a3 Lazy Load
by Steve Truman · Uncategorized
Also makes 12 other plugins · 97.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Use a3 Lazy Load for images, videos, iframes that are not lazy loaded by WordPress core. Instantly improve your sites load time and dramatically impro …
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Health
A 86/100
no flags
Active installs
80K+
≈90K estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “page load”, “photon” and “spinner” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4, #4 and #4 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
86 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 80K of 4.4M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 4 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-03-23Reviewers say it's quick to set up and fixes their image loading and page speed problems, with several reporting big jumps in performance scores.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 115 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 148 reviews, smoothed to 4.25★
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
9%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| a3 lazy load your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| image lazy load your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| lazy | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| lazy load | #2 | #2 | down 1 |
| jquery lazy load plugin | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| lazy loading your tag | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| load | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| lazy load xt | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| load time | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| images lazy load | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| background image lazy load | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| lazy load video | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| skip lazy loading | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| page load | #4 | #5 | up 1 |
| photon | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| spinner | #4 | #2 | 0 |
| lazy images | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| lazy load images | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| lazy load plugin | #3 | #4 | down 2 |
| iframe lazy load | #3 | #3 | 0 |
113 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 75 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “page load”, “photon” and “spinner” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4, #4 and #4 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 92.1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v2.7.9 · 8 Jul 2026
64
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 76% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “80K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 90K.
Install history since 1 Oct 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ f3rr07mo ago
This plugin saved me a lot of time and solved my site loading problems.Super easy setup and customization. Great job. Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SmartRapper1.1y ago
Saves a lot of people a lot of time and energy. Thank you Steve
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Daniel1.2y ago
I had a problem of images on top of page loading after iframes on bottom of page (out of viewport).Installed this plugin, activated, tested the page and… problem solved!Few times a plugin solved an issue so quickly. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gustavo Oak1.2y ago
Working just fine!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ anavato1.5y ago
Amazing! The plugin for lazy loading images works flawlessly. Page speed scores are much higher now. Super easy to configure and doesn’t break layouts like some others.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ skylerdesign2.1y ago
Brought my Lightspeed performance score from a 75 to a 99 with a Vimeo video embed. Thanks!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dim7952.4y ago
I tried a large number of plugins, inserted the code manually – Your plugin just helped me out! I installed it and everything works as I wanted! Thank you very much for such a functional solution!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pflanzenvielfalt2.6y ago
After a bit of trying, I was able to achieve significant improvements in page speed. Great thing – thank you
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.7.9 This release contains an important security fix – please update right away. Security – Hardened the admin settings AJAX handler and tightened outbound API requests. 2.7.9
- — Version 2.7.8 This release contains an important security fix – please update right away. Security – Fixed a cross-site scripting (XSS) issue. 2.7.8
- — Version 2.7.7 This maintenance release has compatibility with WordPress 7.0 and a small improvement for sites that use WP Rocket. Tweak – Tested for compatibility with WordPress 7.0 Tweak – Lazy load works more reliably when WP Rocket 2.7.7
- — Version 2.7.6 This release has a security hardening patch and compatibility with WordPress 6.8.3 – please upgrade now. Tweak – Tested for compatibility with WordPress 6.8.3 Security – Fixed HTML attribute injection vulnerability 2.7.6
- — Version 2.7.5 This maintenance release has 1 bug fix Fix – Make the _load_textdomain_just_in_time is called correctly 2.7.5
- — Version 2.7.4 This maintenance release has 1 bug fix and compatibility with WordPress 6.8.1 Tweak – Tested for compatibility with WordPress 6.8.1 Security – Escape all variable before output 2.7.4
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 4 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.7.9). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 a3 Lazy Load <= 2.7.6 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Video Element ↗2026-05-27 CVE-2026-6427 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.7.6 Patched in 2.7.7
- Patched Medium · 6.4 a3 Lazy Load <= 2.7.5 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-12-12 CVE-2025-9873 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.7.5 Patched in 2.7.6
- 2022-11-02 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 2.6.0 Patched in 2.6.1
- Patched High · 8.8 a3rev Multiple Plugins <= Various Versions - Cross-Site Request Forgery to Settings Changes ↗2022-05-24 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 2.4.9 Patched in 2.5.0
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 20 languages, 11 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Use a3 Lazy Load for images, videos, iframes that are not lazy loaded by WordPress core. Instantly improve..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 2 of 4 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Filter tags to apply lazy load").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Elementor, Google Maps, Advanced Custom Fields and 4 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 18 headings and 10 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 6,709 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "lazyload" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-16 90K+ → 80K+ down after 196 days in tier
- 2026-04-03 100K+ → 90K+ down after 1432 days in tier
- 2022-05-02 200K+ → 100K+ down after 882 days in tier
- 2019-12-02 100K+ → 200K+ up after 391 days in tier
- 2018-11-06 90K+ → 100K+ up after 56 days in tier
- 2018-09-11 80K+ → 90K+ up after 35 days in tier
- 2018-08-07 70K+ → 80K+ up after 63 days in tier
- 2018-06-05 60K+ → 70K+ up after 35 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Lazy Load Optimizer 3K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D - L Lazy Optimization 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
- N NavThems Lazy Load — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
SARVAROV Lazy Load — installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … 20K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for a3 Lazy Load into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/a3-lazy-load" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="a3 Lazy Load — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> a3 Lazy Load: 80K+ active installs, 4.3★ (148 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/a3-lazy-load
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