Custom Field Widget
by scottwallick · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 260+ installs across the portfolio →
The Custom Field Widget displays values of custom field keys, allowing post- and page-specific meta sidebar content with limitless applications.
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
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+6%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “custom field”, “custom key” and “custom value” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.0%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 20.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,786 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 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 2.6.1, well behind 7.1.
Details
- Version
- 0.1 β
- Last updated
- 13.9y ago
- Added
- 2008-08-06 · 18 yrs old
- Requires WP
- 2.5
- Tested up to
- 2.6.1
- Requires PHP
- —
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 5087 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 2.6.1; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 4 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 5087 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| custom field your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom key your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom value your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| field your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| value your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “custom field”, “custom key” and “custom value” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 313 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
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
13.9y ago
latest release · v0.1 · 29 Nov 2012
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 years ago; the previous band took 18 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 23 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ rosell.dk8.5y ago
The good thing about small and simple plugins, is that they are robust 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gloriamas11.8y ago
Excellent plugin, finally found something! It have really helped for my history website, now visitor can slide a custom map in every post. It still works with 4.1 version of wordpress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mstoetzel13.0y ago
Perfect for my purposes, and with some slight code modifications I achieved to (1) use multiple parameters from the custom field (e.g. url plus link name) and (2) use multiple custom fields (per post) for being displayed in the widget. Thanks!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dhkendall13.7y ago
Very helpful, and easy to use! I like it! Am glad that those who know code better than I can develop such things!
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
5 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 "The Custom Field Widget displays values of custom field keys, allowing post- and page-specific meta sidebar..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 3 of 7 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("That’s pretty slick. Give me another example.").
- ! 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 2 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,641 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "custom key", "custom value" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-10-28 300+ → 200+ down after 545 days in tier
- 2023-05-02 400+ → 300+ down after 210 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 500+ → 400+ down after 396 days in tier
- 2021-09-03 600+ → 500+ down after 419 days in tier
- 2020-07-11 900+ → 600+ down after 560 days in tier
- 2018-12-29 1K+ → 900+ down
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).
- A Advanced Custom Field Widget 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 5 shared tags D
- C Custom Field Cookie — installs · 3.6★ · 5 shared tags
- S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
- A Advanced Custom Fields – Location Field add-on 900+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Advanced Custom Fields Viewer 100+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D - A ACF Media Credit 90+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Custom Field Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/custom-field-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Custom Field Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Custom Field Widget: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/custom-field-widget
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