External links new tab – nofollow
by Vagelis · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 300+ installs across the portfolio →
External links in new tab
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈350 estimated
Momentum
-4%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “blank”, “external links” and “link target” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.1%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 4.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 4+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.0.18.
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 1584 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.0.18; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 2 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description under 30 characters
To rank higher: Last updated 1584 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| toubound links your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| external links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| link target your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| links in new tab your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| blank your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “blank”, “external links” and “link target” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 170 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ 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.
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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 21 months ago; the previous band took 22 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ hnasr4.6y ago
Working Great
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shishai6.9y ago
Tried about 20 plugins, but only yours works correctly and does not conflict with plugins. Very necessary plugin, thank you! WordPress 5.2.4 _____ Попробовал около 20 плагинов, но только ваш работает правильно и не конфликтует с плагинами. Очень нужный плагин, спасибо! WordPress 5.2.4 This topic was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by shishai.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 of 8 pass · checked 3 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description is 25 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 338 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("link target", "toubound links", "_blank" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-02-24 400+ → 300+ down after 651 days in tier
- 2023-05-15 300+ → 400+ up after 206 days in tier
- 2022-10-21 200+ → 300+ 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).
- E External Links 8K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
- J JAB External Link New Tab 80+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 80K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
External Links Overview 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag C -
Open Links In New Tab 800+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for External links new tab – nofollow into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/external-links-new-tab-nofollow" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="External links new tab – nofollow — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> External links new tab – nofollow: 300+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/external-links-new-tab-nofollow
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