Fewer Tags Free
by Progress Planner · SEO
Also makes 6 other plugins · 10.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin minimizes the effect of having too many tags by setting a minimum number of posts needed for a tag to be “live” on your site.
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 78/100
Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈190 estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “seo”, “tag” and “tags” 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.
78 health vs 65 average across 2,216 SEO plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 5.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median SEO plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,193 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other SEO 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
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: Rating quality
Updated 226 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| seo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tag your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tags 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). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “seo”, “tag” and “tags” 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 29 Nov 2023 · 1,068 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 613 · 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 21 Oct 2026.
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 · v1.5.1 · 19 Mar 2026
8
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 months ago and the previous band took 2.1 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 200.
Install history since 28 Nov 2023
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ nlukic2.3y ago
I’ve been using the Fewer Tags plugin on several news sites, and it has been fantastic. This plugin effectively excludes tags that are not important, keeping content well-organized. It’s essential for news sites with many articles, as it simplifies indexing only the relevant tags. Additionally, the support team has been exceptional, providing prompt and helpful response. Overall, Fewer Tags is a valuable tool for any website. Highly recommended!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ skeeterseatery2.4y ago
We can’t thank Joost de Valk enough for his amazing new free plugin, “Fewer Tags Free”! As a website owner, I’m beyond excited about this. Joost noticed that many websites, including mine, were suffering from overlapping tags and multiple tags linking to the same content, creating thin content pages with little value. In his spare time, Joost crafted a brilliant solution just for us! His plugin works its magic by hiding tags with fewer than 3 posts from both users and search engines. This simple yet powerful fix boosts your site’s SEO and reduces unnecessary crawling, cutting down on those useless tag pages. It’s a game-changer!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ boljoro2.8y ago
Good and simple plugin to reduce the amount of empty tag pages on your website.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.6
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 8 languages, 7 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
5 of 8 pass · checked 30 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 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Yoast.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,313 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
- 2026-08-31 200+ → 100+ down after 762 days in tier
- 2024-07-30 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-07-29 200+ → 100+ down after 25 days in tier
- 2024-07-04 100+ → 200+ up after 33 days in tier
- 2024-06-01 90+ → 100+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-31 50+ → 90+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-30 30+ → 50+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-05-28 40+ → 30+ down 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).
-
Meta Tag Manager 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A - T Taxonomy Dropdown Widget 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B
- T Taxonomy List Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
- C Custom Recent Posts Widget 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
TagPages 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D -
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Fewer Tags Free into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/fewer-tags" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Fewer Tags Free — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Fewer Tags Free: 100+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/fewer-tags
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