Force Admin Color Scheme
by Scott Reilly · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 64 other plugins · 78.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Force a single admin color scheme for all users of the 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
C 60/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
500+
≈590 estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “admin”, “admin colors” and “staging” for “admin color scheme”, “scheme” and “color schemes”. “admin” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “admin color scheme” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “admin colors” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “scheme” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “staging” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “color schemes” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
60 health vs 56 average across 5,897 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.4%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 11.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,190 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 563 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 563 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.
40
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 25d
20%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 25d
+0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| scheme | #4 | #21 | down 1 |
| admin color scheme | #4 | #20 | 0 |
| prefers color scheme | #2 | #11 | 0 |
| color scheme your tag | #7 | #23 | down 2 |
| coffee2code your tag | #7 | #10 | down 1 |
| admin color schemes | #6 | #20 | — |
| admin color | #19 | #22 | 0 |
| color schemes | #16 | #24 | up 1 |
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| admin colors your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| staging your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
11 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 3 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
- Swap “admin”, “admin colors” and “staging” for “admin color scheme”, “scheme” and “color schemes”. “admin” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “admin color scheme” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “admin colors” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “scheme” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “staging” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “color schemes” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 491 · 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
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
1.5y ago
latest release · v2.1 · 17 Apr 2025
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 57% 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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 47 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 600.
At the current install trend, crossing 600+ in roughly 676 days.
Install history since 1 Aug 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Daniel7.4y ago
I’m running a small multisite and needed a better orientation for my authors. thanks a lot.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ toxicradon10.5y ago
We use this plugin, to get a consistent branding for our customers. Together with “Admin Color Schemer” it gives us the ability to make sure that the client sees their panel in either their site colors, or our company colors without us having to worry, they will accidently change it. I often also pair this plugin with “WP Admin UI Customize” to brand the login-screen and keep less tech-savvy clients from being overwhelmed by the options WordPress offers. Those three are my go-to plugins for branding my sites and keeping the user-experience consistent.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 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
4 of 8 pass · checked 29 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 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 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 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,185 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin colors", "coffee2code" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-15 600+ → 500+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-09-13 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-12 600+ → 500+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2026-09-07 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-06 600+ → 500+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-09-02 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-01 600+ → 500+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2026-08-27 500+ → 600+ up after 2 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).
-
One Click Close Comments 5K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C -
Default Admin Color Scheme 800+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B -
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Redux Framework 900K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Force Admin Color Scheme into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/force-admin-color-scheme" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Force Admin Color Scheme — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Force Admin Color Scheme: 500+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/force-admin-color-scheme
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