Custom Sidebars Manager
by FRESHFACE · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 930+ installs across the portfolio →
Create one global sidebar from multiple sidebars, or multiple sidebars from one global. Widget visibility and implemented conditions as well
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
20+
≈28 estimated
Momentum
-50%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “custom sidebars” and “sidebar manager” 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 58 average across 25,755 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 20 of 5.5K lifetime downloads are still running, below 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 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.3.34, 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 4077 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.3.34; the current branch is 6.8
3.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.06★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4077 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 sidebars your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar manager 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
- “custom sidebars” and “sidebar manager” 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 590 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #25,400 to #28,300, alongside the other plugins at 20+ 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.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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 “20+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and the previous band took 15 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 30.
Install history since 5 Dec 2015
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Create one global sidebar from multiple sidebars, or multiple sidebars from one global. Widget visibility a..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 501 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ 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
- 2026-08-07 30+ → 20+ down after 450 days in tier
- 2025-05-14 40+ → 30+ down after 112 days in tier
- 2025-01-22 30+ → 40+ up after 13 days in tier
- 2025-01-09 40+ → 30+ down after 187 days in tier
- 2024-07-06 50+ → 40+ down after 466 days in tier
- 2023-03-28 60+ → 50+ down after 27 days in tier
- 2023-03-01 50+ → 60+ up after 25 days in tier
- 2023-02-04 60+ → 50+ down after 123 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).
-
Lightweight Sidebar Manager 80K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Ocean Custom Sidebar 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Simple Page Sidebars 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag C -
Stag Custom Sidebars 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D -
Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes 1K+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Custom Sidebars Manager into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/custom-sidebar-manager" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Custom Sidebars Manager — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Custom Sidebars Manager: 20+ active installs, 3.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/custom-sidebar-manager
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