Edit Author Slug
by Brandon Allen · Login & Users
Allows an admin (or capable user) to edit the author slug of a user, and change the author base.
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
C 68/100
Stale
Active installs
100K+
≈190K estimated
Momentum
+6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “author” for “slug”. “author” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “slug” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
68 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.3%
of downloads still active
At least 100K of 1.6M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,476 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 522 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 84 reviews, smoothed to 4.54★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 522 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.9
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| author slug your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| author base your tag | #4 | #3 | down 1 |
| user nicename your tag | #4 | #4 | down 1 |
| nicename your tag | #6 | #6 | down 3 |
| slug | #7 | #6 | down 2 |
| edit | #24 | #19 | down 1 |
| author your tag | #24 | #11 | down 4 |
| admin menu slug | #12 | #9 | down 2 |
| author profile | #24 | #14 | down 1 |
| page slug | #16 | #14 | down 1 |
| post slug | #20 | #13 | down 5 |
| change wp admin slug | #23 | #20 | 0 |
41 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 12 listed. 29 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “author” for “slug”. “author” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “slug” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Under-ranked on “author”. wp.org puts you #24; on merit you place #11. The plugins above you are winning on install count, not on rating or upkeep.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 60.7K · 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
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
1.4y ago
latest release · v1.9.2 · 27 May 2025
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 78% 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 “100K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8.2 years ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Oct 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ djbuell9mo ago
Looks like it works, until you update the user profile, it reverts back to the WP username.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ angeljs1.4y ago
Finally a way to hide my admin username from across the site, I love this plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tibo1.4y ago
works This topic was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Tibo.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ phuctran288992.3y ago
very good
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sunnyp813.9y ago
Just works
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kinngjatt4.1y ago
Custom Role based URL is not working with WP 6.0.2
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 185075094.3y ago
Edit Author Slug
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ George4.3y ago
It came in handy just when I needed some custom author base slugs. Thanks, Brandon!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.9.2 Release date: 2025-05-27 Bumps “Tested up to” version to 6.8 Fixes issue where load_plugin_textdomain was called too early. Update dependency package versions 1.9.2
- — Version 1.9.1 Release date: 2024-10-14 Bumps “Tested up to” version to 6.6 Bumps minimum required PHP version to 7.4 Bumps minimum required WP version to 5.8 Update dependency package versions 1.9.1
- — Version 1.9.0 Release date: 2023-10-17 Bumps “Tested up to” version to 6.4 Bumps minimum required PHP version to 7.0 Bumps minimum required WP version to 5.5 Update dependency package versions 1.9.0
- — Version 1.8.4 Release date: 2022-02-13 Bumps “Tested up to” version to 5.9 1.8.4
- — Version 1.8.3 Release date: 2021-08-07 Bumps “Tested up to” version to 5.8 Improves string translations and adds some missing strings that couldn’t, previously be translated. Props @alexclassroom 1.8.3
- — Version 1.8.2 Release date: 2021-06-01 Bumps “Tested up to” version to 5.7 1.8.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 71 languages, 17 at 90% or more
Plus 47 more locales with partial translations.
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 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows an admin (or capable user) to edit the author slug of a user, and change the author base."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 861 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "nicename", "user nicename" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2018-08-26 70K+ → 100K+ up after 452 days in tier
- 2017-05-31 60K+ → 70K+ up after 167 days in tier
- 2016-12-15 50K+ → 60K+ up after 268 days in tier
- 2016-03-22 40K+ → 50K+ up after 199 days in tier
- 2015-09-05 30K+ → 40K+ up
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).
-
SlugMaster – Author Slug & Post Slug Customizer 20+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags B -
Simply Change Author URL 40+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
SlugPilot – Author Permalink Control — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
LH Number User Nicename — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - W WP Meta and Date Remover 80K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Hide/Remove Metadata 20K+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Edit Author Slug into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/edit-author-slug" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Edit Author Slug — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Edit Author Slug: 100K+ active installs, 4.8★ (84 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/edit-author-slug
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