Headless Mode
by Ben Meredith · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 10K+ installs across the portfolio →
Once you take the head off of WordPress, nobody needs to see it. This plugin hides the front end by redirecting to the shiny static (etc) 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
D 54/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
2K+
≈2.7K estimated
Momentum
+22%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “headless wordpress” to your wp.org tags. You rank #22 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
54 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.5%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 36.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 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 835 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 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 835 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.
29
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 24d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 24d
+0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| jamstack your tag | #4 | #3 | 0 |
| gatsby your tag | #6 | #3 | 0 |
| headless your tag | #18 | #18 | down 1 |
| headless wordpress | #22 | #18 | down 4 |
| wordpress headless | #20 | #18 | 0 |
| wp headless | #20 | #17 | down 4 |
| static your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
11 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 6 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “headless wordpress” to your wp.org tags. You rank #22 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.1K · 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
2.3y ago
latest release · v0.4.0 · 18 Jul 2024
7
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 20 months ago; the previous band took 2.4 years to cross, which places it about 70% of the way through.
Install history since 28 Jan 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ edraaf5.2y ago
Makes it very easy to redirect visitors to your main site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ danojonguitud5.2y ago
This plugins works as intended.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Hernan Villanueva6.0y ago
This tiny plugin works exactly as intended.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous6.6y ago
It works perfectly, thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Rory Michael Heaney6.9y ago
No need to overthink your own solution, just install this, set the domain and you’re done.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tomhermans7.0y ago
I had a simple meta-refresh in my header.php to prevent users seeing the content site, but this is way better.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.4.0 checked for compatibility with the latest WP version read several hot takes from Josh on Twitter. Inaccurately attributed them to Elon Musk. 33 points and several attaboys to Alex Standiford for testing this and submitti 0.4.0
- — Version 0.3.0 adds a filter named headless_mode_will_redirect so that individual requests can make it through to WP if needed. fixed an issue with new installs showing a white screen for users not logged in, until a constant is set. 2 0.3.0
- — Version 0.2.0 adds a filter for headless_mode_disable_front_end so that access to the front end can be granted on a per-user basis. tested up to WordPress 5.5 17 total new points for a relatively long time with no support issues. The 0.2.0
- — Version 0.1.0 resolve PHP notice due to missing parentheses. tally of 14 total points based on previous issues. shameless pointing out that the points are all made up. 0.1.0
- — Version 0.0.4 more changes to the readme for display on wordpress.org 73% more #HiRoy. Have you said Hi to Roy today? https://hiroy.club change the author URL to not be so self-serving, Ben. a much needed Points review by Meagan Hanes 0.0.4
- — Version 0.0.3 Modifications for the .org readme authors, etc. 0.0.3
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 6.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 languages, 5 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
3 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Once you take the head off of WordPress, nobody needs to see it. This plugin hides the front end by redirec..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions REST API.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 280 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "gatsby", "jamstack" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-02-24 1K+ → 2K+ up after 876 days in tier
- 2022-10-02 900+ → 1K+ up after 243 days in tier
- 2022-02-01 600+ → 900+ up after 185 days in tier
- 2021-07-31 500+ → 600+ up after 84 days in tier
- 2021-05-08 300+ → 500+ up after 149 days in tier
- 2020-12-10 40+ → 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).
-
JAMStackPress — installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D -
WPGatsby 3K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D - W WPGraphQL Blocks 300+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
Publish to Netlify 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - W WP Gatsby Markdown Exporter 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
QuantCDN 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Headless Mode into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/headless-mode" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Headless Mode — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Headless Mode: 2K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/headless-mode
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