There are a lot of companies who have contributed to the web since the inception of the internet. Google and WordPress are one of them. Since WordPress is the most widely used CMS globally and has more than 60% of websites built on it, it has an important place among the admirers of the internet. That’s why a lot of companies, such as Google, have also contributed to making WordPress plugins for it.
Just so you know, WordPress is an open-source project. Open source means a project to which anyone can contribute and help make it better. You can learn more about it here.
Google as the biggest search engine has done quite well in contributing to webmasters. Since WordPress is being used by almost everyone in this space, Google has a few contributions to WordPress as well. This blog is about all those plugins that Google has developed for WordPress enthusiasts over the years.
In this blog, we’ll talk about all the plugins the search giant owns in this space or has contributed to in the past couple of years.
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1. Site Kit by Google
Site Kit by Google is a powerful WordPress plugin, first released in 2019, that seamlessly connects your website with various essential Google services. This all-in-one solution enables website owners to access key metrics and insights from Google Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, and PageSpeed Insights, all within their WordPress dashboard. It has more than 3 million installs.
While it’s an amazing plugin to have for stats and all, it really slows down a website as far as I’ve noticed. So, if you’re not looking to look at your website stats within WordPress, I’d recommend installing a code manually instead of going for this plugin.
Features:
- Seamlessly connects WordPress with Google services.
- Integrates Google Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, and PageSpeed Insights.
- Real-time data and insights within the WordPress dashboard.
- Helps make data-driven decisions for site improvement.
2. Web Stories
Web Stories, introduced in 2020, is a creative WordPress plugin that empowers website owners to create visually captivating and interactive full-screen stories. This plugin allows you to engage your audience with immersive storytelling, combining text, images, videos, and animations in a mobile-friendly format.
Features:
- Create visually engaging full-screen stories.
- Includes text, images, videos, and animations.
- Mobile-friendly and fast-loading.
- Customizable templates to match branding.
3. Dinosaur Game
Dinosaur Game is a playful WordPress plugin that brings the famous offline game from Google Chrome to your website. This entertaining plugin allows you to engage visitors during internet downtime or offer them a fun distraction. You can use this plugin to embed Google’s popular Dino game to your website which features T-Rex running with your keyboard’s Space bar.
Features:
- Adds the “T-Rex Run” game from Google Chrome.
- Easy one-click activation on the website.
- Provides entertainment during internet downtime.
4. Google Cloud Storage plugin
Google Cloud Storage plugin offers a practical solution to enhance your WordPress site’s performance and scalability. By offloading media files like images and videos to Google Cloud Storage, this plugin reduces server load and improves loading times.
Features:
- Automatically store media on Google Cloud Storage.
- Reduces server load and improves site performance.
- Seamless integration with the existing media library.
- Enhanced security and data redundancy.
5. Modern Images WP
Modern Images WP optimizes your WordPress site’s images using Google’s WebP image format. By reducing image file sizes without compromising quality, this plugin significantly improves website performance and user experience.
Features:
- Automatically converts images to WebP format.
- Smaller image sizes without quality loss.
- Improved SEO and faster page loading.
- Broad browser compatibility.
So, these were some of the plugins that Google has developed or contributed to over the past couple of years for the greater good. I won’t say that all of them work quite well, but these are some great additions to WordPress and its users worldwide. You can find all those plugins here in WordPress plugins directory.
