Plugins we recommend
The five plugins we install on every WordPress site
You do not need dozens of plugins. These five, plus the Divi theme, cover security, speed, SEO, e-mail and images. Each guide shows the exact settings we use and explains why.
Kadence Security
Site scans for known vulnerabilities, two-factor login, a private login address, hidden author URLs and quiet lockouts.
W3 Total Cache
Page cache, object cache and browser cache: the difference between a site that feels slow and one that feels instant.
Yoast SEO
Titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps and structured data, with the archive settings that keep thin pages out of Google.
WP Mail SMTP
Makes the e-mails from your contact forms pass SPF, DKIM and DMARC so they land in the inbox, not in spam.
Converter for Media
Serves WebP and AVIF copies of your images automatically, usually cutting image weight by a third or more.
Divi (theme and builder)
The visual builder we design with. See the speed settings, plus how to edit pages and keep Divi updated.
Install them in this order
- Kadence Security first, before the site is public, so the login is protected from day one.
- Divi, then build your pages.
- Yoast SEO while you write, so every page gets a title and description as it is created.
- WP Mail SMTP before your contact form goes live. Send a test.
- Converter for Media, then run its bulk optimization once your images are uploaded.
- W3 Total Cache last. Caching while you are still building only gets in the way.
What we do not install
- A second security or caching plugin. Two of either fight each other and slow the site down.
- A separate minify or "optimize everything" plugin on a Divi site. Divi already does this; doubling it breaks layouts.
- Plugins for things a theme or a line of settings can do, such as a plugin just to add a header script or change a colour.
- Anything abandoned or with an unfixed CVE. See how to check.
Keep all of them up to date: our auto update advice explains which updates to automate.
Rather have us do it for you?
Precision Web Hosting builds, secures and hosts WordPress sites with every setting on this site already done. Tell us about your project and we will send you a quote.