Nowadays, there are thousands of websites out there that run on the WordPress platform. Authors who contribute frequently to such sites can take advantage of several great plugins to make their work easier. Here are six WordPress plugins which can come in handy for writers.
6 Essential WordPress Plugins for Writers
1. Social Author Bio
A proper author bio in your blog allows you to get credit for your writing and also provides exposure to your audience. You can easily add a bio section to all your posts using the Social Author Bio plugin. It not only includes your biography but also a number of social media icons which readers can use to share your posts. Some of the icons which come with this plugin include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Digg, MySpace, Yahoo and Google+. You can choose the specific icons you would like to include in your author bio. In addition, you are allowed to create a customized author avatar.
2. Co-Author Plus
This plugin is especially ideal for blogs that have several writers. Guest blog posts need to have a distinct byline or author bio which gives credit to each individual article writer. If a single post is written by several people, the Co-Author Plus plugin allows you to have separate author bios for each contributor.
3. Author Images
This is another great WordPress plugin which allows you to insert photos of contributors alongside their author bios. If a blog has several writers, the Author Images plugin can be configured to show a link to each contributor’s archives. Adding author photos makes your blog posts appear more credible, and enhances the chances of reader interaction.
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4. Editorial Calendar
The Editorial Calendar plugin is useful for people who write blog posts or articles on a regular basis. It is also helpful for site owners or webmasters who handle posts from multiple authors. This plugin allows you to schedule your blog posts and view them in a calendar format. This way, you can easily remember what you need to write and when it is due to be published. The drag and drop feature allows you to move content from one date to another. In addition, you can easily edit posts within the calendar before they are published. Generally, the Editorial Calendar plugin helps you to plan ahead, and thus manage your time better.
5. Compfight
When it comes to blog posts, images are very important. They attract the attention of readers and enhance their chances of reading through your content. Pictures are especially important for posts which are long or detailed. Breaking the text with pictures will make it easy for readers to keep going until the end. The Compfight plugin makes it easy to insert photos in your articles or blog posts. It searches Flickr for photos which match the topic of your blog post. Once you have identified a suitable picture, you can add it to your post in one click. This plugin not only find photos for you, but also automatically attributes them to the owner.
6. WordPress Backup to Dropbox
It is very important to regularly backup your databases, media and posts. This plugin allows you to copy all these files to your Dropbox account. In addition, you can choose the exact time when you’d want the files to be copied, as well as the preferred location within Dropbox.
Charles Mburugu is the owner of techblogke.com, a blog which covers topics such as SEO, web development, blogging, social media, and internet marketing.
My favorite plugin in this list is “Social Author bio” which will be very useful for multi author blogs.