Better WordPress External Links
by Khang Minh · Uncategorized
Also makes 4 other plugins · 8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Gives you total control over external links on your website.
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 · Few reviews
Active installs
400+
≈460 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: Swap “external” for “phpbb”. “external” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “phpbb” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 24.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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 3.9.40, 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 4526 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.9.40; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4526 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| phpbb | #11 | #7 | 0 |
| external your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| external domains your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| external images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| external links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| nofollow your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “external” for “phpbb”. “external” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “phpbb” sits at #11 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 129 · 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
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
12.4y ago
latest release · v1.1.3 · 10 Jun 2014
1
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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 58% of the way through.
Install history since 22 Feb 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ vlaaD11.2y ago
Thanks for that!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ argusnet11.5y ago
We needed to add speedbumps to external links. This does the trick.Thank You.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ redsalmon11.7y ago
solid, simple and flexible plugin, thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Deadpool12.1y ago
Works just as described, great list of functionalities. Thanks for the great work!
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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Twitter.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 4 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,461 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "external images" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-01 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-31 400+ → 500+ up after 16 days in tier
- 2026-05-15 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-14 400+ → 500+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-10 500+ → 400+ down after 349 days in tier
- 2025-05-26 600+ → 500+ down after 177 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 700+ → 600+ down after 37 days in tier
- 2024-10-24 600+ → 700+ up after 23 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).
-
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A - E External Links 8K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Customize External Links and add Icon 200+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D -
Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A - N NoFollowr 200+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Nofollow External Links (SEO) 100+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better WordPress External Links into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bwp-external-links" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better WordPress External Links — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better WordPress External Links: 400+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bwp-external-links
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