One of WordPress’s greatest strengths is its flexibility. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional web designer, WordPress allows you to completely customize the look and feel of your website. In this article, I’d like to share some handy plugins I used on my site: custom CSS, the Trustindex Google Reviews widget, the RankMath SEO plugin, and the Spectra page builder.

Those who have completed courses in HTML programming probably already know what CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is, but just in case, I’ll remind you: it’s the code that controls your site’s appearance—colors, layouts, fonts, and effects. The plugin I used allows users to add custom CSS directly to the dashboard without editing theme files.

Example of use:

I used custom CSS to add a “glass effect” to some elements of my site. Here’s the CSS snippet I added:

.glass {
background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.38);
border-radius: 16px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 30px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
backdrop-filter: blur(7.8px);
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3);
}

Step-by-step instructions:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to the Install plugin section: “Custom CSS and JS.”

2. Then, in the main WordPress menu, go to “Custom CSS and JS.”

3. Click “Add CSS Code.”

4. Enter the code in the editor window.

5. Select “Internal” to have it load with your website.

6. In the “Where on site” section, select “Front-end.”

7. Click “Publish” or “Update.”

Just a few lines of code, and the “glass”-style block will instantly appear on your pages.

Trustindex is a plugin that lets you display reviews from your Google Business account directly on your website. Showcasing real customer reviews builds trust and helps potential clients assess your reputation.

On one of the websites I’m currently working on, I’ve integrated a widget for my client’s business. The plugin automatically extracts reviews from Google Maps and displays them as a slider with ratings and customer names.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Install the Trustindex plugin for Google Reviews.

2. Go to Trustindex → ​​Free Widget Configurator.

3. Connect your Google Business account.

4. Select a layout, such as “Slider I” or “Grid II.”

5. Copy the generated shortcode.

6. Paste the shortcode on any page or block where you want to display reviews.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher in Google search results. Without it, even the most beautiful website can go unnoticed. SureRank is one of the free SEO helper plugins for WordPress that simplifies this process.

What SureRank does? It checks your site for common SEO issues, suggests improvements, and helps connect Google Search Console for deeper analytics.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Install and activate the SureRank SEO plugin.

2. Open Rank Math → Dashboard.

3. Click “Setup Wizard” to configure your site name, keywords, and search results appearance.

4. Run the Site SEO Analysis tool to get a full report.

Example Results:

During my site analysis, SureRank provided helpful recommendations:

• Warning: Multiple H1 headings on the homepage.

• Suggestion: Google Search Console is not connected.

• Passed: The homepage now has a meta title, description, and alt text for images.

Spectra is a free WordPress page builder that extends the standard Gutenberg editor with new design blocks, such as sliders, counters, tabs, and image galleries.

I used Spectra to experiment with block layouts, sliders, and image galleries. It pairs perfectly with my Astra theme and is suitable for beginners

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Install and activate Spectra on the “Plugins” page.

2. Go to Spectra → Dashboard.

3. Click “Create a new page” or open an existing one.

4. Use available blocks, such as:

• Slider

• FAQ

• Counter

• Modal Window

• Image Gallery

Using WordPress plugins is a great way to take your website to the next level. In this article, we’ve covered several handy free tools, but that’s far from all there is to WordPress. I want to inspire you to explore the wide variety of options on your own. And perhaps you’ll discover something that can significantly simplify your life.