Akismet – comes installed with your WordPress by default. All you have to do is get an API Key to activate it. It prevents your blog from comment spam.
For automatic search engine optimzation
All-in-One SEO – This is an ultimate necessity for your blog if you want to have any chance of ranking high in search engines. All-in-One-SEO Pack allows you to add unique meta description, keywords, and titles to each page of your blog and blog posts. (Default settings are recommended.)
For easy communication with your visitors
Contact Form 7 – When running a blog you need to allow your users to contact you. This is the best contact form plugin till this date. It makes everything easy.
For speed
WP Super Cache – This plugin makes a copy of your web page on the server and by doing so it increases the page load time and reduces the resource consumption. It is essential that you have this plugin just incase if your site hits the Front Page of a social media network such as digg or stumbleupon, without this plugin, your server will most likely crash.
For peace of mind
WordPress Database Backup – This plugin lets you make backup for your blog as often as you need. You can set this process to be automated and have it deliver to your email or a safe spot in your webhost. By having this plugin, you can always stay on the safe side because if anything goes wrong, you have the latest backup in your possession. (Other Database Backup Solutions)
Keep readers in the loop
Subscribe to Comments – A plugin that allows your users to subscribe to the comments, so they will be notified when the next comment is posted. It helps your user to stay updated with the discussion and keep the activity going on your blog.
Easier tracking of feed subscribers
Feedburner Feedsmith – When creating your WordPress blog an essential part is having RSS Feed subscribers, and the most important of having subscribers is to be able to track them and keep the count. Which is when the service of feedburner came in play. This plugin converts all of your RSS Feeds, to your custom feedburner feeds, so all of your subscribers are subscribed to one feed therefore you get the most accurate count of your subscribers.
Send your visitors somewhere
Comment Redirect – This plugin lets you redirect the attention of your new users to a specific page. So you can actually substitute the email sent out by Comment Relish plugin by a page on your site. Sometimes users might prefer this over the email.