What is Jetpack? A Brief Overview of Multi-Purpose WP Plugin

Need a WordPress plugin that will give you many must-have features in one place? Jetpack might be exactly what you’re looking for! In this article, I’ll explain what is Jetpack and which webmasters can benefit from it the most.

Jetpack covers features related to security, appearance, performance, site management, and more, earning it the “all-in-one” label. All you have to do is activate the features you need through its module system.

A lot of the core tools are free to access too. Meanwhile, the paid plans offer additional features – automated daily backups, premium WordPress support, PayPal support, and much more.

No wonder Jetpack is one of the most popular WordPress plugins out there with over 5 million active installations, and an average rating of 3.9 out of 5.

You might ask is Jetpack reliable? It is created by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has a great track record and definitely earns my mark of approval too.

Let’s move on, explore Jetpack in more detail, learn how to install it, and figure out if it’s the right tool for you.

Jetpack’s Many Features

Jetpack’s features are provided in the form of 35 modules, with each having a specific function.

For example, several modules belong to the Writing section:

Proofreading – checks for spelling, style, and grammatical errors.
Markdown – enables content formatting by using the markdown syntax.
Copy Post – makes it possible to create a new post based on existing content.
Business Hours Block – can display business opening hours on the site.
Comment Likes – activates an upvote feature on the comment section, similar to that of Facebook’s.
Shortcode Embeds – helps embed videos and other content on your site through the use of shortcodes.

Let’s check out four other modules which you can activate:

Protect

This module can protect your site from brute force attacks. It is based on BruteProtect which was acquired by Automattic.

The module secures the site by monitoring IP addresses that fail to log in to Jetpack-connected WordPress sites multiple times, blocking them for a set period.

Moreover, you can also find out how many times the brute force attack protection module kept your site safe from attacks on the site stats page.

Contact Forms

As the name implies, if you activate this module, it will allow you to create a contact form on a page or post.

The interface is incredibly simple, helping ease in new WordPress users who want to engage their audience. Despite its limited customization options, the module makes up for the flaw with reliability and how easy it makes to review and respond to messages.

Have you ever read an article, and saw a selection of related posts below it? You can have a section like this too by activating the related posts module.

The feature encourages visitors to stay on your site longer. In addition, unlike other stand-alone related post plugins, this module puts much less strain on your site’s resources.

Monitor

Of course, you want your site to be available to visitors 24/7. That’s why this module is particularly important since it monitors the status of your website.

The downtime monitoring module will check whether your site is up every five minutes. If it’s down, the module will send a notification to your email informing you about the issue. This lets you rest easy: if your site experiences issues – you’ll know about it ASAP.

Jetpack Premium

Aside from its free version, Jetpack also offers paid options. Each plan provides various features that can enhance site security, boost traffic, and improve performance.

The three paid options are:

The Personal plan. It costs $3.50 per month or $39 if you purchase it for a year. The plan provides additional features like daily automated backups, automated spam filtering, and priority support.
The Premium plan costs $9/month, or $99 per year. This one offers improved security through automated malware scanning and automatic security fixes. It also provides tools to bring in more traffic and revenue with the help of SEO preview tools and integrated PayPal payments.
The Professional plan will cost $29 per month or $299 per year. It brings you the best that Jetpack can offer. Aside from previously mentioned features, you get real-time automated backups, over 200 premium WordPress themes, and an improved search widget.

All these features are incredibly useful, but using all of them at once may not be necessary for your site. For example, if you’re a prolific blogger with a high traffic site, then the Personal or Premium plan will suit you best, as both provide priority support and downtime monitoring. If you feel like you need automated spam filtering simply opt for premium!

I recommend choosing the Premium or Professional plan if you own an online business as PayPal payment integration will definitely come in useful, and automatic site backups are an absolute must-have feature.

If you want your site to be as secure as possible, choose the Premium or Professional plan as well since the provided automated malware scanning feature, and automatic security fixes will keep you better protected.

Setting Up Jetpack on a WordPress Site

Are you ready to activate the modules and enjoy their benefits? First, you need to install Jetpack to your WordPress site. I will show you how to install the plugin and activate the modules below:

Installing Jetpack

Installing Jetpack is easy; the steps are the same as installing any other plugin. The only exception is having to connect to a WordPress.com account. Here are the steps:

First, access your WordPress dashboard.
Select Plugin –> Add New on the left sidebar.
Find the Jetpack plugin by using the search bar.
Click the Install Now button.
When the installation process is finished, click Activate.
Once you have activated Jetpack, you will be prompted to set up the plugin. Click Set up Jetpack
Since Jetpack is hosted with the help of WordPress.com, you need to log in to your WordPress account. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up during the setup process. If you’re ready to log in, press Connect to WordPress.com.
Once the system authorizes your connection, click Approve.
You will be asked to enter some site details: what type of site you run and a keyword representing your site. You can skip this step if you want.
Then, you will be offered to choose one of the paid Jetpack plans. If you prefer to use the free plan, click Start with Free at the bottom of the page.
That’s it! The Jetpack plugin is ready – you can activate your desired modules.

Activating the Features

After installing the plugin, you can easily activate each module from the plugin’s Settings page. For this example, let’s enable the Sitemaps module:

You will see the Jetpack button on the left sidebar. Click on it and choose Settings.
Choose the Traffic tab.
Scroll down until you find the Sitemaps box, and toggle Generate XML Sitemaps on. Then, the module will start working.

Should You Use Jetpack for Your WordPress Site?

The main perk of Jetpack is how easily you can activate modules that your site needs. And the list of options is definitely massive.

However, before deciding if Jetpack is for you, examine each pro and con. Let’s check them out!

The Good

Comprehensive modules – Jetpack provides a lot of modules that offer different features. They range from improving site security, or performance, to tools that help increase site traffic.
Scalable plans – The abundance of plans allows you to scale according to your needs. Therefore, it suits both freshly created and long-running WordPress sites.
Ease of use – You can easily activate and deactivate modules without any hassle on a single page. Jetpack truly covers more than any other single plugin.

The Bad

Connection to WordPress.com – Since it requires you to connect with WordPress.com, it makes for one extra account to take care of and secure.
Can slow down your site – Sometimes user reviews warn about reduced site performance when using Jetpack. Power users that might want many modules enabled may run into these issues.

The Verdict

This plugin is truly recommended if you need various security, performance, and quality of life improvement features in one place. The selection of modules is excellent, and the interface makes management incredibly easy. The free plan is a great way to try the basic features and see if Jetpack is for you.

The key to using Jetpack to its fullest lies in not using more than what you need, avoiding strain on your site’s resources.

Conclusion

To sum up, now you know the benefits of Jetpack and how to install and manage it on your WordPress site. Remember to decide which modules are required for your site carefully. That way, you can optimize your site’s performance, security, and management in one place.

So, which Jetpack features are must-have for your site? Let me know in the comment section below!

Edvardas S.