9 Must-Have WordPress Google Plugins

When Stanford University computer science students Larry Page and Sergei Brin launched BackRub in 1998, I doubt they expected it to grow into the powerhouse that Google is today.

Created as a research project, Google has since grown so much that it seems like it’s involved in every aspect of your lives, from sending emails to getting directions to our favorite places.

WordPress is not exempt from Google’s reach, as there are a variety of high-quality plugins that you can use to incorporate its most popular features on your site, like engagement analytics and customer reviews. These plugins also maintain the most enticing aspect of Google — they’re easy to use.

This piece will go over eight must-have plugins that will help you bring Google’s high-quality systems to your WordPress site.

1. Translate WordPress with GTranslate

This is a powerful Google Translate tool, featuring 100+ available languages for translation. Translate WordPress uses a cloud-based approach, so the translation process doesn’t decrease site speed, ensuring a seamless browsing experience for your site visitors. It also has powerful auto-switch tools that detect a defined browser language and adjust accordingly.

While it can be beneficial for various uses, eCommerce businesses may be glad to know that this plugin can integrate with WooCommerce for easy site translation.

The pro version of this plugin comes with enhanced functionality like Yoast SEO for search results and metadata translation. This means that your site can be optimized for different areas of the world, as subdirectories and slugs can be translated based on browser location. For example, a user browsing in Spain would see es.samplesite.com/sobre-nosotros while someone in the United States would see samplesite.com/about-us.

2. Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts Typography

This plugin boasts 900+ unique Google Fonts to choose from when customizing your site; no coding knowledge necessary. It’s compatible with any WordPress theme, and its Live Customizer feature helps you test the way your site looks before it goes live. You can also designate different fonts for sections of your site, like headers and page content.

Pro users have the option to use the plugin for multiple different sites at once.

3. Widget for Google Reviews

Already have a Google My Business profile? Great! This widget allows you to display your existing Google reviews on your WordPress site, eliminating the need for creating an entirely separate system. Site visitors will see up to five reviews at a time in a sidebar content block, and the autorefresh feature keeps them up-to-date.

Widget for Google Reviews Pro comes with a Google Trust badge for legitimacy, and you can merge reviews from different platforms like Yelp and Facebook. For an even more streamlined process, you can give visitors the option to leave Google reviews directly on your WordPress site.

4. WP Google Maps

WP Google Maps plugin brings all the power and functionality of the native Google Maps features to your WordPress site. It includes nine different mapping themes for customizing your widget, localization for nearby browsing, and a ‘get directions’ tool. The pro version allows you to create multiple maps and use marker icons for popular or recommended destinations.

5. Google XML Site Maps

Google XML Sitemaps helps you optimize your site for search engine results by creating a categorized taxonomy that is easy for crawlers to understand. It supports WordPress generated and custom URLs and automatically informs search engines of new posts and pages. You can also set specific pages for priority indexing and tell crawlers not to index individual pages.

6. Google Analytics Dashboard Plugin for WordPress by MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights plugin is one of the most popular on this list, with over two million active installations. It claims to boost your site’s traffic and double your sales through an effortless integration between WordPress and Google Analytics that you can access within the admin dashboard.

It boasts a 15-minute setup, no coding required, and you can generate reports to track custom metrics or use the native tracking options to understand your site visitors’ behavior. Other MonsterInsights users have tracked who visits their site because of external referrals and engagement data for individual posts.

7. Site Kit By Google

Site Kit is an official WordPress plugin by Google that gives you access to multiple Google tools.

Its easy setup will give you quick access to features that can help you build your site’s visibility, like AdSense for monetization, PageSpeed for SEO, and various A/B testing tools for optimization.

8. Google Drive Embedder

Google Drive Embedder helps you effortlessly access your Google Drive documents in a popup window on your WordPress site. The plugin offers three different ways to include your Drive files on your pages: embed in-line as read-only files, editable links that open in new windows, or as downloads to site visitors’ computers.

The pro version comes with increased functionality, allowing you to browse through your files as you would within Google Drive.

Note: This plugin requires an additional download of the WordPress Google Apps Login widget.

9. WP Google Search

WP Google Search is an alternative to the default WordPress search tool that allows you to integrate Google’s powerful search bar on your site. With Google’s  Programmable Search Engine, you can configure your site’s search options and specify whether search queries should only surface results from your site, specifically selected sites, or general web results. You can also make visual customizations and change fonts and colors to match your site theme.

Use Google Tools on Your WordPress Site

Regardless of your needs, any of the plugins above can help you seamlessly integrate your favorite Google tools for increased functionality. Whatever you choose, keep in mind that you can use multiple plugins at a time to create a unique, feature-rich WordPress site.