Category Sticky Post
by Philip Arthur Moore · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 6.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Mark a post to be placed at the top of a specified category archive. It's sticky posts specifically for categories.
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 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+32%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “categories” and “post” 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.
50 health vs 58 average across 25,754 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.7%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 80.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.4.34, 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 3260 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.4.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.9★ over 24 reviews, smoothed to 4.36★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3260 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| categories your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “categories” and “post” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 492 · 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
9.8y ago
latest release · v2.10.1 · 10 Jan 2017
19
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 98% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 16 months ago; the previous band took 16 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 5 Jan 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Nicki Faulk2.3y ago
Does exactly what I need. Thank you, Tom McFarlin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ emilysparkle4.4y ago
thanks for a solid plugin. 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ touficmamdouh4.7y ago
thank you for great developer
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Limeyard5.3y ago
I really needed this, and WOW! it works like a charm with WP 5.7.2
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vitisaureus6.4y ago
Once upon a time i applied this useful plugin. Now the plugin search did not show it on my new wordpress site. Found it, and installed other way. And still works. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jimlunsford6.5y ago
I am actively using this plugin on WordPress 5.4 and it works perfectly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dushonok7.6y ago
I am on WordPress 5.1.1 and the plugin still seems to work just fine 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ berniem38.8y ago
I was going nuts, and wasted a lot of time, trying to figure out why a sticky post was not staying at the top on the page where I display that category. Now I know that “sticky” doesn’t automatically apply to category menu pages. This solved that problem. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.10.2 Change plugin authorship. 2.10.2
- — Version 2.10.1 Fix to plugin ownership name. 2.10.1
- — Version 2.10.0 Changing plugin ownership. 2.10.0
- — Version 2.9.0 Adding Serbian language translation (props George Dragojevic) 2.9.0
- — Version 2.8.0 WordPress 4.3 Compatibility Updating author URLs Removing the disabled functionality that would prevent you from selecting the same category a post originally had (props marc) Removing some unused functions Cleaning up s 2.8.0
- — Version 2.7.0 WordPress 4.2.1 compatibility Updating copyright dates 2.7.0
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 1 Nov 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 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! 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 1,050 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-07-21 4K+ → 3K+ down after 479 days in tier
- 2024-03-29 5K+ → 4K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-03-25 4K+ → 5K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-03-23 5K+ → 4K+ down after 411 days in tier
- 2023-02-06 6K+ → 5K+ down after 473 days in tier
- 2021-10-21 7K+ → 6K+ down after 364 days in tier
- 2020-10-22 8K+ → 7K+ down after 1338 days in tier
- 2017-02-22 7K+ → 8K+ up after 318 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).
-
SEO Auto Linker 3K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C - A Advanced Category Excluder 600+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Category Featured Images 600+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D - H Home Categories 400+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Post Duplicator 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Category Sticky Post into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/category-sticky-post" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Category Sticky Post — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Category Sticky Post: 3K+ active installs, 4.9★ (24 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/category-sticky-post
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