Change Author Link Structure
by wpyb · Uncategorized
To prevent that usernames are publically visible, the username in the author's permalink is replaced with the author's ID.
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Health
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈690 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: Swap “permalink” and “url” for “author link” and “change”. “permalink” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “author link” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “url” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “change” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.3%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 9.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 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.
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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 77 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
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: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
36
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
13%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| userid your tag | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| structure | #2 | #10 | up 1 |
| author link | #4 | #13 | down 1 |
| permalink structure | #5 | #16 | 0 |
| change | #15 | #22 | down 1 |
| author your tag | #21 | #18 | down 3 |
| change post author | #10 | #20 | — |
| change username | #12 | #20 | down 1 |
| change url | #14 | #22 | down 2 |
| author url | #16 | #22 | down 5 |
| author post link | #17 | #23 | down 1 |
| author by | #23 | #20 | 0 |
| permalink your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| url your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| username your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
17 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 12 listed. 5 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
- Swap “permalink” and “url” for “author link” and “change”. “permalink” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “author link” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “url” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “change” sits at #15 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 1.2K · 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
1.7y ago
latest release · v1.0.1 · 6 Mar 2025
5
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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 21 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 16 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Mason10.9y ago
good job
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Leaving Holland11.3y ago
Easy plugin to use
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ HotRod11.6y ago
Works like a charm. Would it be possible to make an option to hide the author link? That would make this plugin perfect.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jeditricks11.7y ago
I have been trying to do exactly what this plugin does. I have looked everywhere and am so glad I found this. It worked perfectly and seems very light weight.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.2
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
1 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 No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 455 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "url", "userid" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-10 700+ → 600+ down after 88 days in tier
- 2026-07-14 800+ → 700+ down after 264 days in tier
- 2025-10-23 900+ → 800+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-10-21 800+ → 900+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-10-19 900+ → 800+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-10-16 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-10-15 900+ → 800+ down after 290 days in tier
- 2024-12-29 1K+ → 900+ down after 5 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).
-
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Hide Author Archive 600+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A - B Basic URL ShortCodes 4K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Custom Permalink Editor 4K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B - W WP Author Slug 3K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Change Author Link Structure into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/change-author-link-structure" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Change Author Link Structure — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Change Author Link Structure: 600+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/change-author-link-structure
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