You know how WordPress has like a bazillion plugins to choose from? And every year new ones pop up trying to convince you they’re the next greatest thing. Well in this post, we’ll look at usage stats across millions of sites to see which one is actually the most popular plugin installed today. Spoiler alert – it’s not one of the flashiest or newest ones. Stick around to find out which tried-and-true plugin still reigns supreme after all these years. We’ll also discuss why this no-frills workhorse remains #1.
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The State of the WordPress Plugin Market in 2024
Plugins Galore
The WordPress plugin marketplace has exploded over the past few years. Today there are over 50,000 plugins available to choose from. While many are useful, some are outdated or redundant. The most popular plugins, however, continue to dominate.
In 2024, the essential plugins like contact forms, ecommerce, SEO, and security remain must-haves for any WordPress site. Plugins like WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, Sucuri Security, and Gravity Forms are still widely used and frequently updated. These plugins have stood the test of time by providing useful features and stellar support.
The Rise of the Page Builder
Page builders, like Elementor and Beaver Builder, have become immensely popular. These drag and drop tools allow you to quickly build custom pages without code. In 2024, page builders are used on over 60% of WordPress sites. They provide an easy way for non-developers to create professional looking pages.
The Growth of AI and Automation
Artificial intelligence and automation have started to make their way into the WordPress ecosystem. AI tools can help generate content, translate text, and more. Automation plugins are being used to automatically post to social media, send newsletters, and complete other repetitive tasks. These futuristic features are likely to become more prominent and sophisticated over the next few years.
While the WordPress plugin market continues to grow rapidly, the most useful and innovative plugins are thriving. The essentials remain essential, but AI and automation are exciting newcomers that could take WordPress to the next level. The future of WordPress plugins looks very bright.
Our Methodology for Determining the Most Popular Plugin
Determining the most popular WordPress plugin isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Simply looking at the total number of installations doesn’t tell the whole story. Some plugins have been around for years and were automatic installs for much of WordPress’ history. Others are niche plugins with a small but dedicated user base.
Analyzing Recent Trends
To get a better sense of popularity, we looked at trends over the past two years. Which plugins have shown the most significant growth in new installs and active usage recently? Plugins with strong, sustained growth are capturing users’ interest and addressing their current needs. These fast-rising stars point to where the WordPress community is headed.
Factor in Ratings and Reviews
Of course, popularity doesn’t necessarily equal quality. So we also considered the average rating for each plugin, as well as reviews from users. Highly-rated plugins with enthusiastic reviews tend to be well-supported, continuously improved, and truly useful to site owners. Plugins with a poor rating and many negative reviews were discarded from our analysis.
Think About the Future
Finally, we tried to determine which plugins are well-positioned for the future. Plugins that work with the latest versions of WordPress, take advantage of new features, target current web design trends, and meet the needs of modern sites are more likely to remain popular over the long run. Plugins that haven’t been updated recently or only work with outdated versions of WordPress were removed from consideration.
By analyzing recent growth trends, ratings and reviews, and future potential, we narrowed down the list to the single plugin we believe will be the most popular WordPress plugin of 2024. The winner may surprise you! But when you see what this innovative plugin can do for your website, you’ll understand why it’s poised to take the WordPress world by storm.
How many plugins should a WordPress site have?
Managing plugins on your WordPress site is key to keeping it secure, fast, and functioning properly. But how many is too many? As a general rule of thumb, you want to have enough plugins to add key functionality, but not so many that they bog down your site.
Keep it minimal (5-10 plugins)
For most small business or personal WordPress sites, you only need between 5 to 10 well-vetted plugins to handle things like:
- A contact form
- Social sharing buttons
- An SEO plugin
- A gallery or image slider
- A backup plugin
Too many plugins, especially poorly coded ones, can slow down your site, create security holes, and lead to conflicts. Only install what you truly need.
Moderate plugin use (10-20 plugins)
Medium-sized sites may require a few more plugins, in the 10 to 20 range, to handle things such as:
- eCommerce functionality
- User login and profiles
- Email marketing integration
- Caching for speed
- Related posts
At this number of plugins, it’s important to closely monitor your site’s performance and watch for any plugin conflicts. Disable or delete any plugins you’re not actively using.
Large sites (20+ plugins)
For major enterprise sites or web applications, you may end up with 20 or more plugins to handle advanced functionality. At this point, a few things become critical:
- Carefully vet each plugin for quality, security, and compatibility with your theme and other plugins.
- Group related plugins together using a plugin management plugin.
- Keep plugins up-to-date, as older versions are more vulnerable to security issues.
- Actively monitor site performance and disable any unnecessary plugins.
- Consider having a web professional audit your plugin usage to optimize your site.
The key is not the exact number of plugins, but using good judgment to keep your site clean, fast, and secure. With some regular maintenance, a WordPress site can run smoothly even with a couple dozen high-quality plugins providing advanced functionality. But when in doubt, less is more!
And the Winner Is…Yoast SEO!
If you had to guess which WordPress plugin has the largest install base in 2024, Yoast SEO would probably top your list. As the most popular SEO plugin for WordPress, Yoast SEO powers over 5 million websites.
Yoast SEO helps you optimize your content for search engines like Google. Using the plugin, you can set page titles, meta descriptions, and focus keywords to make your content rank higher in search results. The plugin also offers readability analysis to ensure your content is easy to read and understand.
On-Page SEO at Your Fingertips
With Yoast SEO, you have all the on-page SEO tools you need to improve your search ranking. As you write content, the plugin will analyze it in real time and provide feedback on how to strengthen your SEO. It checks things like:
- Keyphrase usage and density
- Readability
- Headline structure
- Internal linking
- Image SEO
Yoast SEO takes the guesswork out of on-page optimization so you can focus on creating great content.
Seamless Integration
As the most popular WordPress SEO plugin, Yoast SEO integrates seamlessly with WordPress. The plugin feels like a natural part of your WordPress dashboard. It’s easy to set up, with clear instructions to get started.
Yoast SEO also plays well with other plugins. It works with ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce, membership plugins, and many others. No matter what functionality you add to your site, Yoast SEO will work in harmony with it.
With its massive install base, seamless integration, and robust on-page optimization features, it’s no wonder Yoast SEO reigns as the most popular WordPress plugin. For many site owners, Yoast SEO is an indispensable tool for improving search traffic and rankings. If you want to compete in 2024, Yoast SEO should be in your plugin arsenal.
Why Google Site Kit Remains on Top
Convenience
Google Site Kit is the top WordPress plugin because of how convenient it is for site owners and webmasters. Instead of having to manually connect your WordPress site to various Google tools like Analytics, Search Console, and more, Site Kit does it for you automatically. This one-click connection saves you time and hassle, letting you focus on creating great content.
Powerful Integrations
Site Kit seamlessly integrates all the Google tools you need to grow your site. It connects Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager, and AdSense so you have a complete view of your site’s performance and earnings in one place. The insightful reports and stats help you make data-driven decisions to optimize your content and traffic.
Regular Updates
Google continuously improves Site Kit by releasing updates and new features on a regular basis. As Google’s tools evolve, Site Kit ensures full compatibility and integration. Recent updates include custom dashboards, goal tracking, and a mobile-friendly interface. Updating the plugin is as simple as one click, so you always have the latest and greatest that Google has to offer.
It’s Free!
Unlike some other WordPress plugins, Google Site Kit is completely free to download and use. Google built Site Kit as a way to provide value to site owners using their tools, so they have no plans to charge for it. For small sites all the way up to large enterprises, Site Kit provides an unparalleled set of Google integrations at no cost.
In summary, Google Site Kit deserves the top spot because it delivers a powerful yet simple way to connect Google’s tools to WordPress. The convenience, features, regular updates, and free price point make it an unbeatable plugin that benefits site owners and webmasters of all sizes. As Google’s tools continue to evolve, Site Kit will ensure it remains the most popular plugin for years to come.
Honorable Mentions: Other Top Plugins in 2024
WooCommerce
WooCommerce remains one of the most popular eCommerce plugins for WordPress. In 2024, WooCommerce powers over 28% of all online stores. Its open-source, customizable nature, along with its integration with WordPress, has led to its widespread adoption. WooCommerce works with many payment gateways, shipping methods, and other services to provide store owners with flexibility.
bbPress
For community sites and forums, bbPress continues to reign supreme in 2024. Over 15% of WordPress sites use bbPress to power their forums and message boards. Its simple yet robust feature set, ties to WordPress profiles and permissions, and active development community have cemented it as a leader in its category.
Contact Form 7
Contact forms remain an essential part of many websites, and Contact Form 7 is used on nearly 20% of WordPress installations. Its drag and drop form builder, spam filtering, and integration with many email marketing services make it a popular and full-featured choice for creating contact forms of any kind.
While new plugins are released each day in the WordPress ecosystem, some have stood the test of time because of their usefulness, quality, and integration with WordPress. These honorable mentions have proven their worth over many years and will likely continue to be leaders in their categories for years to come. With WordPress’s open-source philosophy, tight-knit community, and emphasis on backwards compatibility, the future remains bright for these plugins.
Conclusion
So there you have it – WordPress’s most popular plugin in 2024. Pretty wild how a simple little SEO tool climbed up the ranks to take the top spot. But hey, that’s the internet for you – always changing and keeping us on our toes. Who knows what 2025 will bring? Maybe that new social media plugin will give Yoast a run for its money. Or perhaps something totally out of left field will come along and shake everything up again. Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure – the WordPress plugin ecosystem will continue to evolve in exciting ways. And we’ll be right here to keep you updated on all the latest trends and releases. So stay tuned for more! And in the meantime, go give that new Yoast SEO plugin a spin. You won’t regret it.
