6 Stunning Issues You Can Do on WordPress.com With no Plugin 

“WordPress” and “plugins” are sometimes regarded as synonymous. The 2 go collectively like peanut butter and jam, like summer season and watermelon, like yin and yang . . . you get the concept. It typically looks as if you possibly can’t have one with out the opposite. Whereas plugins are certainly one solution to supercharge your WordPress.com web site, the reality is that there’s rather a lot you are able to do with out ever putting in a plugin. Actually, I can virtually assure that our out-of-the-box WordPress.com expertise is extra highly effective than you suppose.

(Fast reminder: WordPress plugins can be found and installable on our Creator and Entrepreneur plans.) 

In the present day, we’d like to focus on six shocking issues you are able to do with WordPress.com from the second you begin constructing a web site. 

Promote digital merchandise and settle for donations 

There’s no plugin wanted to make a dwelling or earn some money on the aspect by promoting digital merchandise like ebooks, songs, or images on WordPress.com. With our built-in cost blocks Fee Buttons, Pay with PayPal, and Donations Kind, you’re one click on away from gathering cash in your web site. Better of all? Most of those blocks can be utilized on any plan, together with Free, the exception being the PayPal block, which requires the Explorer plan or above. 

Merely join your Stripe account to get began promoting at the moment.

Forestall spam 

Similar to the spam feedback and messages you’re attempting to dam, the variety of anti-spam plugins has proliferated in recent times. Fortunately, you don’t want any of them, as a result of Akismet, an Automattic product, is baked into each WordPress.com web site and supplied at no further value. With superior filtering that blocks 99.99% of spam, you’ll by no means have to fret about undesirable guests once more.  

Set up SSL certificates 

On WordPress.com web sites, SSL certificates are supplied freed from cost and mechanically put in for you. This function offers necessary safety in opposition to hackers and different malicious actors, notably in case your web site collects consumer info of any sort. At different hosts, you’ll typically should both pay further or set up your individual (costly) plugin to be able to add an SSL certificates. Not at WordPress.com. Be taught extra about our SSL course of right here.  

Ship newsletters 

Since 2009 WordPress.com has had the built-in performance of sending new posts as emails. That’s proper, you don’t want a third-party service or platform (like Mailchimp or Substack) to ship publication emails to your viewers. Utilizing a Subscribe block offers guests a easy and handy solution to enter their electronic mail and get your posts proper to their inbox. 

You may also arrange paywalls (with the Paywall block) and paid content material tiers, permitting for a number of subscription ranges. Moreover, you possibly can view and handle subscriber particulars from the Subscribers web page (discovered beneath “Jetpack” on the left-side menu). Be taught extra at WordPress.com/newsletters. 

Embed movies 

Movies generally is a vitally necessary a part of your web site and content material stream, however importing them generally is a ache within the neck—should you’re not utilizing WordPress, that’s. When you’re embedding a video from one other supply, like Vimeo or YouTube, use our built-in blocks of the identical identify. And right here’s a useful tip: you don’t even want to pick out the block first. Merely copy and paste the video hyperlink proper into the editor, and WordPress will automagically do the remainder. 

For embedding your unique video information (.mov, .mp4, .mwv, and so forth.), Automattic’s very personal VideoPress block gives an easy and strong answer. With caption and chapter assist, in addition to detailed knowledge and insights on views, when you check out VideoPress you gained’t look again. This function is out there on Explorer plans and above. 

Insert spectacular picture galleries 

Effectively-done imagery on a web site can imply the distinction between an engaged customer and a bounced customer. Fairly than experimenting with overly difficult plugins, use the varied picture blocks that include WordPress. Our Gallery, Slideshow, and Picture Evaluate blocks are particularly enjoyable and provide a spread of easy-to-use customizations that don’t overwhelm. Plus, these blocks are all the time optimized for cellular.   

Begin constructing at the moment 

That is only a sampling of what you are able to do with WordPress.com. We didn’t even point out a few of our favourite blocks, together with: desk of contents, music/podcast participant, countdown timer, tables, and a lot extra. 

Able to discover these highly effective built-ins? Get began at the moment:  

You should still discover that utilizing plugins solves your particular wants a bit higher than what’s already constructed into the editor. If that’s the case, think about our world-class Creator or Entrepreneur plan.