Advanced Permalinks
by John Godley · SEO
Also makes 14 other plugins · 2.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows multiple permalink structures and category-specific permalinks without needing redirects.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
F 39/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈400 estimated
Momentum
+31%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “permalink”, “permalinks” and “redirect” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
39 health vs 65 average across 2,216 SEO plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 94K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median SEO plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,192 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other SEO plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 14+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 2.9.2, well behind 6.8.
Details
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 5292 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 2.9.2; the current branch is 6.8
2.7★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 3.89★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 5292 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| permalink your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| permalinks your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| redirect your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| seo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| url your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “permalink”, “permalinks” and “redirect” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 129 · 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
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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
14.5y ago
latest release · v0.1.21 · 5 May 2012
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 400.
Install history since 22 Mar 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ navi2111.6y ago
::((
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ A.Niraj Kumar11.9y ago
Worked perfect.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ julianap13.2y ago
So far, it’s worked better than I expected. I was really worried about changing my permalinks, as I had over 400 posts on my website, but everything is going smoothly thanks to this plugin. Some of the features are really neat and gave me some ideas for creating some “special sections” of posts in the near future.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SergioRamirez13.3y ago
It’s works fine but redirections are 302. Really efective when you have problems with permalinks. [Remaining content moderated. Stop promoting your own site.]
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ exius13.3y ago
Need a little love….
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tgrux13.8y ago
From the look of the plugin support page, this is no longer supported. Paging breaks when this plugin is active.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ madloki13.8y ago
Category, pagination…nothing work after activate this plugin. Be really carful with this!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CF13.9y ago
I wanted to use this plug in to migrate and change my permalink structure. Unfortunately activating this plugin breaks permalinks for tags and category pages making it impossible for me to use.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows multiple permalink structures and category-specific permalinks without needing redirects."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("perfect for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,127 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "seo" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-25 400+ → 300+ down after 31 days in tier
- 2026-09-24 300+ → 400+ up after 25 days in tier
- 2026-08-30 400+ → 300+ down after 294 days in tier
- 2025-11-09 500+ → 400+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-11-06 400+ → 500+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-11-04 500+ → 400+ down after 318 days in tier
- 2024-12-21 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-12-18 500+ → 600+ up after 5 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).
-
Custom Permalinks 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Simple Page Redirect 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
Custom Permalink Editor 4K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
WP Post Redirect 3K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Automatically Update Permalinks 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D -
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Advanced Permalinks into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/advanced-permalinks" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Advanced Permalinks — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Advanced Permalinks: 300+ active installs, 2.7★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/advanced-permalinks
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.