10 Most Useful Widgets for Your WordPress Site

WordPress is one of the most known content management systems (CMS) used by millions of website owners. It has features to make your website look good, grow, and rank better on Google’s search engine. One of these features is widgets for your WordPress site.

WordPress comes with so many ready to use built-in widgets that you can use right away. Also, some of the WordPress plugins and themes add their own WordPress widgets as well.

What Is A Widget?

A widget is an independent software application that has specific site performance and features. They are often seen on sidebars or footers of web pages.

These tools are useful, take a little space, and offer help depending on its function.

Why Get A Widget For Your Site?

There are thousands of widgets you can embed on your website, and usually, these widgets are crucial for improving your website.

• Adds convenience to your visitors
• Diverts traffic to your site
• Provides information you need
• Makes your website look good
• Secures your website
• Integrates other apps or social media platforms

There plenty of reasons to install a widget on your website, and it mostly depends on what you want to achieve for your website. You can choose among thousands of available widgets (free and paid) to embed in your site.

Best Widgets For WordPress Website

In this article, we are going to share some of the most useful WordPress widgets for your site. These widgets will help you effectively use your website to improve user experience and grow your business. Now, without wasting time, lets dig in:

1. WPForms

Creating forms or survey for your website to gather leads requires effort when you are to start from scratch. However, with the help of widgets you can make the process simple.

WPForms is a widget that helps users create a contact, payment, survey, and newsletter forms.

Overview Features:

• No coding required
• Drag and drop builder
• Ready-made templates
• Responsive to any device
• Instant notification when someone signs the form
• Streamline the workflow by placing all leads in one place
• Allows the collection of payments
• Connect subscription forms to email marketing service

Price: Basic plan begins at $79 a year.

2. Google Maps Widget Pro

Including a map on your website, particularly if you have a business page, can help your customers to locate your shop. Furthermore, it doesn’t take up much space on your website.

The widget uses the Google Maps Static Maps API, making sure it loads as fast as it can.

Features:

• Customizable (height, width, color, and map type)
• Add text above or below the map
• Allow Google map language
• Different map schemes or styles
• Create unlimited maps
• Mobile responsive

Price: Basic package starts at $18.99 per year with one-year support and upgrade, and works on one website only.

3. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is known to be WordPress’s best popup and marketing plugin.

If you run a small business or an e-commerce website, this widget is of big help. It gets more email subscribers than ever, increases sales, and grows your business.

Start collecting leads and increase your conversion rate with this lightweight widget.

Features:

• Various opt-in form with prebuilt templates
• Grow email list with popups
• Mobile responsive
• Learn more about the traffic or gather information about leads
• A/B testing for popups

OptinMonster is more than a plugin or widget. It has a complete software that’s used by marketing experts to get leads, convert leads, and re-target potential customers.

4. Testimonial Widget

Another effective way to satisfy your customers and you can get more projects is when you have great reviews. Furthermore, you’ll be able to get more paying customers when they see good testimonials on your site.

You can display your testimonials using a widget like Testimonials widget.

Features:

• Different transitions such as carousel, fade, and slide
• Able to filter content
• Video slideshow
• Single-view reading
• Built-in update notification
• Auto deletion of related testimonials
• Displays text, image, and videos
• Displays portfolios

5. Sucuri Inc.

It’s also important to add protection to your website. There are various antivirus software or application you can purchase, but to enhance or secure your site well, adding a security widget is a good idea.

You can choose among hundreds of security widgets, but we will provide you with the best.

Sucuri is a globally known named security widget that offers free installation on your website. It specializes in WordPress security. Therefore, if your website runs on WordPress, you must give Sucuri a try.

Features:

• Audits security activity
• Monitors file integrity
• Malware scanning
• Monitors blacklist
• Real-time notifications
• Website firewall on the premium plan

6. Advanced AJAX Product Filter

Make it easy for your visitors by giving them the option to filter products such as by their price, rating, or category. The advanced AJAX product filter has the ability to help your online shop become convenient for your potential customers.

Features:

• Customizable sliders and buttons
• Various filters to choose from
• Collapsible widget
• Compatible with other themes and plugins
• Filters include price, product category, attribute, and more
• Support for custom and premium themes
• SEO-friendly
• Drag and drop filter building

AJAX product filter is a free widget with limited function. If you want to get more from it, availing of the paid plugin is better.

7. Google Language Translator

The Google Language Translator has now become part of the GTranslate Family that powers more than 500,000 multilingual websites.

It has been one of the oldest widgets used on WordPress websites.

Features:

• Auto Google translation
• Hide pop-ups
• Integration of Google Analytics
• Translate the following: site on fly, posts, pages, categories, tags, menus, widgets, and themes
• Translate WooCommerce shop

For paid version, you get search engine indexing, increase traffic and AdSense revenue, Yoast SEO compatibility, and more.

8. Astra Widgets

Astra is a widget that allows users to easily add their business location, social media profiles, and icon list. It’s the fastest way to add more widgets to your website.

You can add these widgets on the sidebar, header, and footer of your website.

Features:

• Performs faster with the best coding standards and speed
• Customizable in a few clicks
• Works with all major Page Builders
• Offers pixel-perfect designs
• Customize e-Commerce website with in-depth integrations
• Ready-made starter templates

9. Feature a Page Widget

If you often post articles on your website, using a widget like Feature a Page, can increase the views or traffic to it. You can show a page or article you have on your website’s sidebar or footer.

You can showcase some of your pages or work to increase its traffic. It could either appear as an image, with excerpt, or page title.

Features:

• Customizable image sizes
• Customizable templates
• Allows featured image and excerpt for pages and posts 

10. Social Slider Widget

If Instagram is part of your social marketing technique or strategy, incorporating it into your website is crucial. Using Social Slider Widget will display images from your Instagram account.

Features:

• Easy to set up
• Display images in a slider or thumbnail format
• No need for authorization from Instagram account
• Mobile device responsive
• Flexible layout settings
• Sort image based on date, popularity, or randomly
• Present images in a thumbnail, medium, or full-sized images

Social Slider Widget also has a pro version with features such as multiple accounts, display comments and likes, shows captions in images and videos, and allows carousel posts.

Conclusion

Widgets are simple and lightweight software designed to manage or enhance some aspects of your website. It adds elements that can make it look better, increase engagement, bring more leads to convert, and to allow visitors or buyers to enjoy your site.

With the useful widgets mentioned above, and a thousand more in the market, you can start customizing your website. You can try the free or paid version; it depends on what will improve the overall appearance and performance of your website.