What are the best plugins right now for developers?

WordPress continues to be the backbone of millions of websites globally, evolving with cutting-edge features and flexible solutions. For developers, especially those focused on custom WordPress development, staying updated with the right tools is critical to creating efficient, scalable, and client-friendly websites.

One of the reasons WordPress thrives is the vast ecosystem of plugins that extend its functionality. In 2024, some essential plugins stand out as indispensable for custom WordPress developers, enabling you to build robust, high-performing websites. Let’s dive into the key plugins every WordPress developer should consider this year.

1. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)

When it comes to custom WordPress development, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) remains a fundamental tool. It allows developers to easily create custom fields and data entry points, enabling clients to add or edit content on the backend without diving into the code. Whether you’re building complex layouts or integrating third-party APIs, ACF offers flexibility with its intuitive interface.

In 2024, ACF has expanded its functionality with:

• ACF Blocks for Gutenberg: Seamlessly integrating custom blocks into WordPress’s block editor, making it easier for clients to update content while maintaining design consistency.
• Dynamic Content: Enabling dynamic field groups based on page type or user role, which is crucial for large sites that require flexibility across multiple content types.

With ACF, developers can focus on creating custom solutions tailored to specific client needs while keeping the backend user-friendly.

2. Elementor Pro

For developers looking to push the boundaries of design within WordPress, Elementor Pro is a powerhouse. Although it’s often seen as a tool for non-developers, the truth is, its value shines brightest when in the hands of skilled WordPress professionals.

Elementor Pro allows you to:

• Create custom themes without touching a single line of code, but with its integration with ACF, you can also bring in advanced data-driven content into your designs.
• Use custom CSS and JavaScript directly inside Elementor widgets, giving developers greater flexibility for tweaking the front-end experience.
• Build pixel-perfect, responsive designs faster, with the ability to create reusable templates, which significantly cuts down development time.

Pairing Elementor Pro with ACF is a winning combination for developers looking to blend custom functionality with high-end, creative design.

3. WP Rocket

In 2024, website speed continues to be a critical factor for both SEO and user experience. WP Rocket remains one of the best caching plugins for developers looking to enhance a website’s performance.

WP Rocket is known for its simplicity while offering advanced features, such as:

• Page caching: A crucial element in speeding up load times by creating a static version of the site.
• Lazy loading of images and videos: Reduces the load on initial page view, ensuring that assets are only loaded when necessary.
• Database optimization: Automatically cleans up your WordPress database, improving overall performance and ensuring your site runs smoothly.

Given the increasing importance of Core Web Vitals in 2024, WP Rocket should be a top consideration for every custom WordPress development project.

4. Yoast SEO

A well-built website is only as good as its visibility. Yoast SEO continues to be the leading SEO plugin, helping developers optimize sites for search engines. In 2024, Yoast has expanded to include features like:

• Schema markup integration: Automatically generates structured data to help search engines understand your content better.
• Advanced keyword analysis: Assisting in content optimization to target multiple keywords, ensuring better ranking performance.

While Yoast SEO offers automated solutions, custom WordPress developers can integrate it deeply into theme development, ensuring on-page SEO is perfectly aligned with the site’s custom architecture.

5. Custom Post Type UI

When your WordPress project requires additional content types beyond the default posts and pages, Custom Post Type UI is an essential tool. It allows you to easily create custom post types and taxonomies, giving developers full control over the content structure.

For complex websites that require tailored content management solutions, this plugin simplifies the creation of new post types, helping developers manage everything from portfolios to product listings.

In 2024, pairing this plugin with ACF enables developers to build fully customized content systems that are both powerful and easy for clients to manage.

6. WooCommerce

For developers building eCommerce sites, WooCommerce remains the go-to plugin. As of 2024, it continues to dominate the market due to its flexibility, scalability, and community support.

Developers benefit from:

• Complete customization: From store layout to payment gateway integration, WooCommerce is highly adaptable to suit any business need.
• Extensive plugin ecosystem: WooCommerce offers extensions that enable you to integrate advanced features like memberships, subscriptions, and multi-currency options.

For custom WordPress development, WooCommerce can be paired with ACF to create custom product fields or integrate with Elementor Pro to build unique product pages that fit the brand aesthetic.

7. Gravity Forms

Forms are an integral part of most websites, whether it’s for lead generation, customer support, or survey collection. Gravity Forms is the most flexible form builder for custom WordPress development, offering advanced features like:

• Conditional logic: To show or hide fields based on user input.
• Third-party integrations: Seamless connection with services like Zapier, MailChimp, and payment gateways.
• Customizable notifications: Allows for robust email workflows directly from the form submission.

Gravity Forms is ideal for developers looking to create custom forms that integrate with other areas of the website, making it a must-have for projects that require dynamic, functional forms.

Conclusion

In 2024, custom WordPress development is about more than just creating a beautiful, functional website. Developers need a robust toolkit to deliver high-performance, SEO-friendly, and easy-to-manage sites for their clients. Plugins like ACF, Elementor Pro, and WP Rocket enable developers to create custom solutions that not only meet client needs but also exceed user expectations.

By staying current with these essential plugins, you can streamline your workflow, optimize for performance, and build scalable solutions that deliver results. Whether you’re developing complex custom websites or optimizing small business sites, these plugins ensure that you have the tools necessary to succeed in WordPress development in 2024.