Custom Link Widget
by pankajbiswas · Admin & Utilities
Custom Link Widget Plugin is a Free WordPress plugin which allows you to add Hyperlinks directly using a Widget. This is quite similar to WordPress Li …
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Health
D 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+14%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “link widget”, “widget” and “widgets” 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.
43 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.7%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 36.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 3.4.2, 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 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.4.2; the current branch is 6.8
3.7★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.05★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| tabber | #8 | #5 | 0 |
| link widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “link widget”, “widget” and “widgets” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 241 · 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.
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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.2 years ago; the previous band took 23 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 25 Aug 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ caspixel12.2y ago
I was looking for a widget to replace the “Blogs I Follow” widget on a WordPress.com site and this was perfect. No coding necessary, so it will be easy for my client to add more links themselves. A really great widget. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ onlyarethusa12.9y ago
Was struggling to add a link in a sidebar and failing miserably. Added your plugin and it worked like magic. *mwah* Thank you so much for this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Coraux12.9y ago
thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ John Conner13.4y ago
There should be a reason for creation of a plugin and what I expect from a link widget plugin is a wide variety of options for style and beautification of links in widget area (like animated up-down rollover or css stylish hover). This plugin shows links in a very basic html way and made a distortion in widgets’ area which I could put my links easier using WP text widget and the below code (as many as I need): your front-end title here</
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alexiev.ca13.8y ago
Great plugin, very easy to use and extremely useful. Thank you once again! Really appreciated
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ therealmace13.8y ago
Nothing more to say
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ LekLek13.9y ago
I tested the widget (with one link) at the bottom of my sidebar—and the footer widgets, footer ads, etc all moved off to the right, as if they were suddenly stuck into the sidebar. Not sure what the coding problem is, but it freaked me out.
Read on wp.org ↗
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 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Custom Link Widget Plugin is a Free WordPress plugin which allows you to add Hyperlinks directly using a Wi..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 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 Mentions Facebook.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 434 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "widgets" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-08-17 2K+ → 1K+ down after 683 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 5K+ → 2K+ 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).
-
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Widget Context 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A - S SpiceBox 20K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
- C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Widget Content Blocks 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
AH Display Widgets 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Custom Link Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/custom-link-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Custom Link Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Custom Link Widget: 1K+ active installs, 3.7★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/custom-link-widget
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