Breadcrumb Trail
by Justin Tadlock · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 35 other plugins · 30.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
A powerful script for adding breadcrumbs to your site that supports Schema.org HTML5-valid microdata.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10K+
≈15K estimated
Momentum
+44%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “breadcrumbs”, “menu” and “navigation” 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.
47 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.9%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 255.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, 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 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.3★ over 30 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| breadcrumbs your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| navigation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 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
- “breadcrumbs”, “menu” and “navigation” 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 1.1K · 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
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
9.1y ago
latest release · v1.1.0 · 26 Sep 2017
12
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 94% 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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 months ago; the previous band took 2.2 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Feb 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dmsr4.3y ago
à utiliser sur tous les sites où vous avez la main sur les fichiers du thème bon pour la navigation, bon pour le SEO
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Roman7.5y ago
Простий, працює з коробки без проблем, легко налаштовується. Мережа сайтів, багатомовні сайти – все чудово.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CyberCobre8.7y ago
If you have any knowledge about coding: This is super easy to use, is well-documented (instructions included in the folder, plus a publicly accessible online page with all necessary details), and works flawlessly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gautamgaura9.3y ago
I was in need of this plugin and its really amazing! also working good with my version of WordPress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mizukimadness9.7y ago
I never had any trouble with this plugin. It works well out of the box and is also easy to style with CSS. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ 84EM10.0y ago
This plugin does exactly what I needed. It’s simple to use and easy to customize. Nice work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ arend10.1y ago
This plugin is one of my go-to plugins when it comes to menu-based breadcrumbs. Keep it up!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ codiceovvio10.3y ago
Thank you, Justin Tadlock! It works. It follows best practices. It is a wonderful free tutorial on how to code things within WordPress. This plugin requires you to read the FAQ, is not a click-and-forget thing, it is at least click-copy-paste-and-forget so if one minute and a half is too much time for you to spend to make it work, don’t install it 😉 maybe…a link could be added in the plugin’s description to better reach lazy folks who don’t read the FAQ so they will read them before leaving an unfair bad review, which this plugin and its developer really do not deserve.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 55 languages, 6 at 90% or more
Plus 31 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
6 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 8 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 8 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you need", "if you want").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,098 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "navigation" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-12-02 20K+ → 10K+ down after 791 days in tier
- 2022-10-03 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1311 days in tier
- 2019-03-02 20K+ → 30K+ up after 856 days in tier
- 2016-10-27 10K+ → 20K+ up
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).
-
Flexy Breadcrumb 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Catch Breadcrumb 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B - R RDFa Breadcrumb 600+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Menu Breadcrumb 300+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B - I Instant Breadcrumbs 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
-
WPshore Breadcrumbs 200+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Breadcrumb Trail into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/breadcrumb-trail" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Breadcrumb Trail — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Breadcrumb Trail: 10K+ active installs, 4.3★ (30 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/breadcrumb-trail
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