1. Groups Membership And Access Control

Group Membership And Access Control is exactly what it sounds like. Providing group-based user and membership management, content access control and, group-oriented membership, this plugin allows you to more easily organize your users and categorize them according to your needs. The benefit of this is that you can create an unlimited number of groups, automatically add users to groups, create group hierarchies, and much more. With overwhelmingly positive support, more then 10,000 people have incorporated this useful plugin into their WordPress website. Group Membership And Access Control also has solid support and a generally helpful development staff. If you have any questions, check the forum community out.

2. Private Groups

Private Groups is another small plugin that allows for you to create unlimited private forum groups. So as an example, you can have a user selected to different specific user groups and forums based on your designation. In addition, certain parts of what users can see can be set to visible while the greater body of content remains hidden. Great for organizing small selective groups based around discussions, Private Groups has found a small community that it provides excellent support through its plugin. As an important note, Private Groups is created to work with the Forums Plugin Software, BBPress. Check the parent plugin for additional functionality regarding what is and is not supported.

3. Buddypress Group Email Subscription

Buddypress Group E-mail Subscription is a plugin centered around sending information out via e-mail to people who have subscribed to your WordPress. Allowing you to create specific groups and then mail to those groups, the plugin supports 5 e-mail options including no e-mail, weekly summary e-mail, daily digest e-mail, new topics e-mail, and a general all e-mails. With these subscription levels, you can set up your e-mail groups easier then ever before. In addition, with over 6,000+ active users, Buddypress Group E-mail Subscriptions is an amazingly powerful tool.

1. Relevanssi – A Better Search

Relevanssi – A Better Search, is one of the most frequently used search plugins currently out there. With 80,000+ active users, Relevanssi – A Better Search is designed around amazing customization power. What Relevanssi does is replace the default search features in WordPress with a partial-match search designed to sort results by relevance. Key features include search results appearing because of relevance instead of date, fuzzy matches, allows for single or multiple match terms, can search for phrases, and even search for tags, user responses, and more. With so much going for it, Relevanssi – A Better Search is worth checking out.

2. Daves WordPress Live Search

Dave’s WordPress Live Search makes the search process more interactive. In a typical WordPress search, you add a term and hope that something comes up. With this plugin, every letter you type triggers the database to provide suggestions based on what you have so far typed. Dave’s WordPress Live Search will make it for your users to more quickly and effectively find what they are looking for.

3. WP e-Commerce Predictive Search

WP e-Commerce Predictive Search takes SKU For Woocommerce to the next level by providing a ‘live’ product search result for whatever you are looking for. As an example, if you look on a WordPress e-commerce website for ‘Lawn Mower,’ then an image and product description for every hit will appear in a list below the search box as you are typing it in.

4. SKU For Woocommerce

WooCommerce is an incredible plugin for WordPress that can turn a typical WordPress website into a fully functional e-commerce website. The challenge to this however is that WooCommerce offers little in SKU, or Stock Keeping Unit, optimization regarding searches. Simply put, if a customer is looking for something, it may not come up with any results. SKU For Woocommerce is designed to rectify this by providing a straightforward plugin that meets the needs of Woocommerce plugin users. While relatively niche in its application, it is none-the-less important providing a functional tool.

From your favorite blog to a WordPress hosted website, getting the same avatar image transferred from place to place will help build your recognition. In addition, if you have a WordPress website, supporting gravatars means making it easier for recognizable people to be a part of your conversation. Some of the top WordPress gravatar plugins include.

1. Simple Local Avatars

Simple Local Avatars is the most widely used gravatar related plugin out there. With more then 80,000+ active users, Simple Local Avatar comes with a range of support specifically designed to fully support gravatars. With this plugin, every person with a gravatar will have their gravatar supported if the user has one. In addition, it allows a rating of avatars and gravatars, as well as providing a simple interface that is easy to use. If you want full gravatar support, then Simple Local Avatars is a good choice.

2. HiDPI Gravatars

While Simple Local Avatars will help to display Gravatars on your WordPress website, HiDPI Gravatars takes the next step and makes those Gravatars stand out. HiDPI Gravatars replaces the standard gravatar resolution with HiDPI retina resolution. The end result is a significantly clearer image that is crisp and professional looking. Note, this plugin only works on newer browsers and updated versions of WordPress.

3. Top Authors

Top Authors is a neat plugin created to display the top contributors to your WordPress website or blog. With gravatar support, the Top Authors plugin seamlessly ties in gravatar functionality with a quick loading widget that brings a personal face to the high-quality content being displayed. With a 1,000+ active users, Top Authors has found its niche and continues to be supported.

4. FV Gravatar Cache

FV Gravatar Cache looks to fix a basic problem associated with gravatars. To put it simply, gravatars can take a very long time to load. FV Gravatar Cache removes the need for the gravatar to contact the gravatar server and instead hosts the image locally, making it much easier for pages of comments to load without problems.

1. WordPress Related Posts

WordPress Related Posts does just what its name implies. By adding a widget in the footer of your content, individuals will be more likely to click the content and share it with their friends. Along with boosting internal traffic by 10%, WordPress Related Posts has the opportunity to re-engage your reader in other content that he or she may find interesting.

Some of the features that come with WordPress Related Posts include easy to set up widgets for the footer of your WordPress website. Along with having some versatility in the widgets, WordPress Related Posts also provides excellent support and comes with a detailed use and FAQ section. Finally, with over 100,000+ active users, it remains the most popular related posts plugin currently out.

2. Contextual Related Posts

Where as WordPress Related Posts can be seen as direct and bare bones, Contextual Related Posts is a plugin that promises a lot in terms of its options. The plugin provides numerous opportunities for you to add related posts widgets across your WordPress website. With its very own inbuilt style sheet, the Contextual Related Posts looks great while providing a useful service to the WordPress website owner.

A list of the features that come with Contextual Related Posts include an automatic process that will add and change related posts information when you add general content, a manual install feature that provides you the full range of control in what is added or not, lots of widget options available that change depending on the nature of the theme you are using, algorithm and short code support, caching, exclusions, custom post types, thumbnail support, and much more. In addition, it is the second most actively used related posts plugin with 60,000+ active users. Along with excellent support and a surprising number of positive reviews, it is easy to understand why.

3. Related Posts

A simple name for a straightforward plugin, Related Posts is all about making it easier for your users to discover more of your content when they get to the end of whatever they are reading. Helping to make your content feel more credible and authoritative through design, Related Posts is an excellent source for an out of the box good looking widget design.

Some of the features supported by Related Posts include an easy to install and use design that makes placing the widget at the bottom of your WordPress website simple. There are also in text links available as well to provide a wider range of links in a different format. While not as popular as Contextual Related Posts or WordPress Related Posts, Related Posts still manages to have more then 50,000 active users, making it a well-respected and well kept up plugin.

4. Widget With Thumbnails

Widget with thumbnails looks to take some of the versatility seen in the above plugins and apply it to a thumbnail design. With a smaller listing of self made articles displayed as thumbnails wherever you want the Widget to go, Widget with Thumbnails is an interesting idea you may want to take advantage of. That being said, with just over 1,000+ active users, Widget With Thumbnails has an ok following with poor instructions. Again however given its limited functionality, this should not take too much away from the service it provides.

5. Manual Related Posts

Manual Related Posts is all about control. As with the majority of related posts plugins listed so far, these plugins work by finding the information you have created and then displaying it based on a certain set of rules that you have limited choice in changing. With Manual Related Posts you can choose every single link that shows up on every page, making very specific content channels designed by you for maximum efficiency.

Along with being a perfect way to keep people moving through an instructional manual or longer multi-part narrative, Manual Related Posts provides all of the control that is so often lacking when it comes to using WordPress. With over 5,000+ active users, Manual Related Posts is gradually becoming more and more popular. This is helped along by a large number of five star ratings related to actual users, and continuing updates and support designed to help make the use of Manual Related Posts easier for the community.

1. WP User Avatars

WP User Avatars brings a straightforward premise to WordPress websites. Through the use of its plugin, you can create an avatar out of any photo in your media library. So, if you want to create a specific theme for avatars or simply have your avatar scroll through your available photos, then WP User Avatars is perfect for you. Additional features of WP User Avatars include the ability to disable Gravitar Avatars, use the avatar short code in your posts, and limit upload sizes from contributors. With more then 100,000+ active users and an overwhelmingly positive rating, WP User Avatars is sure to meet your needs.

2. Simple Local Avatars

Simple Local Avatars is the less complicated version of WP User Avatars directed towards those with specific needs and who do not like clutter. Simple Local Avatars attempts to recreate a lot of the success of Gravitars by enabling ratings of local avatars, letting you place privileges with users, generates a requested avatar size on demand, and fully supports Gravitars and default avatars. With over 80,000+ active users, Simple Local Avatars is another favorite in the community.

3. Author Avatars

Author Avatars makes listing the images of your user avatars on your blog simple and straightforward. A great way to show contributors, support, and awesome pictures, Author Avatars serves a specific niche incredibly well. While still small, Author Avatars has a strong community, has great support, and can provide you with a question to your answer in case you have one.

4. Local Avatar

Local Avatar allows you to set private and public avatars for users of your WordPress website. This makes it easier for you to help others set their avatars and have localized avatars that give them the freedom to create a photo that matches the particular atmosphere set up by your WordPress website. A solid plugin with a great deal of versatility, Local Avatar can be used for a wide range of problems.

1. Better WordPress Google XML Sitemaps

Better WordPress Google XML Sitemaps does a wide range of services for your WordPress website. In particular, one of its features is a popular Google News Sitemap Support. In addition to making your site map indexing easier, the plugin will also ping search engines individually or all at once with an update regarding your current content.

The better WordPress Google XML Sitemaps plugin is excellent if you also are managing a wide range of news related WordPress websites and want a single plugin that can effectively work with all of them. Performing operations on a significantly larger scale, this plugin is perfect for large and small-scale operations alike. With over 100,000+ active WordPress sites using this plugin, it is easy to just how popular this plugin is.

2. XML Sitemap and Google News Feeds

If you are looking for a plugin that has similar functionality to Better WordPress Google XML Sitemaps but provides an easier to understand interface and usability, then consider XML Sitemap and Google News Feeds. Designed to make your content perfectly match what aggregate news sources like Google News is looking for, XML Sitemap and Google News Feeds will make your WordPress more visible and increase the chances that people doing specific searches in their own news feeds will find you.

XML Sitemap and Google News Feeds sets itself apart from the competition by stating that it is simpler and easier to use then other similar plugins. Striving towards simplicity, the plugin gets rid of the user’s usual tasks of worrying about changing file and folder permissions. Instead, the plugin comes ready to tweak once you install it from the WordPress plugins files. Frequently updated, the XML Sitemap and Google News Feeds has just over 80,000 active users.

3. News Manager

The two plugins listed above are both directed towards making published content more visible to the algorithms that search through the Internet to pick up on sources for aggregate news websites like Google News. Though less popular, there is an entire range of news plugins that work in the opposite direction. With News Manager, you can add, manage, and display news on your WordPress website from a myriad of sources.

Features supported by News Manager includes the fact that it is easy to configure, that is smoothly integrates into a myriad of themes, provides archives based on time, provides room for new categories and tags, provides 5 news widget types, compatible with SEO plugins, has a customizable permalink structure, and comes with custom permissions for news. With these features and more, you can display the aggregated news you want your views to see the most. In addition to having a good development team, updates are frequently released. As of now there are around 3,000+ individuals using News Manager in their WordPress websites.

4. News Announcement Scroll

While news Manager looks to create a multipurpose tool that attempts to fit every need, News Announcement Scroll is straightforward. It provides a widget that you can place on your WordPress website that allows the news to slowly scroll by for people visiting to read.

Features that come with the news Announcement Scroll include widgets that can be added pretty much anywhere, expiration date setup, the ability to arrange the scrolling news order to fit your needs, a support for localization of news sources to better target your immediate community, short code available for pages and posts, and ADMIN only access just to name a few. All of these features in the larger News Announcement Scroll program are occasionally updated to stay consistent and there is solid support. With 10,000+ active users, the News Announcement Scroll has found a solid user base and will most likely be one of the best news scrolling plugins for some time.

5. Family Law Express

A small plugin, Family Law Express has found its way onto this list because it represents a growing interest in localized and specialized WordPress news plugins. While this one focuses on the needs of those involved with family law in Australia, there are a host of other plugins out there that offer similar levels of support depending on what your needs currently are. Though it may take some searching, you may be able to find the right plugin for you. If not, you can always adapt one of the larger multiuse plugins listed above and specifically target it towards certain phrases and localized news aggregation.

1. Course Press

The Course Press plugin is a substantial over hall of what your WordPress website can do in regards to posting courses. Features that come with the Course Press plugin include the ability to grade, mark, assess, and report grades, the ability to charge free or cost courses with tools for automated credit card payments, seamless integration with the majority of themes out there, and a pay option that provides even more support and versatility to the free content. A powerful tool, Course Press helps to fill a specific niche for plugins that is rarely given the time and attention it requires. That being said, there is room for improvement and it may take some time for you to figure out how to utilize this plugin effectively.

2. Course

Where as course press looks to be an all in one plugin with a wide range of versatility, the Course plugin is the exact opposite, offering a clear, minimalistic, course posting tool. Created as a post type, Course comes with a range of custom field meta boxes. Once set up by the admin, this form can be used by any user wishing to offer a course. The benefit of this process is that every course offered follows the same format and provides the same boxes for answers, making it much easier later on to search through and find the necessary and relevant content.

3. AN Gradebook

AN Gradebook takes courses on WordPress to the next level by providing Admin support for managing students, courses, assignments, and grades. A simple tool that provides a straightforward setup and easy install, AN Gradebook is a popular plugin that works well with other similar plugins or by itself. AN Gradebook also provides student level support, providing them the ability to see their grades as well as information displayed in graphs about how they are doing.

1. Facebook Comments

The Facebook Comments plugin helps turn your WordPress website into a place where you can setup, administer, and customize Facebook comments. Understanding that this can be a complicated process to start, Facebook Comments designed its plugin to be as user friendly as possible, bringing the support you need in order to utilize the plugin fully. In addition, you can use shortcode to insert the comment box wherever you like on your WordPress website. With more then 90,000+ active installs and a high number of ratings, the Facebook Comments plugin is worth sharing with your friends.

2. SEO Facebook Comments

Where in Facebook Comments brings comment support to WordPress, SEO Facebook Comments brings back end support for those looking to utilize Facebook comments for SEO results. The SEO Facebook Comments plugin includes a Facebook comment form, open graph tags, and it will automatically insert Facebook comments into your WordPress website and database to increase SEO results. As Facebook comments are normally saved in an iframe format that cannot be read by most search engines, the SEO Facebook Comments plugin makes it possible for all comments to be in a new format that is saved to your WordPress database directly. With low server resources required, it does not impact performance. With some room to improve, the SEO Facebook Comments has generally favorable reviews, 20,000+ active installs, and a whole lot going for it.

3. Facebook Comments By Vivacity

Facebook Comments By Vivacity is a simple plugin that allows people on Facebook to comment on your blog. Supporting a range of languages and features regarding what you want to be shared and not shared regarding your WordPress Website, Facebook Comments By Vivacity makes it easier for people on Facebook to talk about and share content from your website. With 10,000+ active installs and a very high reviews, Facebook Comments By Vivacity is worth checking out if you want to make your WordPress content easier to share.

1. Uber Login Logo

Everytime you log into your WordPress account, you see the WordPress logo. Uber Login Logo helps you change that to display your logo while logging in. Utilizing the WordPress Media Uploader and built-in WordPress functionality, Uber Login Logo advertises itself as providing a minimum amount of bloat and instead focusing on direct and purposeful code. While there may not be many fancy things about this plugin, it does what it is meant to do quite well. With over 40,000+ active users and a high number of positive rankings, Uber Login Logo is the most popular logo plugin and the most highly regarded.

2. Add Logo To Admin

If for whatever reason Uber Login Logo is not working for you or you want something with a bit more versatility, then consider Add Logo To Admin. Like Uber Login Logo, this plugin is designed to change the logo you see when you log into your WordPress account. In addition, it can also allow you to add the same logo as a header on your front page. Tested on a number of platforms and with over 20,000+ active installs and near equally good reviews to Uber Login Logo, either of these will get the job done well.

3. Kiwi Logo Carousel

Kiwi Logo Carousel is designed to show off people or companies that are engaged with you. Whether this be sponsors of your WordPress website, clients, authors, or even partners, the Kiwi Loo Carousel shows their logos one at a time. Additional features of the Kiwi Logo Carousel include support for more then one carousel per page, a responsive design, an easy to utilize layout, clickable logos, and custom logo creator through drag and drop interface. Providing great support and backed by a strong user base, Kiwi Logo Carousel is your top choice for showing off logos. Additional support can be found through their support tab.

1. Compact Archives

While the Archives plugin looks to create more space for archive related materials, Compact Archives looks to reduce how much space the archives take up wherever they are displayed. Fitting well into a sidebar widget, Compact Archives brings a simple solution to a problem that some WordPress users are bound to have. That being said, Compact Archives looks much better on older WordPress websites and may not look good on blogs like WPBeginner.

2. Clean My Archives

Clean My Archives is a straightforward plugin that performs one task with a minimal amount of code. By adding a little bit of shortcode to every page you want archived, all content on those pages will be archived by month and year. The Clean My Archives also works with WordPress caching plugins, adding a bit more versatility if required.

3. Post Type Archive Link

Recent Posts Widget Extended is designed to enhance the default widgets found in most WordPress themes. The plugin allows for custom advanced posts that can be displayed in any number of ways. Features of the Recent Posts Widget Extended include support for WordPress 4.0.1, shortcode features, taxonomy support, post status options, custom title url, display by any number of features, read more options, and multiple widget format support. With 80,000+ active users and few if any less then stellar stars, Recent Posts Widget Extended is a popular choice for making your recent posts more varied.

4. Archives

Archives creates an entire page on your WordPress website where archived material will be stored and presented. Coming in both jQuery and HTML formats, the Archives plugin can display information based on Archives page lists tag cloud, latest posts, categories, and monthly archives. With this plugin, you can create a center for all archived content, making it easier for people reading your WordPress website to find what they are looking for and discover what they weren’t expecting.