Average WYSIWYG Helper
by Joe Rhoney · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 140+ installs across the portfolio →
Highlights prominent HTML elements in the WYSIWYG editor, to help Editors see what they're editing. Sort of a WYSIWYM (the M is for mean).
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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
20+
≈25 estimated
Momentum
+50%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “element highlighter”, “tinymce” and “wysiwyg” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 20 of 4.1K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 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.
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 4.0.38, well behind 7.1.
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 4276 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.0.38; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 3 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4276 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| wysiwym your tag | #4 | #3 | 0 |
| element highlighter your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tinymce your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wysiwyg your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “element highlighter”, “tinymce” and “wysiwyg” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 61 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #25,400 to #28,300, alongside the other plugins at 20+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
11.7y ago
latest release · v2.2.1 · 18 Feb 2015
5
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 “20+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 20 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 23 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ editortooltimetuesday11.9y ago
Having visual cues helps me maintain control over my content without wasting effort trying to figure out what’s going on behind the scenes. Allows me to focus on creating content, instead of wondering why it won’t behave.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Joe Rhoney12.3y ago
That’s why I built it. I need it. I like to work in visual mode, to speed up production. And using this plugin, I’ve learned so much more about how TinyMCE behaves than I was ever able to before, because I can see what’s happening. Hope it’s not too uncouth for me to post a review on my own plugin, but I wanted to share that I actually do use it and I built it for my own use as well as others, not just to get popular. 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Trevorw12.3y ago
As a developer who works with WordPress on a daily basis and instructs clients on how to best use their CMS pages, this plugin will no doubt come in very handy! Thank you for creating this very smart addition to the WYSIWYG pantheon!
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. 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 "Highlights prominent HTML elements in the WYSIWYG editor, to help Editors see what they're editing. Sort of..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions PayPal.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,763 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "element highlighter", "tinyMCE" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-03-28 30+ → 20+ down after 281 days in tier
- 2024-06-20 40+ → 30+ down after 217 days in tier
- 2023-11-16 50+ → 40+ down after 110 days in tier
- 2023-07-29 60+ → 50+ down after 99 days in tier
- 2023-04-21 70+ → 60+ down after 178 days in tier
- 2022-10-25 80+ → 70+ down after 21 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 90+ → 80+ down after 301 days in tier
- 2021-12-07 200+ → 90+ down after 1877 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).
-
AddFunc WYSIWYG Helper 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags D -
tinyWYM Editor 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D -
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A - V Visual Term Description Editor 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
- A Advanced TinyMCE Configuration 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Clear Floats Button 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Average WYSIWYG Helper into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/average-wysiwyg-helper" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Average WYSIWYG Helper — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Average WYSIWYG Helper: 20+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/average-wysiwyg-helper
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