Joomla is an excellent system when someone needs a website up as quickly as possible. It manages content, media and many other aspects of the site. One of Joomla’s most attractive features is adding extensions and modules. These add-ons are what drive many to seek Joomla hosting.
Extensions are used to get more out of the popular content management system. They add greater functionality and give users tools to automatically accomplish many tasks. Of the extensions, there are some that are highly rated among users.
Here are 12 top rated extensions and why they are so popular among Joomla users.
1. Akeeba Backup
All website owners should have a plan for creating backups of their content. Akeeba Backup makes this process much easier. It’s more than merely a solution to create a copy of the website, though. It’s also a powerful system to recover from a disaster.
Akeeba includes integrated restoration of the website by storing files on the same server. This means that developers don’t have to spend a lot of time uploading thousands of files through their favorite FTP program. It can also restore files on any host including those operating WAMP or MAMP local installations.
2. Breezing Forms Pro
Forms are an important part to any business website whether its a basic contact sheet or to create orders from shopping carts. Breezing Forms Pro takes these aspects a bit further. Not only do users get a feature rich method of delivering forms, but it comes with a variety of integrations.
Breezing Forms Pro connects to the most popular platforms online. This long list of systems include Stripe, Dropbox, Salesforce, Google Drive Spreadsheets and many more. The forms built can even help process online payments.
3. Google Maps
Let’s face it, Google Maps is one of the most versatile platforms for locating just about any establishment. Adding Google Maps to the website gives visitors an easy way to identify where a business is located. From that simple map, consumers can easily load the GPS system on their mobile device and get directions directly to an establishment.
Many people like this plugin for Joomla because it also allows them to include more than one location in content items.
4. RSForms! Pro
Another excellent, and highly-rated module for Joomla is RSForms! Pro. This addition comes with a variety of layouts, anywhere publishing, placeholders and AJAX validation making it a convenient and versatile system.
RSForms! comes with a wide scope of available fields to help create the perfect form for almost any need. Text boxes, radio buttons, calendars and even CAPTCHA integrations are only a handful of the things users can implement through this add-on.
One of the highlights to RSForms! Pro is that it’s SEO oriented.
5. AcyMailing Starter
Email marketing is still one of the most cost-efficient and effective solutions for marketing. AcyMailing Starter allows users to optimize this effort by delivering an excellent system for creating the perfect messages. Whether it’s for general email or developing a newsletter, this system comes stocked with everything needed to get started.
Not only does this system provides a feature rich platform for developing messages, but it also includes social sharing plugins. This has potential to boost recognition through media locations such as Facebook and Twitter.
6. JEvents
Displaying planned events can be a great way to attract customers to a brick-and-mortar location or online business. For instance, a live video feed directly from webpages could be more productive if people knew how to plan for the broadcast.
One of the best things about JEvents is that anyone can set up event scheduling in stunning detail. Users can provide everything from a basic monthly calendar to delivering color legends depicting what is going on with the organization.
7. EasyBlog
For those who want to build a strong blog from Joomla, EasyBlog is one of the best extensions to use. Not only does is support integration with a plethora of third-party extensions, but it also has the ability to migrate from other platforms such as Zoo and WordPress.
EasyBlog has the ability to auto-post to social sites like Facebook and Twitter while allowing remote blogging from platforms like Windows Live Writer and ScribeFire. It’s an all-in-one blogging system that takes a lot of the work out of delivering content to the masses.
8. Phoca Gallery
No matter what kind of online business users operate, images will always help sell products and services. Phoca Gallery is one of the most used image platforms for Joomla since version 1.5.
Phoca comes with additional features such as frontend uploads, image comments, ratings and many more. Linking images to eCommerce extensions can provide a great way to cross-sell a product to visitors.
9. JSitemap
When it comes to indexing the website with search engines, a sitemap is necessary to have it done quickly. JSitemap is just the tool needed to begin optimizing the site for platforms such as Google. Now, JSitemap also supports integrating Webmaster Tools and Search Console to maximize SEO efforts.
All of the necessary XML files are created and ready to be crawled by sites like Google, Bing and Yahoo. JSitemap will also help analyze links to make sure they are not broken. You may find the keyword research tool to be of great use when developing content as well.
10. Advanced Module Manager
Although Joomla does have a great capacity for keeping track of its installs, the Advanced Module Manager makes it much easier to govern over additions. Among its functional traits, many have found giving the modules color labels makes for easy identification.
Modules can be controlled through a wide range of settings. Menu items, templates, URLs, components and more can be controlled through the use of Advanced Module Manager. This could be a time saver, especially if users have a lot of additional items installed on a Joomla website.
11. FaLang
Not everyone speaks the same language fluently. When users need a translation of content in Joomla, FaLang is a great extension to have. Its flexibility is one of the finer additions as it can translate new content with each new component added to Joomla.
In essence, users don’t have to worry about additional modules written in another language as FaLang will translate them. With its additional extensions, developers can even translate content from K2, RedShop, jDownload and more.
12. Community Builder
Because social media plays such an integral part of everyday life, many people try to duplicate its success on their own website. Community Builder is one such addition that can make that happen. Mobile ready profile pages, applications, avatar photos and more can all be part of the Joomla hosting experience.
Community Builder comes with the capacity to integrate with articles, Kunena forums and uddeIM messaging add-ons to give the social site a more robust functionality. The platform is highly customizable and can fit virtually any social niche created.
A website driven by Joomla hosting can be as fun to build as it is to maintain. By installing any of the above extensions, the website can be more feature-rich and engaging. Find the right platform and build a website that is memorable while serving a purpose.
