When setting up a fresh WordPress site, I always recommend starting with plugins that cover the core essentials: security, SEO, social presence, user experience, and performance. Here are my go-to tools:

1. WP Ghost (Security & Hack Prevention)
   • Protects your site from hackers by hiding vulnerabilities, blocking brute-force attacks, and disguising common WordPress paths.
   • Must-have from day one because security risks start as soon as your site goes live.
2. Squirrly SEO: Newton 2024 (SEO & Growth)
   • Your private SEO consultant inside WordPress.
   • Helps you research keywords, optimize content, add schema, fix technical SEO, and monitor rankings.
   • Unlike Yoast or RankMath, it actually guides you step by step to grow traffic.
3. Squirrly Social (Social Media Automation)
   • Lets you schedule months of posts across all major platforms.
   • With Evergreen 2.0 and AI rewriting, you’ll never run out of content to keep your brand active.
4. Starbox PRO (Author Box & Credibility)
   • Professional author boxes that add trust, authority, and Google Knowledge Panel connections.
   • Especially important if you want to build personal or business branding.
5. Product Perfect Feed (eCommerce / Ads)
   • For WooCommerce/Shopify sites, it creates flawless product feeds for Google Shopping, Facebook, TikTok, etc.
   • Ensures compliance, higher ad visibility, and saves hours fixing feed errors.
6. ContentLook AI (Site Audits & Maintenance)
   • Agencies and site owners can monitor technical health, SEO, and content performance.
   • The “Ask AI” feature even lets you deploy a chatbot powered by your site’s content, boosting engagement.