Better Links
by nickohrn · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 14 other plugins · 680+ installs across the portfolio →
Easily create, manage and insert shortened Better Links that originate from your WordPress domain. Forget link shortening services - use Better Links.
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
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+3%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “editor” and “links” 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 5,902 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.6%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 12.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,194 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.9.40, 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 4465 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.9.40; the current branch is 7.1
2.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 3.94★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4465 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 | ||
| editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches 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
- “admin”, “editor” and “links” 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 204 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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.
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
12.2y ago
latest release · v1.1.4 · 12 Aug 2014
3
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 24 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 13 Oct 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ remcotv9.4y ago
The plugin is having issues with some links. the support is not willing to help. The plugin is not updated for a while and the support team just keeps replying with comments that are not related to the issue at all
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous10.6y ago
I feel swindled. I bought the pro version of Better Links when it launched because it seemed promising and Pretty Link was so seldom updated. It seemed to have some advantages over Pretty Link, but as a new plugin was not yet at feature parity overall. The developer/owner promised updates, but years later no new features have been added and the product is still buggy. It has essentially been abandoned after the owner’s windfall profit-making launch. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the case with all of his plugins. Avoid. Stick with Pretty Link.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Viridum12.0y ago
I bought the Pro version. The plugin is a good idea, but has nasty bugs. Unfortunately I added the links created with BLP to many of my pages, so if would be nearly impossible to revert back to before I installed the plugin. Pain in the neck. The problem was explained carefully to the seller who was friendly enough to write back and forth and he tried his best. But the fact of the matter is that nearly 2 months has gone by, and last thing I heard was that the problem still sitting with developer. I guess he hasn’t had time yet to look at the issue. In the end I asked for a refund, and I was told it was too late. They only have 30 days money-back. Great.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dan Cameron12.2y ago
Very useful and I’m always happy with Nick’s plugins.
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.
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 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Easily create, manage and insert shortened Better Links that originate from your WordPress domain. Forget l..."
- ! 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 One audience phrase ("great for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Google Analytics.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,669 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "admin" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-11-12 300+ → 200+ down after 443 days in tier
- 2023-08-27 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-08-26 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-08-25 400+ → 300+ down after 12 days in tier
- 2023-08-13 300+ → 400+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2023-08-10 400+ → 300+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2023-08-07 300+ → 400+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2023-08-01 400+ → 300+ down after 2 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).
-
Automatic Domain Changer 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B - R Root Relative URLs 5K+ installs · 3.3★ · 2 shared tags F
- A Admin Collapse Subpages 4K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
-
WP Super Edit 2K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D - D Disable Visual Editor WYSIWYG 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Three Column Screen Layout 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Links into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-links" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Links — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Links: 200+ active installs, 2.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-links
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