Highlight Search Terms
by Rolf Allard van Hagen · Search
Also makes 7 other plugins · 109.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Very lightweight (vanilla) Javascript that wraps search terms in an HTML5 mark tag within WordPress search results.
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
A 90/100
no flags
Active installs
6K+
≈6.9K estimated
Momentum
+11%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “search” for “fuzzy search”. “search” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “fuzzy search” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
90 health vs 63 average across 980 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.2%
of downloads still active
At least 6K of 187.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 647 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Search 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 2 releases 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 60 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 40 reviews, smoothed to 4.50★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
41
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
26%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| highlight your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| hilite your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| search terms your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| vanilla javascript | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| search highlight | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| terms | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| vanilla | #3 | #2 | 0 |
| mark your tag | #4 | #4 | up 1 |
| terms of use | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| fuzzy search | #9 | #6 | 0 |
| word search | #12 | #10 | 0 |
| search your tag | #22 | #20 | up 1 |
| search results | #19 | #18 | down 1 |
| html5 | #22 | #18 | down 1 |
| wordpress search | #24 | #22 | down 1 |
| tag search | #21 | #19 | 0 |
| search box | #21 | #16 | 0 |
| better search | #24 | #19 | down 1 |
| relevanssi | #24 | #11 | down 2 |
| get tag from search engine | #21 | #20 | — |
117 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 97 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “search” for “fuzzy search”. “search” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “fuzzy search” sits at #9 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 4.3K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
2
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v1.8.4 · 9 Jul 2026
36
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 89% 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 “6K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 52 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 7K.
Install history since 19 Jan 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ hexoliving2.4y ago
Nice plugin – highly reccomend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mauri012.6y ago
I added the “Prevent highlighting when clicking through to result” option, all works well! Thanks you
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Generosus3.1y ago
Nice! A plugin that works “out of the box.” Note: If after installing this plugin you experience any issues, most likely, they are due to a conflict with another plugin (usually a Cache or Performance plugin). The developers of these other plugins should be able to help solve your issues. Cheers 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ j0p20213.2y ago
Very good. It didn’t work right away. But overall very helpful. Although I immediately found a small mistake. For some reason, “by” does not work, but “by” = “by” – I checked! 1.cbm.ua/?p=5504
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BPhDesigns3.7y ago
Thanks for this great simple plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ backfolder4.8y ago
Latest update 1.8.0 broke my site… This topic was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by backfolder.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mikeywil5.1y ago
Great plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sadhaka5.1y ago
Excellent plug-in. Saved me a ton of work. Extensible, too.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.8.4 Date 2026-05-26 Improved T25 theme compatibility WP 7 compatibilty tested 1.8.4
- — Version 1.8.3 Date 2024-04-05 Update to WP coding standards WP 6.5 compatibility tested 1.8.3
- — Version 1.8.2 Date 2022-03-01 Fix T_TRY error 1.8.2
- — Version 1.8.1 Date 2022-01-31 Fix possible missing is_plugin_active error 1.8.1
- — Version 1.8.0 Date 2022-01-30 NEW: Woocommerce compatibility NEW: Search Filter Pro compatibility 1.8.0
- — Version 1.7.0 Date 2021-12-04 Switch to mark.js, https://markjs.io/ Include HTML5 main tag Dropped futile search engine support FIX: Possible double inline script FIX: wptexturized search results not highlighted NEW: filter hlst_event 1.7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 languages, 3 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 28 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 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 3 of 5 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, bbPress, BuddyPress, Jetpack.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,305 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-11 7K+ → 6K+ down after 16 days in tier
- 2026-08-26 6K+ → 7K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-08-23 7K+ → 6K+ down after 359 days in tier
- 2025-08-29 8K+ → 7K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-28 7K+ → 8K+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2025-08-16 8K+ → 7K+ down after 449 days in tier
- 2024-05-24 9K+ → 8K+ down after 31 days in tier
- 2024-04-23 8K+ → 9K+ up after 3 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).
-
String locator 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Search Redirections 70+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Search Regex 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Search & Replace 100K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag C -
Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Highlight Search Terms into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/highlight-search-terms" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Highlight Search Terms — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Highlight Search Terms: 6K+ active installs, 5.0★ (40 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/highlight-search-terms
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