Hierarchical Link Categories
by Zack Katz · Uncategorized
Also makes 18 other plugins · 12.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Convert WordPress' link categories to be hierarchical with this simple plugin.
43 health vs 56 average across 16,375 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 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, 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 5039 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
52
now · peak 73
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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
13.8y ago
latest release · v2.0.1
3
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 “80+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2016-06-03 · 1,384 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 ↗- ★★★★★ phamnuwen12.9y ago
I’d prefer the hierarchy to behave as a directory tree. If I assign a link to a subcategory, it shouldn’t be displayed as being a direct subnode of the parent/root category. I turned off the “Include Links From Parent Category” choice in the widget to solve this problem, but now I can’t add links directly to root category – they are hidden along with links with inferred membership. I’d guess this is related to the problem mentioned in FAQ. Otherwise, good work, just what I needed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ digitaloffice13.8y ago
The widget display is useless if you want all links on a single page and you want the entire thing displayed hierarchically.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-26 90+ → 80+ down after 26 days in tier
- 2026-05-31 80+ → 90+ up after 35 days in tier
- 2026-04-26 90+ → 80+ down after 86 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 100+ → 90+ down
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 View 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D -
Open Link 图链 50+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D - L Link Manager 20K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
- A Autologin Links 7K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Simple Keyword to Link 3K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D -
Eazy Enable Blogroll 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Hierarchical Link Categories into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/hierarchical-link-categories" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Hierarchical Link Categories — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Hierarchical Link Categories: 80+ active installs, 3.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/hierarchical-link-categories