Block Referer Spam
by supersoju · Security
Also makes 2 other plugins · 520+ installs across the portfolio →
Blocks referer/referral spam bots from accessing your site and keeps them out of your analytics.
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 83/100
no flags
Active installs
500+
≈550 estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “spam” for “block spam”. “spam” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “block spam” sits at #18 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
83 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 26.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,059 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 76 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
3.4★ over 21 reviews, smoothed to 3.89★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
14%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| referer spam your tag | #1 | #4 | 0 |
| referer | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| referral spam your tag | #2 | #7 | 0 |
| referrer spam your tag | #4 | #12 | 0 |
| analytics spam your tag | #10 | #22 | down 1 |
| google analytics referral spam | #4 | #11 | 0 |
| spam bots | #24 | #24 | — |
| block spam | #18 | #23 | up 2 |
| spammer | #20 | #21 | down 2 |
| spam block | #15 | #22 | up 1 |
| google analytics spam | #23 | #24 | down 4 |
| spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
31 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 11 listed. 20 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “spam” for “block spam”. “spam” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “block spam” sits at #18 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 608 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
3mo ago
latest release · v1.2 · 16 Aug 2026
23
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 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 14 Aug 2015
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Low · 3.3 Block Referer Spam <= 1.1.9.4 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-05-09 CVE-2023-32497 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.1.9.4 Patched in 1.1.9.5
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 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
7 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 "Blocks referer/referral spam bots from accessing your site and keeps them out of your analytics."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 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 Mentions Google Analytics.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,669 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "analytics spam" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-26 600+ → 500+ down after 271 days in tier
- 2025-07-29 700+ → 600+ down after 241 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 800+ → 700+ down after 285 days in tier
- 2024-02-19 700+ → 800+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-02-18 800+ → 700+ down after 268 days in tier
- 2023-05-26 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-05-25 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-05-24 900+ → 800+ down after 6 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).
-
Analytics Spam Blocker 800+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B -
Block Referral Spam 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
Custom Referral Spam Blocker 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D - R Referer Spam Blocker 60+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Block Referer Spam into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/block-referer-spam" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Block Referer Spam — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Block Referer Spam: 500+ active installs, 3.4★ (21 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/block-referer-spam
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