does not provide a way to easily share unpublished pages and posts. The only solution is to log a client or colleague into the site and view the item.
Public Post Preview creates a divisible link that allows others to preview the item while it is still in draft form. By default, generated links can be viewed for up to 48 hours – but this can be changed by custom code.
Ever wonder what is slowing down your WordPress website? Activate a copy of Code Profiler and it will measure the PHP performance of your theme and plugin. Data visualization helps you make sense of the results, as they are presented in easy – to – read charts.
From there, you can see which items are adding up your server resources. It must also be noted: it can measure both front and rear performance.
When debugging a WordPress site, it helps to have a basic knowledge of the installation and its hosting environment. Simple System Status provides data on PHP, MySQL, themes, plugins, and registered post types. The best part is that everything is available on one screen.
Following up on debugging content, fatal server errors can be difficult to track. It helps to know when an error has occurred – which location monitoring services may miss.
Fatal Error Notifications will send an email when it detects an error on any page or process. A settings screen lets you select the errors you want the plugin to look at.
Bringing WooCommerce users and customers over from another website can be a pain. The Import and Export plugin helps Users and Customers by working through CSV files. It can automatically detect items like meta-users, and can even send emails to new users once their account has been added.
In addition, it works with popular membership plugins and Advanced Custom Fields. Oh, and you can also export users for migration elsewhere.
Adding live search capabilities to your website can be a great help for users. It allows them to get what they want faster. Ajax Search Lite offers a simple way to implement this functionality – immediately enhance the standard WordPress search interface.
With a simple drag-and-drop interface, Rearrange WooCommerce Products lets you display the products on the main store page and reorder individual product categories. Maybe a niche function, but it comes in pretty handy when you need it.
Discover Hidden Gems
With such a wide variety of plugins available, many are likely to be ignored. Some cater to a niche that is not often talked about. Others are peers of big competitors who are already well known.
Regardless, if you use WordPress long enough, you will start to reveal some great plugins that are not necessarily on everyone else’s radar. When you do, be sure to share them with others.
You will help the author of the plugin get well deserved attention. In addition, other web designers will be happy to find a new addition to their toolbox.
