External url as post Featured Image (thumbnail)
by Puvox Software · Uncategorized
Also makes 18 other plugins · 40.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
[ ✅ 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒 b𝓎 𝒫𝓊𝓋𝑜𝓍] Set External-URL as post thumbnail url.
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 61/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈110 estimated
Momentum
-15%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “external”, “feature” and “post” 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 →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 6.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,787 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
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 734 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.5.14; 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 in place
To rank higher: Last updated 734 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| external your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| feature your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| thumbnail your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| url your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “external”, “feature” and “post” 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 4 Nov 2024 · 729 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 114 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 22 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 100.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.08). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2022-08-01 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.02 Patched in 2.03
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("for developers"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, YouTube.
- ! Headings and lists 4 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 756 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-12 80+ → 100+ 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).
- B Better REST API Featured Images 2K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
- P Permalink Editor 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Stealth Publish 900+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D - P Password Passthrough 500+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Regenerate Thumbnails 1M+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
Post Duplicator 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for External url as post Featured Image (thumbnail) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/external-url-as-post-featured-image-thumbnail" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="External url as post Featured Image (thumbnail) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> External url as post Featured Image (thumbnail): 100+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/external-url-as-post-featured-image-thumbnail
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.