Dashboard Notes
by MIGHTYminnow · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 3 other plugins · 11.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
Easily create notes/instructions in the WordPress admin using any widget you like!
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
B 75/100
Open vulnerability
Active installs
500+
≈590 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: Swap “admin”, “backend” and “dashboard” for “dashboard notes”, “client dashboard” and “dashboard notifications”. “admin” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dashboard notes” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “backend” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “client dashboard” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “dashboard” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dashboard notifications” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
75 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.2%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 15.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 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.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2025-08-26Reviewers call it simple and useful for putting notes and banners on the admin dashboard, with the main asks being dismissible notes and clearer URL targeting, which one reviewer had to patch themselves.
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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 235 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 19 reviews, smoothed to 4.27★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
29
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| dashboard notes | #6 | #9 | down 1 |
| backend notes | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| notes your tag | #14 | #14 | down 2 |
| instructions your tag | #21 | #19 | down 2 |
| note | #19 | #14 | down 4 |
| notes widget | #12 | #18 | 0 |
| admin notes | #21 | #21 | down 4 |
| dashboard notifications | #24 | #19 | 0 |
| client dashboard | #24 | #18 | down 2 |
| plugin notes | #21 | #21 | down 1 |
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| backend your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| dashboard your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
18 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 10 listed. 8 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 “admin”, “backend” and “dashboard” for “dashboard notes”, “client dashboard” and “dashboard notifications”. “admin” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dashboard notes” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “backend” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “client dashboard” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “dashboard” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dashboard notifications” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “notes”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 200 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
8mo ago
latest release · v1.0.3 · 10 Mar 2026
4
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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 33 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 600.
Install history since 1 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Marcos Nakamine1.2y ago
great plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Andrews325.7y ago
Now I enjoy Dashboard Notes as well! But first I was have to find & fix a bug: the notes not appeared on specified URL. It seems like the plugins` author still has not fixed all the URL bugs, so, you can open the /wp-content/plugins/dashboard-notes/dashboard-notes.php file, find the following function: function check_widget_visibility( $widget_id ) { and replace the if($this->match_path( $this->get_current_url(), $vis_settings['url']['urls'] )... with something like if(strpos($this->get_current_url(), $vis_settings['url']['urls']) !== false)... I have done and enjoy as well! But… sice the moment, you MUST NOT update the plugin. To remebmer, I usually add “do not update!!!” after the ” * Plugin Name: ” at the start of the main plugin` file*. *the current plugin has one PHP file only, it is the main file. ====================== Плагин отличный… будет. После того, как вы пофиксите в нём единственный баг. Похоже, автор плагина забил толстый болтец на доведение своего детища до ума, поэтому – берём в свои руки! Фиксим один единственный бажек, и наслаждаемся! Откройте единственный PHP-файл плагина, найдите код function check_widget_visibility( $widget_id ) { и замените в нём ниже if($this->match_path( $this->get_current_url(), $vis_settings['url']['urls'] )... чем-то вроде if(strpos($this->get_current_url(), $vis_settings['url']['urls']) !== false)... ??? PROFIT This topic was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by Andrews32.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jhnpldng5.8y ago
I’ve tried all the dashboard/admin notes plugins but I end up overlooking them because I don’t pay all that much attention to the dashboard. The one thing I do notice anywhere are the notifications which is what this plugin creates. You can color code them just like notifications, red, orange, yellow, blue etc. Now I can stack up my wp dashboard with To Do items. Seems like I used a similar plugin before but this one renders html whereas the other one didn’t. This topic was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by jhnpldng.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Frank Spade6.5y ago
It would be really helpful, if on the settings page you would place a hint, how to set and change notes, since the widget gets out of sight after a while. Future users will certainly appreciate that.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vader70719.0y ago
I am running 4 different sites all with WP. And trying to know which site I am logged into easily was becoming tricky. This plugin let me put a banner at the top of the dashboard with the site logo so I can easily glance and see what site I am in and working on. Love this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ upawebdesign9.9y ago
Thanks, the plugin works fine.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ebrent10.1y ago
No issues so far. If ya want them to show up ONLY on your dashboard, select Show Only On Selected URLs and then put in ‘/index.php’ without quotes.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ve Mer11.2y ago
Great app for putting messages on the Admin dashboard. However, it would be nice if there’s an option to close the message so that it doesn’t appear again until a certain number of set, time. Or at least, have an option to only let it appear on the dashboard (Indicating on the settings the page URL doesn’t work; i.e. /wp-admin/index.php)
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.0.3). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
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
5 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 "Easily create notes/instructions in the WordPress admin using any widget you like!"
- ! 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 Mentions Gutenberg.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,209 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "backend" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-28 600+ → 500+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-27 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-26 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-23 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-22 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-19 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-18 600+ → 500+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-09-16 500+ → 600+ up after 1 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).
-
Admin Customizer 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags D -
Noted! 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
White Label CMS 200K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Display PHP Version 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D -
Widget Disable 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Dashboard Notes into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/dashboard-notes" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Dashboard Notes — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Dashboard Notes: 500+ active installs, 4.7★ (19 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/dashboard-notes
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