wp-toolbox

Over the past couple of years I've collected a series of programs, plug-ins and bookmarks that make up my WordPress Toolbox. While the bookmarks mostly act as reference material the plug-ins and programs are essential to developing a working WordPress theme and getting a new WordPress installation up and running.As a start to the WordPress Theme Building Project I thought I'd share all the things that make up my WordPress Toolbox starting with the Software. In later posts we'll cover some helpful extensions as well as some helpful websites and references as well.

All the programs mentioned in this post are available for free. I've provided links to them all as well as a quick commentary to explain their usefulness. If there's anything you currently use that you'd like to recommend please feel free to share.

Since we're still getting our WordPress blog setup I thought we could take a minute to install what I consider the Absolute Essential WordPress plugins for every blogger.

There are plenty of great ones out there and, truth be told, I use a lot more than just 5 plugins on most of my sites. These are just the 5 that most new bloggers should rush out to get ASAP.

1. Akismet: I mentioned Akismet in an earlier post but it's totally worth re-mentioning. Get this plugin installed and setup quick. You won't regret it.
2. Simple Tags: I was excited to see that WordPress had included tags in the jump to WordPress 2.3 - I was just as quickly disappointed when I realized that no support system for managing tags had been included. Simple Tags picked up where the WordPress design teamed left off by adding some amazing tag management options. With Simple Tags you can see a full list of your tags, edit them, rename them, add new ones and delete existing ones all from one screen. This is really a killer plugin for managing tags in WordPress!
3. Google XML Sitemaps: Sooner or later you're going to want your blog to appear in Google's database. When you're ready to make the leap and start getting Search Engine Traffic from Google be sure to activate this great plugin. While there are a number of interesting options in the plugin itself you can get away without tweaking it too much right out of the box. We'll talk more about Google Sitemap Generator later - for now just rest assured that it's a must have!
4. WordPress Database Backup: Whenever you upgrade WordPress you're going to want to make a backup first. The last thing you want to have happen is a database loss - all your posts will be gone and you'll be stuck! wp-DB Backup automates the whole process and gives you the option of emailing yourself a backup, saving one to your server, or downloading one to your PC. I have GMail setup with special filters to handle my Database backups and I make sure to run this plugin regularly. If you ever have to restore your WordPress database having installed this plugin and used it regularly will be a lifesaver!
5. Feedburner FeedSmith: Right out of the box WordPress offers a slew of RSS Feed options. What it doesn't offer is tracking information for what's going on with your feed. That's where Feedburner comes in. Grab this plugin and be sure to check out our post on setting up your Feedburner RSS Feed. Once Feedburner is setup you'll have access to some great tools and information to help increase your subscriber base.

Now that WordPress is installed it makes sense to do some quick housekeeping.

Here are 5 things you can do quickly in WordPress to make sure your install is ready for you to start posting.