Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters)
by Jesse Sugden · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 1K+ installs across the portfolio →
A lightweight plugin that allows you to output an anchor.fm podcast player on your site that includes an episode index. Just add two URL's on the …
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Health
A 87/100
Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+140%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “anchors” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
87 health vs 58 average across 25,763 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 49.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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 10 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
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 31 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.16★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
32
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
4%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| episodes | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| episode | #1 | #3 | up 1 |
| spotify your tag | #2 | #11 | up 1 |
| anchor | #3 | #8 | up 2 |
| index | #4 | #12 | up 2 |
| anchors | #4 | #11 | 0 |
| embed spotify | #4 | #10 | up 1 |
| site index | #5 | #13 | 0 |
| anchor links | #9 | #15 | up 1 |
| spotify embed | #5 | #12 | 0 |
| podcast your tag | #17 | #19 | up 1 |
| index page | #6 | #17 | down 1 |
| no index | #6 | #17 | down 1 |
| podcast player | #18 | #18 | up 5 |
| podcasts | #18 | #17 | down 1 |
| anchor.fm your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| embed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
24 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 15 listed. 9 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “anchors” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 4.5K · 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.
10
releases in the last 12 months
1mo ago
latest release · v2.1.16 · 2 Oct 2026
36
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 97% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 22 months ago; the previous band took 24 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ cesvald3.2y ago
It is a very versatil and simple to use plugin that meets all the requirements for a good rss feed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tejones3.6y ago
I want to give a shoutout to the developer. I emailed him directly and heard back fairly quickly. He updated the plugin and the next day, everything was working the way it was before. The change from Anchor to Spotify Podcast was tough to navigate, I am sure, but Jesse did his best to make sure we could continue using the plugin. As far as setting the plugin up, it is super simple. You simply need your podcast URL and RSS feed, insert the shortcode, and you are on you way! Nothing complicated at all. Thanks Jesse! This topic was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by tejones.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ h4ldrz4.4y ago
Great work for bringing us this plug-in! I appreciate the work. One nice feature would be if it’s also possible to only show the latest podcast, without the pulldown feature. So when selecting ” 1″ podcast to display the is no pulldown and only the player with the latests podcast.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joegallant4.9y ago
This is great — simple and does what it says on the tin. One feature I’d love to see, however, is the ability to limit the number of episodes that are pulled in — rather than the entire list. It would also be good if there wasn’t additional space at the bottom of the feed but it’s a minor thing compared to how useful this plugin is.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ teamaathmavil5.3y ago
Useful! The only issue we found is when we click on the play icon of an episode, instead of playing it right away, it will just move to the top (main) part of the Anchor player and we’ve to click play again from there. Other than that, everything is working fine.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.1.16). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters) <= 2.1.10 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via anchor_episodes Shortcode ↗2024-10-21 CVE-2024-10189 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.1.10 Patched in 2.1.11
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters) <= 2.1.7 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-09-20 CVE-2023-44145 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.1.8 Patched in 2.1.8
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.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 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
4 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 "A lightweight plugin that allows you to output an anchor.fm podcast player on your site that includes an ep..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); 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 1,368 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "Spotify" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-01-22 2K+ → 1K+ down after 719 days in tier
- 2023-02-03 1K+ → 2K+ up
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).
-
Share Interactive Content from Spotify – By PulseShare 80+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags - E ETH Embed Anchor.fm 30+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
-
PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry 20K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Podcast Subscribe Buttons 4K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags B -
Liza Widget For Spotify and Elementor 1K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Podcasts Manager 60+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/anchor-episodes-index" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters): 1K+ active installs, 4.8★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/anchor-episodes-index
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