Categories > Internet/Tech

wordpress-plugins-johannesburg

The 5 Best WordPress Plugins in Johannesburg for High-Performing Websites

  • Performance: We checked how fast each plugin works on the front-end load versus the back-end load. We also looked for those that don't slow down the sites when fetching data and transferring them. 

 

  • Scalability: We made sure the plugins can handle lots of visitors and work smoothly as websites grow bigger.

 

  • Customisation: We picked plugins that let us easily change settings and make them fit exactly what businesses need.

 

  • Maintainability: We chose plugins that are easy to update, have clear instructions, and have support from other developers if site owners need help.

As someone who’s thinking about launching my own business, I quickly realized having a solid website isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity. My business would struggle to survive if it didn’t have an online presence. 

Establishing a solid website meant I needed to navigate the world of WordPress plugins. Doing this felt like decoding a complex roadmap, but I knew getting it right could be the difference between blending in and standing out in Joburg’s competitive business landscape.

After diving deep with my team, we uncovered the plugins that can turn a basic website into a professional digital storefront. Think of these plugins as the secret tech toolkit that can transform your online presence from amateur to pro.

1. Akismet

akismet

Website: https://akismet.com/

Price: Free for personal use, paid plans start at R188.75/month for commercial use

Best for: Keeping spam out of your website

WordPress reviews score4.7/5
PluginGuru reviews score4.5/5
Hostinger reviews score4.7/5
Capterra reviews score4.5/5
Total reviews5/5
Score consistency 4.6/5
Performance4.6/5
Scalability4.9/5
Customisation4.9/5
Maintainability4.9/5

As an aspiring business owner, I found Akismet to be our website’s spam defender. When my team tested it, we saw how smoothly it worked in the background without slowing down our site. It was like having a quiet security guard watching our digital doorway.

Our team loved how Akismet grew with our website. As we got more visitors over the weeks, the plugin kept learning and blocking spam automatically. It’s so lekker as it becomes smarter with each blocked comment, protecting us from unwanted digital junk.

We found customising Akismet easy. We could adjust its settings to catch exactly the spam we didn’t want. The plugin let us review caught comments, making sure we didn’t miss anything important from real customers.

But Akismet isn’t perfect. Sometimes it blocked real comments by mistake. The free version has limits, and we eventually had to pay for better protection. 

While it’s good, we learned we still needed to keep an eye on our comments and use additional spam-blocking strategies such as using an IP access list or using the honeypot method.

Pros

  • Smooth performance without slowing down website
  • Easy customisation of settings to help catch the exact spam
  • Learns quickly to protect site from spam

Cons

  • Can block real comments by mistake
  • Free version doesn’t guarantee full protection from spam

Prompt and effective service

“Great service…When I ran into a problem, they instructed me how to fix it promptly and effectively.”

Lynne Moses, WordPress Review

So effective you forget about spammers

“Very effective, I forgot about spammers! Before installing it I had to deal with spammers every day. Now I have forgotten about them. Extremely effective plugin.”

Mania Mav, WordPress Review

2. Woocommerce

woocommerce

Website: https://woocommerce.com/

Price: Free. Pay for premium extensions (optional)

Best for: Turning WordPress websites into eCommerce stores

WordPress reviews score5/5
PluginGuru reviews score4.5/5
Capterra reviews score4.5/5
Hostinger reviews score4.5/5
Total reviews5/5
Score consistency 4.6/5
Performance4.8/5
Scalability4.5/5
Customisation4.9/5
Maintainability4.6/5

Another plugin we tried was WooCommerce. We found it to be a reliable tool for building online stores, especially for WordPress users. Our team found its front end smooth and easy for customers to navigate, and the back end performs well for smaller stores. 

WooCommerce’s maintainability stood out in our evaluation. Its open-source design allows developers to customise and troubleshoot effectively. The active community and robust tools such as Booster for advanced online store features and Direct Checkout make it flexible.

We were impressed by its customisation options as well. Its vast library of plugins and extensions allows users to add features and design unique stores. From payment gateways to shipping solutions, it provides all the tools needed to create a tailored shopping experience in Joburg.

However, this plugin does have some drawbacks. Beginners may find it a bit complex, and the need for extra plugins can increase both costs and management effort. Larger catalogues may need stronger hosting and optimisation to maintain speed.

Pros

  • Vast library of tools and extensions allows for easy customisation
  • Smooth front-end loading of websites
  • Active and helpful community of plugin users

Cons

  • Complex usage for beginners
  • Extra plugins could increase costs and consume time
  • Store sites with larger inventories may slow down

Very versatile for physical products and in-person classes

“VERY versatile E-Commerce Solution

Five years ago, I was told that using Woo for a larger scale online shop is not the way to do it.

Gladly, I didn’t listen.

Four years into my own E-Commerce Project, I can reassure that Woo easily handles our 5k (and growing) products. We run retail, wholesale, pre-loved (differential taxation) of physical products as well as the selling of in person classes all out of one installation (yes, we use quite many plugins and about 500 lines of custom PHP-Code) – works like a charm.

I am very happy with Woo! Great job, folks – thanks a million!”

Andrea Lorenzi, WordPress Review

Tech team goes the extra mile

“Above and beyond

The problem I encountered was related to the theme I was using rather than the WooCommerce plugin. However, the tech team went above and beyond to help me resolve the issue. I was also able to reach out to the theme developers afterward.”

@niknik670, WordPress Review

3. Yoast SEO

yoast-seo

Website: https://yoast.com/

Price: Free for basic features, paid plans for advanced features start at €99/year

Best for: Optimising your website for search engines

WordPress reviews score4.8/5
PluginGuru reviews score5/5
Capterra reviews score4.6/5
Hostinger reviews score4.8/5
Total reviews5/5
Score consistency 4.8/5
Performance4.7/5
Scalability4.8/5
Customisation5/5
Maintainability5/5

My team also looked at how Yoast SEO performed on many Joburg websites. The plugin is kiff when it comes to handling websites of any size. From small blogs to huge online stores, Yoast maintains consistent performance and automatically handles all the key SEO elements.

We were impressed that the plugin is efficient in managing data and website resources, such as plugin selections, directories, security, and reliability. The front end stays fast and responsive while users browse the sites. 

We found Yoast a breeze to maintain with its bi-weekly updates. The setup wizard makes configuration simple and straightforward. Its structured data features automatically help search engines understand the content better.

It’s great that you can easily customise Yoast’s settings for your specific needs. The plugin lets you control SEO settings at both site-wide and individual page levels. We found team management to be simple since you can set different permission levels for various users.

However, we’ve found some notable issues. It can slow down websites on shared hosting, and the premium version is quite expensive. Moreover, the support team isn’t always quick to respond, and the readability checker can be frustratingly strict about writing styles.

Pros

  • Efficient in managing data and website resources
  • Easy control of SEO settings site-wide and individual-page levels
  • Easy to set permission levels for various users
  • Easy maintenance because of bi-weekly updates

Cons

  • Slows down websites on shared hosting
  • High price tag for premium version
  • Slow response from support team

A game changer!

“Yoast SEO is an essential plugin for WordPress websites.

Yoast SEO has been a game-changer for my WordPress blog. It’s so easy to use and has helped me improve my search engine rankings dramatically. I love how it gives me clear guidance on optimizing my content for keywords, readability, and other SEO factors. It’s a must-have tool for any serious blogger!

Kennedi Harding, WordPress Review

An indispensable part of one’s toolkit

“Essential SEO Tool

“I’ve been using Yoast SEO on multiple WordPress sites for years, and it’s become an indispensable part of my toolkit. The plugin simplifies the complex world of SEO, offering clear guidance on how to optimize content, manage keywords, and improve readability. Its real-time analysis helps make immediate improvements, and the traffic light system is intuitive for users of all levels.”

Team Made, WordPress Review

4. Google Site Kit

google-site-kit

Website: https://sitekit.withgoogle.com/

Price: Free

Best for: Monitoring website analytics from multiple Google services

WordPress reviews score4.2/5
PluginGuru reviews score4.2/5
Hostinger reviews score4.2/5
Total reviews4/5
Score consistency 4.2/5
Performance4.8/5
Scalability5/5
Customisation4.9/5
Maintainability4.9/5

Site Kit by Google is another great WordPress plugin that developers and site users rave about. It centralises all essential Google services in one place!

Having Analytics, Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and AdSense directly in one’s WordPress dashboard significantly streamlines the workflow. We saw that the plugin’s front-end footprint is minimal, which keeps sites running smoothly.

Users’ backend testing showed that Site Kit handles data very well. The plugin stays in sync between WordPress and Google services without any problems. The dashboard loads quickly and shows updated information right away.

We were particularly impressed with how well Site Kit handles different site sizes. Whether smaller client blogs or larger corporate websites, the plugin maintained consistent performance. 

The multi-user support is especially useful for any team, as it allows them to set different access levels for various team members and clients.

It’s impressive that the plugin requires minimal maintenance. Google’s regular updates keep it compatible with the latest WordPress versions, and the straightforward structure makes troubleshooting relatively simple. We appreciate how easy it is to integrate additional Google services as clients’ needs grow.

However, several users’ testing did reveal some concerns. The plugin occasionally disconnects from Google services without warning, requiring manual reconnection. We also noticed that when multiple Google services are activated simultaneously, site loading slows down, particularly on mobile devices.

Pros

  • Consistent front and back-end performance both for small or big websites
  • Centralises all Google services to streamline workflow
  • Regular Google updates
  • Requires minimal maintenance for ease-of-use

Cons

  • Requires manual reconnection to Google services when disconnected
  • Slow loading speeds on mobile devices when multiple Google services are activated

Relationship between WordPress and Google keeps getting stronger

“Google Site Kit – Monitor your website metrics

WordPress and Google have been close friends from the very beginning. With Google Site Kit, this friendship was further strengthened. For me as a developer and blogger, Google Site Kit is an excellent way to get a quick overview of my various projects. It also makes it easier to integrate Google applications such as Analytics, Adsense…

I’ve been using Site Kit since the beginning and I’m very satisfied. In particular, UX/UI are excellently solved.”

@whatsmusic247, WordPress Review

So many tools to choose from, and it’s all for free!

“So many tools integrated in your website… for free!

Let’s be honest here: we all use some form of tracking on our websites to gather statistics, and it’s more likely than not that we use Google services for that. For times immemorial, we have had all sorts of “SEO” plugins which would connect to the Google backend and extract statistics from there, format them according to some preferences, and present it to the website admins. Many, if not all, would also be paid products, in one way or another, some cheap, some terribly expensive.

But Google Analytics has always been around, and it does a pretty decent job overall: after all, it’s the same set of data that Google uses to rank and validate your website. Talk about expert data! …. — you’re far better served with the Google “native” Site Kit… and since it’s free anyway… give it a try!…”

Gwyneth Llewelyn, WordPress Review

5. Contact Form 7

contact-form-7

Website: https://contactform7.com/

Price: Free

Best for: Creating and managing contact forms on your website

WordPress reviews score4/5
PluginGuru reviews score4/5
Total reviews3/5
Score consistency 4/5
Performance4.7/5
Scalability5/5
Customisation4.8/5
Maintainability4.9/5

We found Contact Form 7 to be a reliable WordPress plugin for creating contact forms.

The installation process is straightforward, and adding forms to pages is as simple as copying and pasting a shortcode. On the front end, the forms load quickly and integrate well with most WordPress themes we use.

The backend performance impressed us. Based on many users’ experiences, the plugin efficiently handles form submissions and email notifications without putting much strain on servers. We appreciate how its clean form submissions arrive promptly in clients’ inboxes.

Contact Form 7 is also scalable, as it works equally well on both small business websites and larger corporate platforms. We were impressed developers have implemented it on sites handling hundreds of form submissions daily, without any performance issues.

Maintaining it is straightforward, with regular updates keeping it secure and compatible with the latest WordPress versions. 

We found customisation options to be flexible enough, especially with its support for custom CSS and the ability to integrate with services like Google reCAPTCHA and Akismet.

However, there are some drawbacks. The plugin occasionally has issues with reCAPTCHA integration, leading to failed form submissions. The form builder’s interface also feels outdated compared to newer form plugins on the market.

Pros

  • Simple and straightforward installation process
  • Lightweight in nature for smooth performance on small and large websites
  • Regular updates make it compatible with latest WordPress versions
  • Flexible customisation with other plugins

Cons

  • Doesn’t always integrate well with reCAPTCHA
  • Outdated form builder’s interface compared to newer plugins

Easy setup, easy to use, overall a welcome breath of fresh air

Amazing – and free?!?

Coming from the 800 pound gorilla in the WordPress contact form room (cough WPForms cough) that gatekeeps almost everything it can do beyond the simplest form in their paid form (and it’s not even a one-time fee, they want money constantly!) – Contact Form 7 is a welcome breath of fresh air.

I was able to set up exactly what I needed within 30 minutes with the detailed help docs the author provided. Once I get confirmation from the rest of the folks in my org (we run a non-profit community cohousing building) we’ll definitely be donating $20-30 for the devs time. It’s so nice to see a truly free product out there – everyone should donate to thank the author.

@heiseheise, WordPress Review

Reliable plugin, highly recommended

“Flexible and Reliable Plugin with Great Anti-Spam Features

Contact Form 7 is incredibly versatile and adaptable, making it easy to create custom forms for a variety of needs. One of my favorite features is the math-based spam protection, which works very effectively without adding unnecessary complexity. The plugin has been a reliable choice for all my projects. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a robust form solution!

@mojcak, WordPress Review

Related topics