Better Section Navigation
by cornershop · Uncategorized
Also makes 8 other plugins · 11.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Creates a new widget for listing section-based navigation -- essential for contextual navigation. Also implements a template function and a shortcode.
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
B 76/100
Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈660 estimated
Momentum
+22%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “cms” for “sections”. “cms” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sections” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
76 health vs 58 average across 25,739 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.6%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 16.9K 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 1 release 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 333 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 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.
27
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-1.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| section your tag | #8 | #15 | down 1 |
| navigation your tag | #12 | #19 | down 4 |
| sections | #24 | #20 | down 4 |
| site navigation | #16 | #20 | down 4 |
| custom navigation | #21 | #21 | down 2 |
| easy navigation | #22 | #23 | down 1 |
| navigation page | #23 | #22 | — |
| page navigation | #24 | #22 | down 4 |
| cms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hierarchy your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| pages your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
22 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 14 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “cms” for “sections”. “cms” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sections” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “navigation”. #12 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 968 · 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
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
11mo ago
latest release · v1.7.0 · 3 Dec 2025
7
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 77% 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 months ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 58% of the way through.
Install history since 12 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ crdunst2.8y ago
Works perfectly, thanks for taking over the previous project guys, it’s a useful plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ LinkAssist8.6y ago
I was pleasantly surprised to see how neat and clean the menu looks and how easy it was to order & nest the pages. Just edit the page, and to the right of the editor you’ll see a section called Page Attributes. If you want to nest the page under another page, enter the name of the parent page there. To nest the page two deep, just list an existing child page as its parent. If you have several pages nested together under a single parent page, give each a number in Page Attributes to order them on the front end. There’s also a few controls you can play with when you expand the widget. So if you wanted to eliminate the index on your “About Me” page, you could easily do so. I’m likin’ it. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by LinkAssist. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by LinkAssist.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ raygulick8.7y ago
I’ve used Simple Section Navigation for years (10?) as a foundation for CMS websites. Will be replacing with BSN; tickled to be able to switch to a supported, regularly updated version, although, except for an update a couple years ago to make it compatible with a PHP update, I’ve never had any issues with SSN. Willing to bet BSN will be rock-solid as well. This topic was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by raygulick.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ luboskmetko8.8y ago
I needed a plugin with similar functionality for my recent project and found this up-to-date version. Works great, thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.7.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Better Section Navigation Widget <= 1.6.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-03-28 CVE-2025-31465 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.6.1 Patched in 1.7.0
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Creates a new widget for listing section-based navigation -- essential for contextual navigation. Also impl..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use this"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Multisite.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,793 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "cms", "hierarchy" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-09 700+ → 600+ down after 496 days in tier
- 2024-11-29 800+ → 700+ down after 24 days in tier
- 2024-11-05 900+ → 800+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-11-03 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-11-02 900+ → 800+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-10-29 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-10-28 900+ → 800+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-10-22 800+ → 900+ up after 172 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).
-
WP-PageNavi 400K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Rich Table of Contents 20K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C - W WP PageNavi Style 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Auto Submenu 2K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
Next Page, Not Next Post 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP-CommentNavi 700+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Section Navigation into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-section-navigation" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Section Navigation — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Section Navigation: 600+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-section-navigation
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