There are so many plugins for WordPress it’s hard to know where to begin. I’ve spent years researching, testing, and using a variety of plugins and have compiled here my list of what I consider to be the best.

Must Haves:

• All in One SEO Pack (more on SEO later) – This plugin will help you make many of the necessary  tweaks to your website to optimize it for better search engine results. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/
• Bad Behavior – This powerful plugin protects your website from attacks and nefarious activities. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bad-behavior/
• FeedBurner FeedSmith – This plugin redirects your built-in feeds to using Google’s Feedburner. Feedburner provides you with analytics about feed subscriptions and activity. http://www.google.com/support/feedburner/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=78483
• Google XML Sitemaps – This plugin generates an XML sitemap for your site and submits it to all major search engine every time you update your blog. It works in conjunction with Google Webmaster Tools. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/
• Login LockDown – This plugin adds an element of security to the WordPress login page by locking out an IP address if they make 3 or more failed attempts to log in. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/login-lockdown/
• Redirection – This powerful plugin allows you to create redirect commands to redirect visitors from one page to another, or to another site. It also logs 404 errors, so you can see what might need a redirect.    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/redirection/
• Search Unleashed – This plugin enhances the default search capabilities. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search-unleashed/
• Simple Tags – Another powerful plugin. This one provides a number of powerful tools for organizing and managing you post tags. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/simple-tags/
• Sociable – This plugin adds to the bottom of a post or page links to share that post or page via many of the most popular social networking services. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sociable/
• Ultimate Google Analytics – UGA offers full Google Analytics integration with your wordpress site. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ultimate-google-analytics/
• WordPress Database Backup – The most important part of security is having a good backup. This plugin allows you to schedule daily, weekly, or monthly backups that will be generated and emailed to you. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-db-backup/

Additional Recommended Plugins

• All in One Adsense and YPN – If you’re planning on using Google Adsense or the Yahoo! Publisher Network, this plugin will help you manage and display ads. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-adsense-and-ypn/
• My Category Order – This plugin allows you to easily reorder your categories via a drag-and-drop menu. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/my-category-order/
• Contact Form 7 – Create a contact form to make it easy for readers to contact you from your website. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/
• Evermore – Adds the “more” tag to every page automatically. The “more” tag is what causes a post to only show the first paragraph, then offer a link to continue reading. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/evermore/
• Lightbox 2 – Adds the JavaScript Lightbox effect to pictures. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/lightbox-2/
• My Page Order – Allows you to easily reorder pages through a drag-and-drop menu. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/my-page-order/
• Page Link Manager – Allows you to select which pages do or do not appear in the site navigation throughout the site. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/page-link-manager/
• PhotoJAR: Base – This plugin provides a number of enhancements to the default wordpress image and gallery tools. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/photojar-base/
• Subscribe to Comments – This plugin allows visitors to subscribe to a comment stream via e-mail. They will receive an e-mail anytime anyone else comments on that post. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/subscribe-to-comments/
• Twitter Tools – This plugin has many features to integration with Twitter. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/twitter-tools/
• WP-Email – This plugin allows users to e-mail the post they’re viewing to a friend, without leaving your site. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-email/
• WP-phpMyAdmin – This very powerful tool allows you to access and edit the mysql database directly. In the wrong hands it can destroy a blog (so always have a backup). This tool is necessary for doing some of the advanced security hacks mentioned below. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-phpmyadmin/
• WP-Print – Creates an easy link to a printer friendly version of the page. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-print/
• WP-UserOnline – This plugin allows you to see who is currently on your site and how they arrived on your site. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-useronline/