Embed Optimizer
by WordPress Performance Team · Performance
Also makes 9 other plugins · 550K+ installs across the portfolio →
Optimizes the performance of embeds through lazy-loading, adding dns-prefetch links, and reserving space to reduce layout shifts.
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 82/100
Few reviews
Active installs
50K+
≈55K estimated
Momentum
-33%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “optimizer”, “prefetch” and “shifts” to your wp.org tags. You rank #7, #8 and #10 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
82 health vs 69 average across 1,807 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →12%
of downloads still active
At least 50K of 433.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,101 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance 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 5 releases 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
- Version
- 1.0.0-beta6
- Last updated
- 2mo ago
- Added
- 2024-03-20 · 2 yrs old
- Requires WP
- 6.9
- Tested up to
- 7.1.4
- Requires PHP
- 7.4
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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 66 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
3.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.06★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
42
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
29%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| optimization detective your tag | #4 | #6 | down 1 |
| embeds your tag | #5 | #22 | up 2 |
| post id optimizer | #2 | #17 | 0 |
| hide dns prefetch | #2 | #13 | 0 |
| dns prefetch | #5 | #19 | 0 |
| embed | #6 | #23 | up 2 |
| optimizer | #7 | #19 | down 1 |
| prefetch | #8 | #23 | down 1 |
| shifts | #10 | #23 | down 1 |
| dns | #13 | #24 | down 3 |
| plugin optimizer | #7 | #19 | 0 |
| wordpress optimizer | #8 | #22 | 0 |
| lcp | #17 | #24 | up 2 |
| image optimizer | #21 | #23 | down 2 |
| skip lazy loading | #24 | #24 | 0 |
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
65 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 15 listed. 50 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “optimizer”, “prefetch” and “shifts” to your wp.org tags. You rank #7, #8 and #10 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 23 Mar 2024 · 953 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 63.7K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
5
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v1.0.0-beta6 · 26 Aug 2026
13
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 96% 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 “50K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 22 Mar 2024
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Liups2331.3y ago
My theme is Mynote. This plugin works great
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mr Bachelor emgi1.3y ago
Do not use it, I have been trying to figure out for days why my embeds on social media apps dont show up with images. This plugin breaks them.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.0.0 Enhancements Bump version to 1.0.0-beta1 to indicate graduation from being experimental. See 1846 . Use CSS range syntax in media queries. ( 1833 ) 1.0.0
- — Version 0.4.1 Bug Fixes Remove requirement for both mobile and desktop URL metrics to be collected for preconnect links to be added. ( 1764 ) 0.4.1
- — Version 0.4.0 Enhancements Incorporate media queries into preconnect links to account for whether embeds are in viewport. ( 1654 ) Serve unminified scripts when SCRIPT_DEBUG is enabled. ( 1643 ) 0.4.0
- — Version 0.3.0 Enhancements Leverage URL Metrics to reserve space for embeds to reduce CLS. ( 1373 ) Avoid lazy-loading images and embeds unless there are URL Metrics for both mobile and desktop. ( 1604 ) 0.3.0
- — Version 0.2.0 Enhancements Facilitate embedding of Embed Optimizer. ( 1337 ) Leverage Optimization Detective to optimize embeds in Embed Optimizer. ( 1302 ) 0.2.0
- — Version 0.1.2 Enhancements Improve overall code quality with stricter static analysis checks. ( 775 ) Bump minimum PHP requirement to 7.2. ( 1130 ) Bug Fixes Hide post embed iframes with visibility:hidden instead of clipping. ( 1192 ) 0.1.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 15 languages, 9 at 90% or more
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Optimizes the performance of embeds through lazy-loading, adding dns-prefetch links, and reserving space to..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 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 Mentions REST API, YouTube.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,817 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-15 60K+ → 50K+ down after 202 days in tier
- 2025-09-25 50K+ → 60K+ up after 68 days in tier
- 2025-07-19 40K+ → 50K+ up after 76 days in tier
- 2025-05-04 30K+ → 40K+ up after 63 days in tier
- 2025-03-02 20K+ → 30K+ up after 116 days in tier
- 2024-11-06 10K+ → 20K+ up after 123 days in tier
- 2024-07-06 9K+ → 10K+ up after 9 days in tier
- 2024-06-27 8K+ → 9K+ up after 10 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).
-
Image Prioritizer 40K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Simple Like Page – Fast & Privacy-Friendly Page Embeds 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag B -
WP Super Cache 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Embed Optimizer into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/embed-optimizer" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Embed Optimizer — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Embed Optimizer: 50K+ active installs, 3.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/embed-optimizer
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