Sometimes, it is worth it to know when and when not, to use a plugin for your WordPress site. Read on to learn more about Jetpack, including tips about its features, to help you benefit the most from the plugin.

• It’s Really Simple to Use

No matter what you use WordPress for; it’s no secret that in addition to running your site, you’re always behind the scene’s managing other parts of your blog.

The benefits of using Jetpack will amaze you. It’s so simple, I thought I was doing it wrong at first; I was looking for more instructions where there was none.

If you want to install, head to Plugins> Add New; then type “Jetpack” into your search. Click Install Now when the item comes up and you’re finished! If you haven’t created a WordPress account yet, you may need to so that you can link Jetpack to your blog.

Once active, Jetpack has its own dashboard and navigation bar at the top. Clicking it will take you to a page that has a view of the dashboard where you can see all your stats etc.

On this page, you can see all of the things that Jetpack can do widget style. I did have my doubts about the learning curve for this plugin, but with this page, you can see all the Learn More options and really get into it. All of the information is given in pop-under as well so you don’t have to go anywhere, or open any other tabs. Awesome!

• Receive Site Stats for Multi-Author Sites

If you’re a contributor on a site with multiple authors, it can be difficult to get statistics or analytics that tell you how many page views or comments you’ve received. For pages with multiple authors (sometimes upwards of 20!), using Jetpack will provide you with useful site stats that tell you how your content is faring. Within minutes of installing this plugin, you get access to insightful site stats.

Additionally, Jetpack Post Statistics Link companion plugin will let you click on individual posts in the dashboard so you can see stats for any posting you want.

• Comment or Subscribe

If you’ve been having issues with comments or subscriptions, Jetpack can take care of this for you. When you enable Jetpack, visitors to your site will now see this: (image)

Now, normally, this would take at least two different plugins to get this job done; Jetpack does it all-in-one. What’s even better is that choosing your options and making settings is so easy to do. With different dashboards for many plugins, Jetpack removes the headache by including the Configure button right on the main page.

• Social Sharing

Sometimes, one of the most irritating things about WordPress is trying to share it to your social sites, or allow your visitors to share for you. Usually, these types of actions require plugins to be specially configured, or hard coding them in yourself. Alternatively, you could buy a very expensive theme that includes them for you, or, you could install Jetpack.

Jetpack lets you include sharing buttons for social media easier than anything I’ve seen out there. Just drag and drop them from a huge list of popular social sites:

At this point, you can see a preview and make changes if needed. Another useful feature!

• Document Review

The Jetpack plugin includes one of the most useful features I’ve seen for a plugin of its type. Spelling and grammar help. If you don’t want to be the one making embarrassing errors on your own page, be sure to take full advantage of the Jetpack review feature, powered by After the Deadline. The review tool is very thorough, providing users with the ability to proofread with specific rules, and languages. I don’t know a single site owner out there who couldn’t use just one more spell check before publishing!

While the plugin contains many, other features that aren’t mentioned here, you’re going to have to check it out for yourself. It’s worth it, as a powerful, helpful, even essential plugin. Every WordPress user can take something from Jetpack and make it worth their while.

Have fun!