Just updated for !

Upon reviewing our list, we are still BIG fans of all of the below plugins.  We did made an update to the Visual Composer review below.  In addition, we have added a couple to the bottom of the list.

Seems like everyone and their brother has a favorite list of “Must Have” WordPress plugins. For anyone that builds a lot of websites on the WordPress platform, you find that you use many of the same plugins over and over and over time, cant live without them.  We do quite a bit of real estate SEO and website design, so some of these plugins are SEO related.

Check Your Sites SEO

Read our article on the definitive list of SEO tools 

Must Have WordPress Plugins

One Feed Supercharger – One Feed Supercharger is an awesome plugin, built by the SEO gurus over at Network Empire, that maximizes the use of RSS feeds. Anyone with a website wants their site to be found by the major search engines and using RSS feeds can be very valuable. WordPress does automatically create an RSS feed for you, but One Feed provides some super cool features.

• First, you can create an unlimited number of RSS feeds containing a variety of information.
• All of the feeds created in One Feed include all of the photos for each blog
• You can pull other RSS feeds into One Feed and create a master feed
• You can pull random “old” articles or have a “sticky” post included in any feed

I use One Feed Supercharger on every site I manage. Here is a video showing how powerful it is.

Yoast SEO – Yoast SEO is one of the most popular SEO plugins on the market and for good reason. It provides a plethora of SEO tools absolutely free. Not only can you easily adjust your meta title and description, but Yoast SEO provides site analysis, XML sitemap configuration, the ability to edit your robot.txt and .htaccess files all coupled with an easy to use interface. They also provide many paid options for specific purposes.

Formidable Forms – Yep, you guessed it, Formidable Forms is a forms plugin. I used to use Contact Form 7 quite regularly, but after finding Formidable, I haven’t looked back. I have opted for the paid version since I use some of the more advanced features, but the free version is powerful and easy enough for most people.

Visual Composer – Visual Composer is a page builder that lets you build out an entire website without coding. It comes with many visually appealing features that can be easily incorporated into just about any website. It has both a front end and a back end editor which lets you see the final product as you are building it.

They provide a variety of add-ons for Visual Composer, I personally use the “Ultimate Ad-ons for Visual Composer” as it includes many premium elements like Icon, Info Box, Interactive Banner, Flip Box and a lot more. One downfall is that Visual Composer can slow down your website load times if you go crazy with it, so be careful.

UPDATED VC Review 8 – although we still really like Visual Composer (Now renamed to WP Bakery) – our testing has found that the site speed gets seriously reduced when using too many modules within WP Bakery.  We strongly recommend only activating the modules that you end up using — and deactivating all the others,

Social Media Feather – Social Media Feather easily adds social media share and follow icons to any WordPress website. Although that in itself is not very unique, it does so with a small footprint and doesn’t slow your website down. It has a ton of options such as choosing your sharing prefix and postfix, customize-able icon sizes and placements and interfaces with just about every platform.

Revolution Slider – If you want an endless level of customization for your slider, Revolution Slider is your best bet. There are other solid slider programs out there, but I have found that Revolution Slider simply has all of the options I am looking for. Rumor has it that they had some security issues some time back but that is all resolved now.

AMP & Glue OR Facebook Instant Articles & Google AMP Pages by PageFrog– Im still in the early stages of testing these out — so I thought I would mention them all. With Google having a push for AMP pages (Accelerated Mobile Pages) if you have any interest in ranking your site, you will want to implement AMP pages/posts on your site. One option is to use BOTH AMP and Glue for Yoast SEO. These two plugins work together to create AMP pages for all of your blog posts automatically. Needless to say, you will need to be using Yoast SEO to take this route. One of the downfalls of this combo set is that it only creates AMP pages for your blog posts and not your pages. They say the pages support is in the works. The other option is Facebook Instant Articles & Google AMP Pages by PageFrog – I have found this little gem and seem to like it quite a bit. It gives a preview of the AMP page and even supports Instant Articles for Facebook.

New Additions

A plugin that has apparently been around for a while, but we never found — but now cant live without is…

Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy – This free little gem lets you automatically build out two, very needed pages on every website…the Privacy and Terms of Condition pages.  These pages should exist and they should have the proper legal Mumbo Jumbo.  This little plugin creates short codes that let you pop the two critical pages in just about anywhere.

Although this little plugin is not necessarily a Must Have — for what we do over here in building and marketing real estate broker websites, we have found this plugin indispensable.  That is the RSS Includes Pages plugin.  You can download it FOR FREE — straight from the WP repository.  It does exactly what it says it does — it adds ALL of your pages on your WordPress site into the RSS feed (which usually only has posts).

Enjoy!

Contractors play a critical role in the construction industry. These professionals bring an additional layer of expertise to construction projects, offering services that general contractors and architecture firms may not be able to provide. 

Any project that involves commercial renovations or new construction will require specific skill sets for subcontractors at some point during the process. While general contractors can manage smaller renovation tasks and design-build projects from start to finish, they won’t have the knowledge or experience to tackle specialty tasks like insulation, plumbing, carpentry, electrical wiring, and more. 

When you’re looking for the right contract carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and other specialists for your next construction project, you’ll want to reach out to local businesses with established reputations as trustworthy partners. 

Let’s take a look at some of the top 5 contracting websites in America today:

1. Sunlight Contractors

Sunlight Contractors has been serving the spray foam insulation and mold testing & remediation needs, fireproofing and renovations, as well as soundproofing needs, of homeowners and businesses throughout Louisiana for over 18 years.

Sunlight Contractors is the most highly-rated spray foam contractor throughout Louisiana. They offer top-notch customer service and specialize across a range of services. They are licensed and insured in spray foam insulation, blown-in cellulose insulation, and fireproofing. 

They also offer Mold/Moisture remediation services, Pier & Beam foundation repairs, residential roofing, asbestos removal, and commercial, residential, and dehumidification services. The licenses and certifications speak for themselves. Over 20 million square feet of spray foam have been sprayed on the field.

2. G & M Contracting Inc.

G & M Contracting specializes in Residential construction, commercial construction, light demolition, flooring, roofing, remodels, and more. G & M Contracting Inc. is one of the top contracting companies in the US. 

The Virginia-based business is licensed in all 50 states and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. They specialize in residential and commercial construction for new buildings, additions, and remodels. 

G & M is a family-owned and operated business that was established in 1995.

3. Inca Construction Services

Inca Construction Services specialize in commercial construction, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, land development, and more Inca Construction Services is one of the top contracting companies in the US. 

The firm was established in 1999 and has since grown to become one of the leading contractors in Florida and the Southeast. Inca specializes in commercial construction and land development projects. The company is licensed to work in all 50 states, making it a truly nationwide contractor. 

With offices in Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville, the company maintains a strong presence in the Southeast.

4. STO Building Group

The STO Building Group is committed to maintaining high standards of excellence in all of its projects. It deserves to be ranked as one of America’s top construction companies. 

The company is based out of New York. It includes Structure Tone, Structure Tone Southwest, and Pavarini McGovern. LF Driscoll and Abbott Construction are also part of the group.

They offer a complete range of services including site analysis, selection, new construction design, and infrastructure upgrading and modernization. With a staff of approximately 4000, you can be assured of high-quality services.

5. DPR Construction

DPR Construction is a flat, employee-owned company that operates under a shared leadership committee. This highly-performer construction management company specializes in complex, sustainable projects in life sciences, advanced technologies, commercial markets, and higher education. 

The company’s work includes minor improvements and large-scale, new construction. DPR Construction is the country’s leader in building corporate offices for biopharmaceutical companies, complex and environmentally-friendly projects, as well as healthcare facilities. 

The company was founded in Redwood City in 1990 and has approximately 10,000 employees. Their most notable work is the expansion of Phoenix’s mayo clinic and the construction of California’s Pixar Animation Studios.

Conclusion

Construction is a dynamic industry that requires specialized skill sets for each stage of the process. Contractors play an integral role in the success of construction projects, bringing their expertise to the table to help ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. 

Choosing the right contracting company is vital to the success of your next construction project. 

Make sure to check thoroughly at websites, checking references, and reviews, before hiring the best partner for your next construction project.

There are over 1 billion health-related searches on Google every single day, according to a report. This was about 7% of all searches on the platform before, and no one will be surprised when the 2022 data massively surpasses this number. 

After all, the internet is likely the first source to turn to with your health-related questions.

Among the many amazing websites out there, here are 5 choices when it comes to finding reliable medical and health information online.

Retreat At Sky Ridge

A luxury rehab facility differs greatly from the institutional, hospital-like settings of traditional programs. Many of these centers embrace a holistic approach to recovery, emphasizing the whole person and allowing the patient comfort and support in all areas as he or she works toward sobriety.

The ultimate goal: To offer treatment that is focused on recovery and adjusting to life after rehab in a way that will best suit their needs for comfort, privacy, and healing.

A luxury rehab facility allows a person to receive treatment in the most comfortable setting. These inpatient centers often offer highly customized programs to meet the unique needs of each client. Some even allow the client to help design his or her own treatment program, which may include a variety of therapies, medications, and counseling.

WebMD

Health and medical information from the major league, WebMD is one of the most visited websites on health and wellbeing (WebMD is also the owner of Medscape, first on our list above).

The site provides credible information through its articles and featured contents, however, for patients, its biggest assets are the databases on the site: the symptom and conditions checkers, its segments on drugs&supplements, health&wellness and family planner resources. 

Physicians’ blogs on specific topics can really be helpful, and their community on their social media channels (like on their Facebook site) is a supportive network of patients and caregivers.

Health.gov

This English/Spanish site provides a resource on wellness and prevention for individuals and families. Health.gov is intended to be a reference point for U.S.-based healthcare practitioners to recommend to people to get information about prevention and wellbeing.

The site is operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It can be used for personalized preventive healthcare services recommendations – in the U.S., these results can be brought to the GP directly to discuss data with them. Its evidence-based health information is a great take-off point for healthy living.

WeightWatchers

As one of the most popular commercial diet plans around the world, it is no surprise that the Weight Watchers website has made an appearance on this list. 

According to web information company Alexa, users spend an average of eight minutes on the site with each visit, and unsurprisingly, it is most popular with women.

Mayo Clinic

One of the leading medical centers in the U.S., Mayo Clinic is focused on integrated patient care, education, and research. Their website provides detailed information about medical conditions and diseases – by browsing through its Disease & Conditions descriptions or by characterizing the illness in the Symptom Checker.

One of the most interesting features here is the Tests and Procedures search where patients can search for the possible treatment procedures and be knowledgeable about what awaits them or their beloved ones. 

Their articles are written based on the expertise of more than 3,300 physicians, scientists, and researchers from Mayo Clinic to empower patients through their shared research.

It’s good to be informed

It is worth verifying the reliability of any website that contains medical information. These quality features can be found:

• Is the author of the article/website a doctor?
• Are they following an editorial policy? If so, are patients or medical professionals able to oversee it?
• Are there any guidelines regarding paid ads?
• Are they able to provide clear contact information as well as an archive?
• Does the mission and intention of the authors of this site have a clear description?

What The Best Real Estate Websites Have

Many believe that the best real estate websites include Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia. In fact, they are not.  The nationwide real estate portals simply do not have all of the listings.

Local Real Estate Websites

When looking for the best real estate website, truth is it takes a little more looking than one would think.  Since the nationwide real estate portals don’t have all of the listings, you need to go local.

Local real estate sites have a direct connection to the MLS via a IDX feed.   This lets the local real estate sites display ALL of the real estate listings regardless of who listed the property.  This lets the local, broker based sites showcase a range of listings, not just their own.

While some specialize in only commercial real estate, others specialize in residential sales, some focus on condos and some on single family homes. There are even sites that offer both services by agents, for buyers and sellers across the nation. One of the best ways to find the right sites is by narrowing your search down to your immediate location or vicinity.

 

Search Local

When you use Google to try and find a local real estate website, make sure that you put your city in the Google Search.  That means if you are looking for luxury homes in New Orleans,  your search should be New Orleans luxury homes for sale.  Although this sounds intuitive, if you simply search “real estate” or “homes for sale” without the city name — you will usually end up with the major search portals which wont have all of the listings.

 

What to Look for In Real Estate Sites?

The best real estate sites should have content that is easy to process. These should also have user-friendly menus and search features. This allows visitors to access a wide array of valuable resources, including available listings, property values, and much more.

Most real-estate sites also have blog sections, which feature informative articles and posts. The best real estate websites will be posting new, quality blog posts on a regular basis  This too is a great way to access information on all real estate happenings and events in your area.

Buyers or sellers should also be able to find current pricing trends for properties in their areas. These too can be compared to state or national averages, which let them know how much their property, should sell for.

 

What Else to Look For?

Real-estate websites really should give a full picture of what homes are for sale in a particular area. This means they need to have the aforementioned IDX – the listing feed from the MLS.

They should also offer comparative listings – which allow sellers to see average buying or selling rates in their areas. Some may even have the local condo association condo docs. As always, there should be plenty of pertinent links along with contact information for all interested buyers and sellers.

For more information, simply check Google for the top rated real estate websites – making sure to put the city in your search criteria.  Don’t forget to pass up ALL of the major real estate portals!