Better Writing
by Mike Riethmuller · Uncategorized
Helps you write better content with readability scores and preferred terms as you type. Highly configurable.
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
20+
≈25 estimated
Momentum
-37%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “readability” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
45 health vs 58 average across 25,752 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 20 of 6K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.7.41, 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 4668 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.7.41; the current branch is 6.8
4.2★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.11★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4668 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| plain english your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| preferred terms your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| readability your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “readability” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 167 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #25,300 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 21 Oct 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
12.8y ago
latest release · v1.4 · 20 Jan 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 “20+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 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 28 Mar 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ iroller9.7y ago
This works well for us. It gives authors something to aim for.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bryan Willis13.1y ago
PHP Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home2/candidbu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/better-writing/better-writing.php on line 250
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wpv-expert13.1y ago
To be fair since I did actually review the plugin in a single site install I gave 3 Stars. In this day and age of WordPress moving forward, all plug-ins should be “Multi-Site” capable as a prerequisite to being listed in the WP repository. However to the best of my knowledge they are not and this opinion is just my two cents for what little it’s worth. I would have loved to have been able to use it and I encourage the author to pursue further development, as there is very little competition in the area of importance. Will check back from time to time to see how it’s going.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Unconformed13.8y ago
This works really well, thanks we will get lots of use out of this one.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ P-Yogie13.8y ago
We’ve got 3 publishers writing content for our site. We have needed a tool like this for a long time.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
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
3 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 "Helps you write better content with readability scores and preferred terms as you type. Highly configurable."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 1,534 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "Plain English" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-12-16 30+ → 20+ down after 220 days in tier
- 2024-05-10 40+ → 30+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-09 30+ → 40+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-05-07 40+ → 30+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-05-05 30+ → 40+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-04 40+ → 30+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-03 30+ → 40+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-02 40+ → 30+ 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).
-
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
BoldGrid Easy SEO – Simple and Effective SEO 40K+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B -
Semrush SEO Writing Assistant 8K+ installs · 3.2★ · 1 shared tag C - T Turn Rank Math FAQ Block to Accordion 5K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
- T Turn Yoast SEO FAQ Block to Accordion 3K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag C
-
Topic SEO Content Optimization Tool 1K+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Writing into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-writing" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Writing — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Writing: 20+ active installs, 4.2★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-writing
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