Vital WordPress Plugins for Portfolio Themes

WordPress, conventionally perceived as a blogging platform, is actually one of the most flexible and easy-to-use content management systems. Even with limited or zero knowledge of HTML, you can still do wonders with your website by using this platform. This is especially useful for photographers, illustrators and others in the creative line who may not be well-versed with coding. After all, all you have to do is (1) pick a WordPress Portfolio theme and (2) decide on the best plugins for your website, and you will be able to create a website beyond mere text.

Yet faced with the vast amount of plugins available on WordPress, choosing the right plugins can be intimidating. To help you get started, we have listed a few plugins that we find more useful for the users creating portfolios using WordPress.

NextGEN Gallery

Simple yet professional, this plugin is popular with users for the way it displays images in a classic format with a simple-to-use back-end. It comes with a Flash slideshow option as well.

Flickr Gallery

Creating interesting portfolio galleries extracted with your Flickr photos cannot be easier. The plugin allows you to extract pictures and videos within seconds, saving you the trouble of uploading them one by one onto your web directory.

Thumbnail for Excerpts

It’s a well-known fact that web users are more attracted to images than chunks of text. Get more traffic by adding thumbnails to excerpts on your website with this plugin. Plus, it gives your portfolio a cleaner and crisper look, making it easier for navigation.

FlippingBook

Make your images browse like a book with FlippingBook, a plugin which also separates your images into individual albums. The interactive nature of these albums gives your visitors a little more than just a static page to interact with.

Image Drop Shadow

As the name suggests, this plugin automatically creates a drop-shadow effect for your images in your portfolio website. It gives them the appearance of being more three-dimensional.

Featured Content Gallery

You can embed a customizable rotating image gallery anywhere in your website by adding a Featured Content Gallery. You can also supplement your images with captions.

WordTube

With this new plugin, you can now embed your favorite videos, music, photos, and more directly on your website.

GD Star Rating

Let your visitors vote for how much they like your designs, photos or even comments with this plugin.

Cforms II

For a portfolio website, adding contact forms is crucial. This plugin helps you add multiple forms to your website based on your requirements.

PhotoQ

This plugin installs instantly to help you convert your WordPress blog into a photoblog.

Post Templates

The essential time saver, Post Templates allows you to create various templates based on the formats of previous posts. This way, you can cut down the amount of time spent creating new posts from scratch.

Images: wordpress.org

Brands That Are Using WordPress

WordPress is the platform of choice for most when it comes to selecting the best blogging platform or the most powerful content management system. It is preferred not just by small businesses, but also by some of the most renowned brands in the world. Below is a list of the top-ranked brands that utilize the WordPress system for their websites.

Prominent brands using the WordPress system and WordPress themes for their sites and blogs include:

Yahoo

After Google, Yahoo is one of the most used search engines. The brand owns a network communication system in the form of Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo! Mail, both used by millions of people around the world.

CNN

Rated as one of the most efficient news channels, CNN uses WordPress for their political commentary website.

Ben & Jerry

Ben & Jerry is one of the world’s most beloved ice-cream brands. The brand operates its blog on the WordPress system for the ease of use by its followers.

Download.com

Another widely used platform, Download.com has its blog based entirely on the WordPress platform for easy management of content.

eBay

Most people know eBay as an online marketplace and a success story of the dot.com bubble, but did you know the official blog of eBay is designed on the WordPress platform?

cPanel

One of the most renowned server interfaces used by web developers, cPanel has several software such as Fantastico which helps its users install WordPress on their websites.

Flickr

Image, video and web hosting service, as well as an online community, Flickr is a community that uses the WordPress platform to help its users share pictures, videos, etc.

Digg Blog

Digg is one of the most commonly used social networking sites used by millions of users around the world. The official blog of this social site is designed entirely on WordPress.

Ford

One of the largest global brands designing some of the world’s highest quality fuel cars, Ford uses WordPress as for its CMS.

GE – General Electric

GE is one of the biggest electronic brands offering you a wide range of products from jet engines, power generators to financial services. The brand has its entire blog built using the WordPress platform.

Mozilla Firefox

One of the most commonly used web browser, Mozilla Firefox, has its official blog designed entirely on the WordPress system.

People Magazine

A weekly magazine detailing the lives of celebrities. The online version of the magazine uses WordPress as its CMS.

Besides this array of brands, there also are a few top-ranked universities that use WordPress and its business WordPress theme for their websites and blogs.

WordPress for small business

Given the proliferation of web users, an online presence is crucial for most businesses today. Not only does a company website help businesses reach a wider audience, but it also allows the company to perform functions such as customer service at lower costs online. In order to make website management a fuss-free affair, it is crucial that the website be designed using interactive platforms or CMS systems such as WordPress.

Powerful CMS

Whether small or large, the success of a business depends on the way it manages relationships with clients. Manage your clients with websites built using WordPress, the most widely used blogging tool, preferred for its powerful Content Management System. Besides allowing you to integrate a blog into your website, WordPress also offers  SEO functionalities for optimizing web content.

Aesthetics-wise, WordPress themes are readily available. This makes it easy to revamp the look of your website without altering its functions.

Most importantly, WordPress is a FREE One-Click-Installation system that is frequently updated.

Perfect solution for small business

In order to satisfy your clients in the climate of speed today, it is necessary to be extremely responsive online. As a blogging platform, WordPress offers you the means to update your clients frequently, increase interaction and answer their queries. This is especially important for small businesses trying to succeed in a saturated market.

All factors combined, WordPress is the perfect solution for your small business needs.

Portfolius v11: Business WordPress theme

PandaThemes offers a business WordPress theme: Portfolius v.11, a basic WordPress template designed to focus on content-rich websites for businesses. Portfolius v.11 comes with 3 custom widgets and 6 sidebars, providing you the freedom of customization based on your preferences. The WordPress theme helps you showcase all your services and products, whether small or large, allowing you to reach out to a wider audience.

Furthermore, this business WordPress theme includes Featured Pages to allow you to share your business proposals with your clients. Simply add a new page to your website every time you would like to share a new proposal with your clients. Adding content, images, flash videos, etc. is all just a click away in WordPress. The theme also includes a mini Features section that you can use to present a list of your services or detail the competitive edge of your company.

Standard Package – $69 Purchase
Developer Package – $149 Purchase

Live Demo | Theme Details