Announcement Bar
by Austin · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 4 other plugins · 15K+ installs across the portfolio →
A fixed position (header) HTML with jQuery drop-down announcement bar using Custom Post Types.
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
D 40/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “announcement” and “announcement bar” 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.
40 health vs 56 average across 5,897 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →17%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 17.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.2.39, 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 4210 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.2.39; the current branch is 6.8
1.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 3.98★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4210 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| announcement your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| announcement bar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| bar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| stats your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “admin”, “announcement” and “announcement bar” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 363 · 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.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 months ago; the previous band took 4.1 years to cross, which places it about 53% of the way through.
Install history since 24 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ raisingsails8.2y ago
It will show up on every page and jack up your header.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ coderkevin10.0y ago
I see the HTML in the source, but it doesn’t show up visually for the Twenty Sixteen default theme and other themes that I tested.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.3 Dashboard fix. Other stuff I can’t remember. 0.3
- — Version 0.2.2 [BUG FIX] An error in the dashboard widget is causing some large images. Sorry. Always escape. 0.2.2
- — Version 0.2.1 Russian Translation files added (thanks to Elvis: http://wp.turkenichev.ru/). 0.2.1
- — Version 0.2 Complete overhaul. [NEW] Now saves bar position with cookies. Added backwords compatibility for jQuery [NEW] Add your own custom CSS. 0.2
- — Version 0.1.5 Updated .attr() to .prop() for jQuery 1.6.x. New minimum install requirements. 0.1.5
- — Version 0.1.4 Dashboard widget updated. 0.1.4
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,364 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin", "stats" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-11-30 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1495 days in tier
- 2020-10-27 3K+ → 4K+ up after 461 days in tier
- 2019-07-24 2K+ → 3K+ up after 1017 days in tier
- 2016-10-10 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).
-
Simple Banner – Easily add multiple Banners/Bars/Notifications/Announcements to the top or bottom of your website 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Notification Bar, Announcement and Cookie Notice WordPress Plugin – FooBar 3K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Bottom Admin Toolbar 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A - D Disable Admin Bar 800+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Redux Framework 900K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Announcement Bar into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/announcement-bar" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Announcement Bar — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Announcement Bar: 3K+ active installs, 1.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/announcement-bar
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.