Best WordPress Plugins to Use After Successful HubSpot Migration

Introduction: Welcome to the Winner's Circle

Congratulations on switching from HubSpot to WordPress! You've made the right choice, and a world of flexibility, ownership, and customization that comes with WordPress awaits you. 

HubSpot offered features like content management, SEO tools, lead capture forms, and analytics – all under one roof. WordPress, on the other hand, excels in customization, but achieving similar functionalities often requires installing and configuring plugins.

Think of plugins as functional building blocks for your WordPress website.

While the migration process had challenges, plugins can bridge the gap and empower you to replicate (and even improve upon) the features you enjoyed in HubSpot.

This guide will explore some essential plugins for HubSpot migrants, categorized by their core functionalities, to help you get the most out of your WordPress website.

Essential WordPress Plugins for HubSpot Migrants

Here's a breakdown of popular plugins across various functionalities to enhance your WordPress website:

1. Plugins for Web Design & Functionality

• Gutenberg (Built-in): This user-friendly block-based default WordPress editor lets you easily structure your blog and web page content by dragging and dropping text, images, videos, galleries, and other blocks.
• Duplicate Page and Post (Free): This handy plugin simplifies content management by allowing you to duplicate existing blog posts and pages within WordPress easily.
• Astra Templates (Free & Paid): Pre-built website templates with lightweight and customizable templates focusing on performance and speed.
• Gutenberg Addons: There are several plugins that you can install to enhance the WordPress built-in editor. They are mostly known as Gutenberg Addons or Gutenberg Extensions.

2. Plugins for SEO

• Rank Math (Free): A powerful SEO plugin with keyword tracking, schema markup, and content optimization tools.
• All-in-One SEO (Free): A user-friendly option for managing basic SEO needs like title tags, meta descriptions, and XML sitemaps.
• Yoast SEO (Free & Paid): Offers real-time SEO analysis, on-page optimization suggestions, and technical SEO features.

Note: You only need to use one WordPress plugin for one feature. 

3. Plugins for Contact Forms

• FluentForms (Free & Paid): A feature-rich plugin with conditional logic, multi-page forms, file uploads, and conversational forms.
• WPForms (Free & Paid): Offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface to build beautiful and functional contact forms.
• Contact Form 7 (Free): The most popular free plugin for creating simple and customizable contact forms.

4. Plugins to Improve Performance

• LiteSpeed Cache (Free): Offers a powerful caching solution specifically designed for LiteSpeed-based hosting providers.
• WP Rocket (Paid): Simplifies performance optimization with caching, image optimization, and code minification features.
• WP Super Cache (Free): A free plugin with basic caching functionality for faster website performance.

5. Plugins for Website Backup

• WPvivid (Free & Paid): This plugin creates complete website backups (files and databases) for easy migration or transfer to another hosting.
• UpdraftPlus (Free & Paid): Creates regular backups of your website files and database, allowing easy restoration in case of issues.
• Duplicator (Free & Paid): This powerful plugin allows you to easily create complete backups of your entire website, including themes, plugins, content, and database.

6. Plugins for Analytics & Reporting

• Microsoft Clarity (Free): Provides session recordings, heatmaps, and user behavior analytics to understand how visitors interact with your website.
• Site Kit by Google: (Free): Connect your Google Analytics account and integrate with other Google services like Search Console.
• Parse.ly (Paid): Provides in-depth website analytics, audience insights, and content intelligence specifically designed for publishers and marketers.

7. Plugins for Security

• All-in-One Security (Free & Paid): A user-friendly interface for common security tasks like login hardening, user activity logging, and malware scanning.
• Wordfence Security (Free & Paid): A comprehensive security solution with malware scanning, firewall protection, and login security features.
• Solid Security (Free & Paid): Provides features like two-factor authentication, user activity logging, and protection against brute force attacks.

8. Plugins for CRM

• FluentCRM (Free & Paid): A comprehensive CRM plugin for managing leads, contacts, and customer interactions. Offers features like email marketing, automation, and reporting.
• JetPack CRM (Free): All-in-one CRM for WordPress: Manage leads, contacts, quotes, invoices, and email marketing. Integrates with popular email marketing services for campaign sending.
• HubSpot (Free): This plugin integrates your WordPress website with HubSpot CRM, allowing you to manage leads, contacts, and email marketing directly within your WordPress dashboard. (Ideal if you want to keep using HubSpot CRM)

9. Plugins for E-commerce Stores

• WooCommerce (Free): The most popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, transforming your website into a fully functional online store.
• Easy Digital Downloads (Free & Paid): Ideal for selling digital products like ebooks, music, or software downloads.
• MemberPress (Paid): Creates a membership website with paid memberships, subscription options, and content restriction features.

10. Plugins for Email Marketing

• Mailchimp for WordPress (Free): This plugin Integrates Mailchimp's email marketing service with WordPress to manage email lists, create newsletters, and send email campaigns.
• MailPoet (Free): Design beautiful email newsletters and automate email marketing within WordPress.
• MailerLite (Free & Paid): A user-friendly email marketing solution with signup forms, email automation, and landing page creation features.

11. Plugins for SMTP

• Fluent SMTP (Free): A user-friendly free plugin simplifying setting up an SMTP server with your preferred email provider.
• WP Mail SMTP (Free & Paid): A popular free plugin for setting up an SMTP server.
• Post SMTP (Free & Paid): Another option for configuring an SMTP server for sending emails from your WordPress website, such as forgot password, etc.

Here's a breakdown of popular plugins across various functionalities to enhance your WordPress website after migrating from HubSpot:

Choosing the Right Plugins

WordPress plugins are extensions or add-ons for your website, adding functionalities beyond its core features. However, selecting the right ones can be overwhelming, with thousands of plugins available.

Here's a guide to help you choose plugins that enhance your website without compromising performance or security:

Identify Your Needs

Website Goal: Are you creating a blog, an online store, a portfolio, or something else? Different goals require different functionalities.

Features Needed: List features you want on your website, such as contact forms, galleries, SEO optimization tools, or social media integration.

Research and Compare

WordPress Plugin Directory: Look at the official source for free plugins. You can search for plugins by keyword or functionality.

Reviews and Ratings: Read user reviews and check star ratings to get insights into plugin performance, ease of use, and customer support.

Security and Updates: Choose plugins actively maintained and updated by reputable developers. Outdated plugins can pose performance and security vulnerabilities.

Installation and Activation

Only Install What You Need: Avoid installing too many plugins, as they can slow down your website.

Start with Free Versions: Many plugins offer free versions with basic features. Try the free version before upgrading to a paid plan. The pro version unlocks additional features and support from the plugin developers.

Read Documentation: Before activating a plugin, carefully review its documentation to understand its features and configuration options.

Testing and Monitoring

Set Up a Test Site: Create a dedicated/staging site to try out new themes and plugins before deploying them to your live website. This helps prevent unexpected issues on your main site.

Test After Activation: Once activated, thoroughly test the plugin to ensure it functions as expected and doesn't conflict with other plugins or your theme.

Monitor Performance: After installing new plugins, monitor your website's speed and performance. If you notice a slowdown, consider deactivating the plugins that might be causing the issue.

Backup Your Website: You should always have a regular backup. This allows you to revert to a previous state if something goes wrong.

Bonus Tip

Stay Updated: Keep everything updated to benefit from new features, bug fixes, and security patches. Most plugins allow automatic updates within the WordPress dashboard.

Following these steps, you can choose the right plugins to empower your WordPress website and achieve your desired goals.

Remember, quality over quantity is key! Choose plugins that offer the functionalities you need and are well-maintained by reputable developers for a smooth and secure website experience.

Conclusion: Experience the True Power of WordPress with Plugins

Migrating from HubSpot to WordPress opens doors to new possibilities of customization and flexibility through plugins.

These powerful features enhance your website's functionality, bridging the gap between what HubSpot offers and your specific needs.

With plugins, you can:

• Craft stunning and unique website designs using block-based Gutenberg or drag-and-drop page builders.
• Optimize your website for search engines with SEO plugins, improving your online visibility.
• Simplify website management with contact forms, analytics tools, and backup solutions.
• Boost user engagement with features like social media integration and email marketing tools.
• Transform your website into a powerful sales channel with e-commerce plugins.

The official WordPress library and third-party plugin platforms are vast and ever-growing, offering solutions for nearly every imaginable website need.

Don't be afraid to explore and experiment to find the perfect plugins that empower you to create and manage the website of your dreams.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Struggling to find the right plugins after your HubSpot to WordPress move? This section answers your burning questions!