Clean My Archives
by Justin Tadlock · Uncategorized
Also makes 35 other plugins · 30.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
An easy-to-use shortcode for displaying post archives on your site.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
800+
≈860 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “archives” and “shortcode” 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.
49 health vs 58 average across 25,764 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.8%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 29.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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 9+ 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 3320 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.27★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3320 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| archives your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “archives” and “shortcode” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 183 · 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
9.1y ago
latest release · v1.2.0 · 30 Sep 2017
5
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 “800+”. 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 59% of the way through.
Install history since 21 Aug 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dmsr4.3y ago
Élégante solution pour naviguer dans les archives du site, parfait pour afficher sur une page de sitemap, et pour pour le SEO
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Monk Mantra8.0y ago
This is very good plugin, very minimal and useful for displaying archive.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ icangeek9.0y ago
the best plugin for displaying archive! very easy to use and customize the display.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris Lovie-Tyler9.6y ago
Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Steven10.7y ago
Best archive plugin I’ve every come across – thanks Justin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Doug Smith11.2y ago
Thanks for sharing your work, Justin. Clean My Archives is just the right balance of features without a bunch of bloat and complication. I’ve been using it for years without problem and I appreciate the small changes and increased security of the recent update.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ada11.2y ago
Even though it’s not updated, it’s simple and effective!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ voltima11.6y ago
Thanks for this Justin. It works flawlessly.
Read on wp.org ↗
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 10 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 7 of 10 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Limit the number of posts with the `limit` parameter:").
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you have", "if you need", "if you want").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 3 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,401 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
- 2026-06-05 900+ → 800+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2026-05-30 800+ → 900+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-05-27 900+ → 800+ down after 168 days in tier
- 2025-12-10 1K+ → 900+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-12-08 900+ → 1K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-07 1K+ → 900+ down after 1383 days in tier
- 2022-02-23 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1362 days in tier
- 2018-06-02 3K+ → 2K+ down after 93 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).
- E Extra Shortcodes 1K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A - M MW WP Form 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag C -
Better Font Awesome 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Clean My Archives into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/clean-my-archives" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Clean My Archives — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Clean My Archives: 800+ active installs, 5.0★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/clean-my-archives
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