404 Widget for Google
by Dave McHale · Uncategorized
Also makes 4 other plugins · 80.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add Google search capabilities to your site's 404 "page not found" template.
45 health vs 56 average across 16,377 Uncategorized plugins
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.3.23, well behind 6.8.
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
Biggest win: Update recency
To rank higher: Last updated 2468 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,426 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
45
now · peak 74
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
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
6.8y ago
latest release · v2.1
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 75% 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 “50+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2015-09-06 · 1,386 observations
Estimated value
What this plugin might earn a year, and what it might sell for. Modeled from public signals; we don't see anyone's books.
Est. annual revenue
Est. acquisition value
No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.
Details
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Anonymous10.7y ago
I’m using Virtue and after creating a child theme, moved 404.php to my child theme (so it wouldn’t be overwritten at a core update.) In place of WordPresses `<?php get_search_form(); ?>’ I replaced the plugin’s Google 404 search bar and it worked perfectly. It’s a better user experience.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 2 at 90% or more
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-24 60+ → 50+ down after 13 days in tier
- 2026-05-11 50+ → 60+ up after 85 days in tier
- 2026-02-15 60+ → 50+ down after 12 days in tier
- 2026-02-03 50+ → 60+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 60+ → 50+ down after 182 days in tier
- 2025-08-01 70+ → 60+ down after 207 days in tier
- 2025-01-06 80+ → 70+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-01-05 70+ → 80+ up after 5 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).
-
Link Juice Keeper 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
404 to Home 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D - 4 404 Simple Redirect 900+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
- 4 404 Notifier 600+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Better 404 Redirect To Homepage 600+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D - C Custom Error Pages 500+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for 404 Widget for Google into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/google-404" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="404 Widget for Google — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> 404 Widget for Google: 50+ active installs, 5.0★ (1 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/google-404