Here is the wp-cli command to install my list of “always install” plugins (see below for “in WordPress” installing):

wp plugin install --activate --skip-plugins --skip-themes accessibility-checker ai-engine akismet autodescription flamingo google-site-kit instant-images media-library-assistant redirection relevanssi svg-support the-seo-framework-extension-manager ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg updraftplus wpforms-lite wp-mail-smtp ws-form

If you edit themes, child themes, theme.json

wp plugin install --activate --skip-plugins --skip-themes wppusher

WPPusher loads your theme from your GitHub account, if you don’t want to use Git to load it.

For most online stores

wp plugin install --activate --skip-plugins --skip-themes cartflows surecart

CartFlows is for tracking how people use your site, “flow” from page to page during the shopping process. You can find out if something in the shopping process isn’t working, or can be improved. You can send reminders when people have something in their shopping cart but don’t purchase.

SureCart is a simpler, faster online store than WooCommerce is. You will likely find SureCart is much easier to set up, unless you have a more complex store than most people would need.

For online courses

Install the plugins for online stores and:

wp plugin install --activate --skip-plugins --skip-themes lifterlms

For complex online stores

If you run a store needing product variations, multiple currencies, multiple shipping options, multiple sales tax zones, use WooCommerce instead of SureCart.

wp plugin install --activate --skip-plugins --skip-themes woocommerce woocommerce-payments woocommerce-paypal-payments

For site security, use WordFence and a password manager.

A password manager aka password keeper, can store any information you want to keep encrypted and want to access online, with structured fields for things like FTP connections, SSH keys, credit cards, software licenses.

Password keeper is probably included with your Windows anti-virus software.

For OS/X and Linux, any of the free password keepers will work. (And install a free anti-virus program, to scan occasionally for files with Windows viruses; you don’t want to give those files to anyone else.)

The Best Antivirus Software for 2023 | PCMag
The Best Free Antivirus Software for 2023 | PCMag

The password keeper I use is LastPass. LastPass is cross-platform, free version probably has everything you need, paid version is inexpensive and has access from multiple devices (e.g. desktop computer and mobile phone). I rarely need it on my phone, so I use phone’s web browser instead of the phone app.

For Manual Installing in WordPress

These are the plugins I install on almost every WordPress site.

accessibility-checker	Accessibility Checker	Audit and check your website for accessibility before you hit publish. In-post accessibility scanner and guidance.
ai-engine	AI Engine: Chatbots, Generators, Assistants, GPT 4 and more!	Add AI into WordPress! Chatbot (ChatGPT), content and images generators, copilot, model training and much more! Highly customizable, sleek UI. You will love it!
akismet	Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection	Used by millions, Akismet is quite possibly the best way in the world to protect your blog from spam. Your site is fully configured and being protected, even while you sleep.
cartflows	CartFlows	Create beautiful checkout pages & sales flows for WooCommerce.
flamingo	Flamingo	A trustworthy message storage plugin designed for Contact Form 7. But it works great with most form plugins or forms in page builders.
instant-images	Instant Images	One click image uploads directly to your media library from Unsplash, Openverse, Pixabay and Pexels.
lifterlms	LifterLMS	Complete e-learning platform to sell online courses, protect lessons, offer memberships, and quiz students.
media-library-assistant	Media Library Assistant	Enhances the Media Library; powerful mla_gallery, mla_tag_cloud, mla_term_list, taxonomy support, IPTC/EXIF/XMP/PDF processing, bulk/quick edit.
media-sync	Media Sync	Simple plugin to scan uploads directory and bring files to Media Library.
phoenix-media-rename	Phoenix Media Rename	The Phoenix Media Rename plugin allows you to simply rename your media files, once uploaded.
redirection	Redirection	Manage all your 301 redirects and monitor 404 errors
regenerate-thumbnails	Regenerate Thumbnails	Regenerate the thumbnails for one or more of your image uploads. Useful when changing their sizes or your theme.
relevanssi	Relevanssi	This plugin replaces WordPress search with a relevance-sorting search.
google-site-kit	Site Kit by Google	Site Kit is a one-stop solution for WordPress users to use everything Google has to offer to make them successful on the web.
ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg	Spectra	The Spectra extends the Gutenberg functionality with several unique and feature-rich blocks that help build websites faster.
surecart	SureCart	A simple yet powerful headless e-commerce platform designed to grow your business with effortlessly selling online. I prefer it over WooCommerce for all but the most complex stores.
svg-support	SVG Support	Upload SVG files to the Media Library and render SVG files inline for direct styling/animation of an SVG’s internal elements using CSS/JS.
autodescription	The SEO Framework	An automated, advanced, accessible, unbranded and extremely fast SEO solution for your WordPress website.
the-seo-framework-extension-manager	The SEO Framework – Extension Manager	Add more powerful SEO features to The SEO Framework. Right from your WordPress dashboard.
updraftplus	UpdraftPlus – Backup/Restore	Backup and restore: take backups locally, or backup to Amazon S3, Dropbox, Google Drive, Rackspace, (S)FTP, WebDAV & email, on automatic schedules.
woocommerce	WooCommerce	An eCommerce toolkit that helps you sell anything. Beautifully. (I prefer SureCart for all but the most complex stores.)
woocommerce-paypal-payments	WooCommerce PayPal Payments	PayPal’s latest complete payments processing solution. Accept PayPal, Pay Later, credit/debit cards, alternative digital wallets local payment types and bank accounts. Turn on only PayPal options or process a full suite of payment methods. Enable global transaction with extensive currency and country coverage.
woocommerce-payments	WooPayments	Accept payments via credit card. Manage transactions within WordPress.
wpforms-lite	WPForms Lite	Beginner-friendly WordPress contact form plugin. Use our Drag & Drop form builder to create your WordPress forms. I usually use WS Form LITE.
wp-mail-smtp	WP Mail SMTP	Reconfigures the `wp_mail()` function to use Gmail/Mailgun/SendGrid/Brevo/SMTP instead of the default `mail()` and creates an options page to manage the settings. Those email hosts will get your emails delivered better than any website host will, with full validation that you are the authorized sender.
wppusher	WP Pusher	Pain-free deployment of WordPress themes and plugins directly from GitHub.
ws-form	WS Form LITE	Build Better WordPress Forms. Designed for low resource use, at enterprise-level demands.
wordpress-seo	Yoast SEO	The first true all-in-one SEO solution for WordPress, including on-page content analysis, XML sitemaps and much more. (I prefer The SEO Framework)

The plugins I use, with their wp-cli name, title, and description.

Plugins and Tools to Install for Every WordPress Site