BU Navigation
by BU Web Team · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 260+ installs across the portfolio →
Robust tools for managing hierarchical page content in WordPress. Ideal for blogs with large page counts.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈180 estimated
Momentum
+5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “bu”, “hierarchical” 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.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 20.1K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,764 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 4+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.7.21.
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 1816 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.7.21; the current branch is 6.8
4.9★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1816 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| boston university your tag | #4 | #3 | down 1 |
| bu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hierarchical your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| navigation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post type your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “bu”, “hierarchical” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 123 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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
5.0y ago
latest release · v1.3.4 · 10 Nov 2021
18
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 93% 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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago and the previous band took 24 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 200.
Install history since 18 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ pilotspelman8.8y ago
Hi, I loved this Plugin earlier, but unfortunately it is not possible to use any more. The reason is that the editing/text area does not receive key strokes with this Plugin activated. Thereby editing of pages is not possible in WordPress 4.9.1. This topic was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by pilotspelman.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ marcusasiabc11.1y ago
Playing with pages order is no longer a pain! Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tom Finley11.1y ago
There are some issues with the z-indexing of the drag-and-drop interface. Also, sometimes moved page “bubbles” don’t rearrange the page tree in real time like they should.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Joe Banks11.5y ago
Solves so many requirements, including widget behavior, for Page-heavy sites! Easy way to move pages around. Adding the often-requested, just add external link here please. Compare to Nested Pages plugin for behavior and ability to place in menu positions.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shackep12.0y ago
Great plugin. It simplifies the concept of having child and parent pages (or hierarchal Custom Post Types). I always train my backend users how to move things into areas that they are able to publish in (using BU’s Section Editor Plugin) and it just clicks. Also the visual of where it is in the big scheme of things is perfect. Thanks for creating such a great plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ epawel12.4y ago
I really needed this functionality (BU Section Editing + BU Navigation) you save my time and money. With appreciation.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jason Crouse12.6y ago
Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ andrewcking13.1y ago
I am blown away. I have searched for so long for a plugin that does this. The plugin is simple and yet it does exactly what I want it to. Thank you thank you thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 129 languages, 0 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
4 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,438 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "boston university", "post type" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-10 200+ → 100+ down after 712 days in tier
- 2024-07-28 300+ → 200+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-07-26 200+ → 300+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-07-24 300+ → 200+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-07-22 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-07-21 300+ → 200+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-07-17 200+ → 300+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2024-07-05 300+ → 200+ down after 15 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).
-
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP-PageNavi 400K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Max Mega Menu 300K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Post Type Switcher 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for BU Navigation into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bu-navigation" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="BU Navigation — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> BU Navigation: 100+ active installs, 4.9★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bu-navigation
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