WordPress Checklist Plugins to Keep Your Site on Track
Nothing keeps you on track like a checklist. And when we say checklist, we mean one that’s in writing (as the mental ones can vanish as quickly as they appear).
In this article, we’re going to look at some free plugins from the WordPress repository that will incorporate checklists right on your site.
The ones we’ve chosen are backend checklists meant for your or your team. However, they can make a big difference on the frontend for visitors.
Continue reading, or jump ahead using these links:
Posts To-Do List
Pre-Publish Checklist
Accessibility Checker
Cookiebot
Check, Mate
Posts To Do List
Posts To Do List plugin.
The Posts To Do List plugin lets you create ideas for articles, then assign them to any members on the team—including yourself.
A convenient box in the posts editing page allows everyone to share the posts they think are worth writing.
There’s an entry field where you can share a URL of a page that inspired you, and the plugin will fetch the title by itself. You can change the retrieved title, suggest a keyword, and add other notes, set a priority, and assign the post to the author of your choosing.
Or you can leave everything blank but the Title field, providing a suggestion for the assignee to build on.
Posts to Do List screenshots.
No more emails with laundry lists of what you should or shouldn’t be doing. Everything will be right inside WordPress to see. Not only for the administrator, but any logged in user.
The administrator can decide what user roles can add new posts to the to-do list and what user roles can delete already added items. It’s also possible to hide posts you have assigned to other users from view.
Posts to Do List email.
From a simple Stats page on the dashboard, it will be clear how many posts you have added and assigned, providing a quick overview of what’s on deck.
Writers can then check off the posts they’ve done (or whatever task was assigned).
Pre-Publish Checklist
Pre-Publish Checklist plugin.
The Pre-Publish Checklist is a useful plugin that lets you monitor whether the posts, pages and custom post types on your website are complete.
Is the fear of publishing an incomplete post haunting you already? Do you get worried about tasks like adding a featured image, updating the permalink, etc. just when you are about to click the publish button?
All of this is handled with an easy to use Pre-Publish Checklist plugin that lets you create a checklist you wish to maintain for every post type on your website.
You can build a checklist with necessary tasks and prioritize them by placing them in the required order. This will make sure that you are reminded of the remaining tasks before the post goes live.
Pre-Publish Checklist screenshots.
Here are some of the key features:
Manage a checklist for your pages, posts, custom post types, etc. – The plugin fetches all of them in the settings and you can select where you wish to add the checklist.
Create dedicated and personalized checklists for each of them – You can choose to create different checklists for pages, posts, etc. depending on the design and needs.
Overview the progress of posts and pages – You no longer need to open the post or page editor to see whether a checklist is completed. We have added a column that can be seen alongside the list of posts and pages that will tell you whether a checklist is completed, how many items left or if a checklist isn’t added for a particular post type.
The Pre-Publish Checklist plugin lets you create a checklist and enable the specific post types you wish to have it applied to.
You can select the message that should be displayed to users when they click on the publish button without completing everything mentioned in the checklist.
A pre-publish meta box gets added to the post types that you’ve selected and the plugin does its job every time you click the publish button without completing the checklist.
Accessibility Checker
Accessibility Checker plugin.
The Accessibility Checker plugin ensures ongoing ADA, Section 508, AODA, & WCAG Compliance, providing easy to understand accessibility error and warning notifications right on your post and/or page edit screen.
Sites accessible to persons with disabilities have multiple benefits, including faster load speed, better SEO, and a boost for PR. Not only is making a site fully accessible the right thing to do, there are legal implications for not doing so. (Check out this article for a deep dive into Website Accessibility, including information on WCAG and ADA compliance.)
Accessibility Checker automatically scans your content each time you save a draft or hit publish, giving you real-time feedback on your post or page accessibility.
You’ll receive a visual overview of how your content stacks up against more than 40 different accessibility checks created to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 success criteria. Each item is identified as an error or warning depending upon its severity, so that you can prioritize your fixes. For each error or warning flagged, Accessibility Checker lists the code that triggered the error or warning.
For already accessible websites, Accessibility Checker is an excellent tool for ensuring ongoing compliance and accessibility. No need to be an accessibility expert or memorize long lists of WCAG success criteria – Accessibility Checker provides an easy to understand accessibility checklist. Content area scans are visible on each post or page edit screen as you type – no need to go elsewhere on your site to view results or visit a third-party website.
Accessibility Checker screenshots.
Here are a few of Accessibility Checker’s many features:
Coded and tested by accessibility experts. Equalize Digital is a corporate member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and experts at building accessible WordPress websites.
WCAG 2.1 A, AA, & AAA guidance. Flags errors and warnings for accessibility problems according to WCAG 2.1.
Readability analysis & auto insertion of simplified summary. Includes a Flesch Kincaid grade level analysis and place to enter a simplified summary to meet WCAG Success Criterion 3.1.5 Reading Level.
Detailed documentation. Thorough help articles and instructions for fixing problems – the perfect resource for learning more about accessibility.
Accessibility Checker provides a great Getting Started Quick Guide as well.
The Equalize Digital team aims to provide regular support for Accessibility Checker on the WordPress.org forums. If you need one-on-one email support, consider purchasing Accessibility Checker Pro. Accessibility Checker Pro customers receive unlimited personal support on plugin usage, and add additional features such as:
Scan additional post types. Add the Accessibility Checker in-post accessibility audit to any post type present on your website.
Centralized Open Issues list. See all existing issues in one place for fast-track accessibility remediation.
Ignore Log. See all items that have been ignored on the website, by whom, and when in one central place. Reopen errors or warnings that have been incorrectly ignored.
Accessibility statement. Draft accessibility statement that you can modify for your organization and publish on your website to share your accessibility efforts with the public.
They also offer Priority Support Packages that include phone and Zoom video support, as well as assistance with accessibility/screen reader testing and custom coding.
Accessibility Checker supports a variety of WordPress editors, and been tested and confirmed compatible with:
Gutenberg Block Editor
Classic Editor
Advanced Custom Fields
Beaver Builder
Divi
Elementor
Oxygen
[Pro] WooCommerce
Cookiebot
Cookiebot plugin.
The Cookiebot | GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Consent and Control plugin is a highly customizable consent banner to handle consents, giving users the choice to opt in and out of cookie categories, as required by the GDPR/ePR, CCPA and similar legislations around the world.
Cookiebot is a cloud-driven solution that automatically controls cookies and trackers, enabling full GDPR/ePR and CCPA compliance. Among its offerings are:
An automatically generated and updated cookie policy and cookie declaration, with purpose descriptions and categorization of your cookies (Necessary, Statistic, Preferences, Marketing).
The unique Cookiebot feature of automatic cookie blocking. All cookies and tracking are automatically held back right from the moment the user lands on the website and until the proper consent has been obtained, enabling compliance with the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive.
An easy way to allow the user to change or withdraw their consent.
Supports 45 languages in consent banner and cookie declaration.
Execution of cookie-setting scripts without a page reload, if the user gives consent.
Cookiebot also enables compliance with the CCPA through the implementation of the Do Not Sell My Personal Information link on a website’s cookie declaration, as well as the opt-in banner required if your website targets visitors under the age of 16.
The default consent banner has the strictest settings possible and is suitable for obtaining consent under both GDPR and the ePR, however you can adapt the consent banner content to fit your website.
Cookiebot screenshots.
Cookiebot also provides quite a few helpful resources, such as:
GDPR checklist (if you have users from the European Union)
Server side usage guide (if you are using server-side cookies)
Manual implementation (if choose to go that route)
Embedded videos and iframes (so set cookies can be marked up as well)
The free version of the plugin provides one block, however they offer Premium or Enterprise plans in addition (for a fee), which include additional features and allowances.
Check, Mate
Checklists aren’t necessary to running a website, but they can come in pretty handy, and prevent those unwanted “oops” at critical junctures.
From creating and assigning article posts, to making sure all your pre-publish tasks have been handled, to ticking off boxes in the area of website accessibility, and even the content & creation of cookies—these are just a few of the scenarios where compiling to-do’s in WordPress is helpful.
Checklists give you the convenience of having everything in one place, and being able to visually confirm all the action items that have been (or remain to be) completed.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for accuracy and relevancy.
[Originally Published: May 2014 / Revised: April 2022]