Better YOURLS
by Chris Wiegman · Uncategorized
Integrate your blog with YOURLS custom URL generator.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
200+
≈280 estimated
Momentum
-1%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “custom shortlink” and “shortlink” 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.
49 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.3%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 15.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 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 7+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.1.28, 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 2810 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.1.28; the current branch is 6.8
4.9★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.25★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2810 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| yourls your tag | #9 | #8 | 0 |
| shorturl | #11 | #4 | 0 |
| custom shortlink your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortlink your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “custom shortlink” and “shortlink” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 232 · 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 21 Oct 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
7.7y ago
latest release · v2.3.0 · 20 Feb 2019
23
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 6 months ago and the previous band took 2 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 300.
Install history since 14 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ thedandev2.3y ago
I been using this for years but ive finally started my own, love it… cant be faulted other than the user IMO
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ moisture90634.5y ago
just works even on v5.9
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Micha - MS295.6y ago
the title says it all 😉
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ richbros8.5y ago
YOURLS Link Creator was out of date and I was looking for a replacement. Found Better YOURLS and it picked up where the other one left off and works without a hitch. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 154313928.6y ago
Love it and the statistics reports I can run from having our own shorter helps with marketing!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jan Dembowski8.9y ago
If you use a plugin and it just works and you forget that you have it installed and working, that’s pretty much the definition of a 5 star plugin. I installed this plugin years ago. I configured it to use my YOURLS installation and it just works. I’ve never had a problem with it. If you use your own YOURLS then get this plugin. You won’t be sorry. 😉
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chenryahts10.8y ago
This plugin made using Yourls super easier with WordPress. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jimlunsford10.8y ago
I have this plugin running on five different installs using my shortner and it works great. Thanks for your work on this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 129 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 105 more locales with partial translations.
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
5 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 "Integrate your blog with YOURLS custom URL generator."
- ✓ 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 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 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 339 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "custom shortlink" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-09 300+ → 200+ down after 748 days in tier
- 2024-04-21 400+ → 300+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-04-15 300+ → 400+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-04-13 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-04-12 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-04-11 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-04-10 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-04-09 400+ → 300+ down after 1 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).
-
YOURLS Link Creator 500+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D -
Easy Affiliate Links 6K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
Bitly's WordPress Plugin 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
Bring Back the Get Shortlink Button 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D -
Hum 500+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
short.io 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better YOURLS into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-yourls" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better YOURLS — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better YOURLS: 200+ active installs, 4.9★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-yourls
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