9 Plugins Your Clients Will Love For Their WordPress Website
Posted March 10, 2010 in Tools/Resources, Web Design 77 Comments »
There are countless blog posts with lists of plugins for WordPress, including some great lists here on Freelance Folder, but this post focuses on plugins that will make your clients’ experience in WordPress more enjoyable, easier to navigate, rich with important statistics and completely branded to match their website. For freelance web designers or WordPress consultants, taking a small amount of extra time to set up these plugins can boost the professional appearance of WordPress installations you provide for your clients, strengthen their confidence in you and score high marks as you impress them with their own personal WordPress experience.
My Brand
An easy to use plugin that will create a custom login page, complete with backgrounds, font colors, login box color, and replacing the WordPress logo with your client’s. Right from their first login your client will see their own branding and know that their site is unique.
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Branded Admin
This plugin gives you the ability to change the WordPress Administration section by adding a branded header and footer. All you do is install the plugin, then replace the header and footer images with your own. It removes the WordPress logo and allows your client’s logo to take its place.
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Ozh Admin Drop Down Menu
This handy plugin takes the vertical sidebar navigation on the left and turns it into a much more accessible horizontal menu on top of your dashboard. The drop-down it creates gives your client one-click access to almost everything in the menu, which speeds up the workflow no matter what the task. With the standard admin menu, almost every click initiates a page load, but this menu eliminates that part of the process. Highly configurable, even down to color schemes, this is a huge plus for your clients’ administration.
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Admin Menu Editor
With an easy-to-use drag and drop interface, this plugin enables your client to reorganize and edit any existing menu item. They can change the title, access rights, menu icon and so on. Menu items can be hidden and custom menus can be created. Great functionality that allows your client to personalize and customize their WordPress admin menu to fit their specific needs.
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Google Analytics Dashboard
Save your clients the extra step of logging into Google Analytics by providing them with a snapshot of their statistics built right into the dashboard. This plugin does not put the tracking code into their pages (I recommend Ultimate Google Analytics for a simple way to do that), but it does link up to their GA account and bring the statistics into an easy to read dashboard element. Another time saver for your clients!
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Feed Stats for WordPress
If you are using a plugin to redirect your clients’ WordPress RSS feed to Feedburner (I recommend FD Feedburner Plugin) you can add this plugin to show their Feedburner statistics in the dashboard as well. Easy to install and set up, this will create a Feed Stats menu item under Dashboard that will show subscribers, clicks and views for the RSS feed.
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
WordPress.com Stats
This is another statistics plugin that will show numbers related to posts themselves, such as pageviews, which posts and pages are the most popular, where traffic is coming from, and what people click on when they leave. It will also add a link to the dashboard which shows all stats on a single page. The plugin connects with a WordPress.com account, so your client must have one for this to work, but then all you have to do is add their API key to get it running.
Wibiya Toolbar
Those Facebook-like footer toolbars are showing up everywhere these days and there are varying opinions on their usage, but if your client likes them then this is a great solution. You have to sign up for a free account and configure it to work with your client’s social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and others, then install this plugin and set it up. One of the things I like about this is that it enables visitors to share posts from the toolbar on any page, eliminating the need for additional plugins at the end of each post. It also allows visitors to interact with the client’s Facebook fan page and Twitter without ever leaving the site. For clients that appreciate this functionality, it is a great solution that frees up space on their site and encourages interactive participation.
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Technical Support for WordPress
This last plugin is one of my new favorites and will score points for you with your clients. If you’re a freelancer, a web design agency or a WordPress consultant, Technical Support for WordPress is a way to provide quality support to your clients. Installing the plugin will enhance your client’s Dashboard with a new widget for submitting support tickets directly to your e-mail. You can brand it with your logo and company information, customize subjects and email messages and your client will feel as though you are readily available to assist them every time they visit their dashboard. A brilliant addition to any WordPress site you build or install!
Plugin on WordPress.org
Plugin Homepage
Other Plugins?
There are literally thousands of WordPress plugins available and new ones being developed all the time, so you may know of others that I have missed. Please be sure to share your suggestions in the comments. I hope the plugins I’ve listed will enhance your clients’ experience and help to make you look like a superstar whenever you deliver their WordPress site to them.
About the author: Brian is a freelance web & graphic designer with over 15 years' experience. His business bkmacdaddy designs specializes in completely custom WordPress, Joomla, Magento & CSS/XHTML websites as well as logo design, brand identity, social media management and more. Brian is a father of 3 and madly in love with his wife of many years.
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77 Comments
Joe
March 10th, 2010 at 9:28 amGreat list! I use a few already but the Branded Admin and Technical Support are new to me. Will definitely nee to try them out. Thanks!
Jordan Walker
March 10th, 2010 at 9:53 amThanks for the list of resources. I have noticed my clients are really interested in knowing their statistics.
Amberly | Web Designer
March 10th, 2010 at 10:18 amGreat list … thank you for sharing! :)
Some really nice collection of plugins here, we have installed most of them and will install few
more after seeing this article.
JMLeon
March 10th, 2010 at 11:57 amVery useful, I’ve been thinking in a solution like the last plugin for my sites. Thanks!
FAQPAL
March 10th, 2010 at 12:00 pmNice list, a few new onews for me there. Not a fan of the Wibiya toolbar one, but, to each their own.
eve
March 10th, 2010 at 12:04 pmgreat list! I had never used the menu editor- very nice! thanks!
Brian McDaniel
March 10th, 2010 at 12:07 pmGlad this list is helpful for everyone. Thanks for your comments too!
@FaqPal: as I said, I know that there are those that are not fans of the footer toolbars, but if you are going to use one I have tried a few and I personally like the Wibiya one the best. Cheers!
PressMojo
March 10th, 2010 at 12:38 pmGreat list. branding the admin interface of a WP install is a real plus for the client! Plugins definitely makes it easier. Another plugin that I like to use: “Custom Admin Branding”
Bluefaqs
March 10th, 2010 at 12:48 pmI didn’t know about the Branded Admin plugin. This would be a nice touch for clients and something I may look into.
In reference to the Wibiya plugin, I personally think footer toolbars add visual clutter to websites, although I’ve seen several established blogs using them recently. Great list!
Brian McDaniel
March 10th, 2010 at 12:55 pm@BlueFaqs: I actually hesitated at including the Wibiya toolbar in the list because I know there are plenty of designers who have expressed their dislike of them. My personal approach is case by case. If it is beneficial to the flow, style and functionality, then I suggest it. But if it contributes to clutter, I discourage it. What’s funny, though, is how much clients of mine LOVE it – those that have it on their sites think it is the coolest thing ever! Funny, huh?
Sean Vosler
March 10th, 2010 at 1:00 pmMy Fav social media plugin is DiggDigg! I wrote a review and a tutorial on how to use it here: http://www.seanvosler.com/2010/01/creating-a-social-submit-sidebar-for-wordpress-guide/
Adam
March 10th, 2010 at 2:01 pmGreat list and I love the idea of the tech support plugin. It is not something I had thought about before but know for a fact it will be a huge help on future projects.
Andre
March 10th, 2010 at 2:02 pmPerfect list especially the Wibiya Toolbar
Dallas Criminal law
March 10th, 2010 at 2:19 pmThat’s a very interesting round up for Word Press plugins. Thank you for the resource.
Jeff
March 10th, 2010 at 3:41 pmGood post. It seems some of the plugins are a bit redundant though – I wouldn’t install 3 separate Stats-based plugins. Although perhaps the goal of the article was to provide readers options.
I wrote a similar but slightly different article on my design blog on Monday.
Brian McDaniel
March 10th, 2010 at 3:51 pm@Jeff: the 3 stats plugins show distinctly different statistics. Google Analytics Dashboard shows the page views, bounce rates, etc. WordPress.com Stats shows most-viewed posts and other WordPress/blog-specific numbers that, while some may be able to calculate from Google Analytics numbers, many blog owners would prefer to see in a separate or simpler format. Feed Stats shows the number of RSS subscribers, clicks on feed links, and so forth. I have found that most of my clients want all of these numbers, and actually would prefer an overabundance of information rather than less. But I would definitely only install all 3 where it was clear the client would benefit from them and want to see them in their dashboard.
Thanks for the input! You should drop a link to your article for our readers, too!
Saddam Azad
March 10th, 2010 at 3:57 pmExcellent compilation. The branded logo and login pages are new to me. Nice way to impress clients.
Brian McDaniel
March 10th, 2010 at 4:07 pm@Jeff: I just checked out your article you spoke of, “7 Ways to Make Wordpress an Even Better CMS”, and there are some more great plugins that could easily be added to this list! Great tips on some custom code too! I will be trying out a few of those myself in the future.
Anyone else who’s interested, be sure and check out Jeff’s post on his Paper Leaf blog: http://www.paper-leaf.com/blog/2010/03/7-ways-to-make-wordpress-an-even-better-cms/
Webguy123
March 10th, 2010 at 4:26 pmSkysa is another bar like solution for Word Press http://www.skysa.com
daniel
March 10th, 2010 at 11:24 pmVery nice compilation, i see new ones for me.
Thank you.
Anything Graphic
March 10th, 2010 at 11:27 pmI just implimented Google Analytics and Google Analytics Dashboard into my own Theme. Nice touch. Good post!
Ben
March 10th, 2010 at 11:52 pmGreat List, the Admin Menu Editor is something I have been wanting to find forever!
Ivan
March 11th, 2010 at 3:54 amGreat, it’s a very nice collection plugin. I love wp. Thank so much.
Vin
March 11th, 2010 at 4:14 amYou should check out zopim as well!
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/zopim-live-chat/
Stephen Webb
March 11th, 2010 at 5:00 amThere are so many plug ins for Wordpress and it is such as versatile piece of software that it can be easy to miss them. Articles like these highlight some great software that can help you and a client substantially. Of those listed I particularly like the Analytics and Feedburner plugins, as these save a lot of time from logging into separate websites.
I also like the custom login page and header plug ins, enabling Wordpress to be styled as a bespoke custom content management system. This is quite powerful as it gives a Wordpress a custom look and feel.
I’ll be interested to read any plug in suggestions from readers, as I am sure there are plenty more very useful ones that are particularly suited to client work.
Jeff
March 11th, 2010 at 8:07 pm@Brian – Gotcha. Thanks for clearing up the Stats confusion (on my end). As well, thanks for the link to my post – much appreciated!
paul
March 11th, 2010 at 10:30 pmThanks Vin for the Zopim link, I was looking for something like that to add to my website.
Zach
March 12th, 2010 at 12:57 amThanks for this great list. I’ve read tutorials on how to change the logo in the dashboard like [Branded Admin] but it seemed like a lot of work. I’ll be downloading this plugin soon. Thanks!
Safiweb Interactive
March 13th, 2010 at 6:53 amGreat list….My Brand and Branded Admin plugins are a must for any wordpress developer out there.
Ryan Cowles
March 13th, 2010 at 7:36 pmThe Technical Support for WordPress is one plugin that must have passed me by! This looks like a great addition, thanks for the heads up!
Mark @ Alchemy United
March 14th, 2010 at 1:53 pmGotta admit this is a nice list. Not the usual and the obvious. Well done lad, thanks. Thanks for taking relaxing Sunday and making we work :)
Now can you get someone at FreelanceFolder to open the letter spacing of this Comment text area? On FF PC the letter bump so close it’s difficult to proof read. The ther text inputs are fine, it’s just the text area. Maybe it’s just me?
Clean Web Studio
March 15th, 2010 at 4:50 amGreat Plugins! I’ll use them in the future for WordPress projects. Thanks!
Jenna Molby
March 15th, 2010 at 1:13 pmGreat plugins, thanks for sharing!
Jeff
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:20 amReally loving the technical support plugin. Thanks for sharing!
Mauricio E.T. | CodeRocker.com
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:30 amGreat list!
Found two plugins here that I had not heard of before. Will definitely look into them.
Thanks!
Christopher Hooper
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:00 pmAwesome plugins! Thanks
Steve
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:07 pmNice post. The technical help “ticket” plugin is a really nice touch, never even thought of doing something like that for clients!
Troy Dean
April 7th, 2010 at 9:29 pmIf this article was written two weeks later I’m sure we would have made the list. Video Tutorials and a comprehensive manual for developers to hand over to clients to train them how to use WordPress as a CMS.
Troy Dean
April 7th, 2010 at 9:33 pmWe also make the White Label CMS plugin which gives awesome customisation and rebranding ability over the dashboard as well as the login screens.
http://www.videousermanuals.com/white-label-cms/
anika
June 30th, 2010 at 6:05 pmvery good list. hope that it will help me.
Wordpress Themes
July 17th, 2010 at 6:26 pmThank you for introducing me to these new plugins! I already use analyticals, but one that caught my eye was the feedburner stats one!
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