Lazy Load for Videos
by kevinweber · Performance
Also makes 1 other plugin · 9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Boost page speed by replacing embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos with a clickable preview image. Video scripts only load on click.
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 86/100
no flags
Active installs
9K+
≈9.8K estimated
Momentum
+30%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “performance”, “privacy” and “vimeo” for “videos”, “load” and “lazy”. “performance” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “videos” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “privacy” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “load” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “vimeo” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “lazy” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 69 average across 1,809 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 9K of 471.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,106 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance 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 3 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 9 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.4★ over 105 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.3★
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.
60
Momentum
Gaining ground
+1.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
58%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+1.4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lazy load your tag | #4 | #4 | up 1 |
| videos | #5 | #7 | up 1 |
| load | #6 | #6 | up 1 |
| lazy | #7 | #9 | down 1 |
| jquery lazy load plugin | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| images lazy load | #4 | #5 | up 3 |
| lazy load video | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| iframe lazy load | #4 | #6 | 0 |
| image lazy load | #5 | #7 | up 3 |
| background image lazy load | #5 | #8 | up 1 |
| lazy load plugin | #5 | #7 | up 2 |
| disable lazy load | #5 | #7 | up 1 |
| replacing | #13 | #17 | 0 |
| add my videos | #6 | #8 | 0 |
| add videos | #6 | #5 | up 2 |
| embedded video | #6 | #6 | 0 |
| lazy load images | #9 | #11 | up 4 |
| embedded | #24 | #17 | 0 |
| clickable | #24 | #17 | down 1 |
| page load | #11 | #11 | up 3 |
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| privacy your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| vimeo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| youtube your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
139 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 105 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “performance”, “privacy” and “vimeo” for “videos”, “load” and “lazy”. “performance” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “videos” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “privacy” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “load” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “vimeo” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “lazy” sits at #7 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 16.5K · 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.
3
releases in the last 12 months
9d ago
latest release · v2.18.12 · 25 Oct 2026
85
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 87% 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 “9K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago and the previous band took 6.4 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 10K.
Install history since 15 Apr 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ karasunouta4mo ago
While working on a plugin to make YouTube embeds sticky, I hit a performance wall: the more videos on a page, the heavier it got. So I tried Lazy Load for Videos, and it turned the standard block-editor embeds into lazy-loaded ones with zero extra setup. The page got dramatically lighter. What I appreciated most is that videos aren’t materialized on scroll, but on click. It’s common for a page to have 10 embedded videos where visitors actually play only 2 or 3. Scroll-based lazy loading still ends up loading everything eventually, but with click-based loading, only the videos people actually want get loaded. That difference is noticeable. Pairing this with my sticky plugin turned out to be the missing piece. Articles featuring multiple video guides now feel clean and lightweight, carrying no extra weight until a reader actually hits play. Understated, well thought-out, and hard to find a substitute for.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ synthezoid2.6y ago
Well, it’s free, so that’s worth an extra star all by itself, but it doesn’t actually do anything. My site is exactly the same as it was without it. I installed it, set my settings, even changed the play button to “pulsing”, hit the “update posts” button, and load-blocking iframe youtube embeds still display as the same load-blocking iframe youtube embeds they’ve always been. I checked the support forums and there’s a huge notice on top that the plugin is unsupported, so, uh, there goes the extra star it got for being free. A free plugin gets extra stars even if it doesn’t work perfectly, but a totally broken, totally unsupported plugin is 0 stars even if it’s free. I would have donated if it had worked, too. This topic was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by synthezoid.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mario62rus2.6y ago
На одном сайте этот плагин заработал как надо, а на другом, где видео вставлены через <iframe> работать не стал. Зато с этой задачей прекрасно справился плагин WP YouTube Lyte.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joyryde3.2y ago
HI Kevin,We sell 10,000 products and we edit and crate products using the Woocommerce CSV import/export.This plugin has added 5,000+ columns into the CSV file when it’s exported from Woocommerce…so it crashes the server and Google Sheets and Apple Numbers are unable to open the CSV because the plugin created too many columns. How can we stop the plugin from creating so much data in the database? If we uninstall it, will it delete all database data to solve this issue? We don’t see any settings in it that “removes all data upon uninstall” like other plugins…and we don’t know how to stop it from overloading the database other than to remove it…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ consumerista3.3y ago
This plugin improved load times (especially for mobile in my case) on pages that had YouTube videos. It also hasn’t interfered with load times on pages without videos. Jetpack’s and WP Fastest Cache Premium’s lazy load functions INCREASED page loads for some reason (I think they are delaying the loading of featured psot image on one of my themes). Having the option to activate this function for videos only is clutch and is all I needed for my site to perform well. No lunch or promo but a big thank-you to the author
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ maxleithner3.3y ago
I have videos with differing aspect ratios (4:3, 2.35:1, 9:16, 2:1, 1.85:1,…). Unfortunately, the plugin always shows the thumbnail in an aspect ratio of 16:9. Is there a way to make the plugin adapt to the aspect ratio of the video? This topic was modified 3 years ago by maxleithner.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nealumphred3.3y ago
Lazy Load for Videos is easy to understand, easy to use, and it does its job well. Thanks for the fine plugin. This topic was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by nealumphred.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ adam23543.4y ago
Downloaded the plugin based on a perf article on clarity-online.com. Took my google pagespeed score from a 27 to a 41 for my divi video slider that had 5 youtubes in it. impressive!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.18.11 Improve internationalization Improve security by checking for ABSPATH 2.18.11
- — Version 2.18.10 Quality of life improvements, ensure WordPress 7.0+ compatibility 2.18.10
- — Version 2.18.9 Minor tweaks of texts and links on the admin page 2.18.9
- — Version 2.18.8 Security: Patch potential XSS attack vector 2.18.8
- — Version 2.18.7 Security: Patch potential XSS attack vector 2.18.7
- — Version 2.18.4 Improve translations and add Catalan/Esperanto. Thanks to @martin-steghoefer’s PR Resolve warning about the timing of translation loading 2.18.4
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.18.12). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Lazy Load for Videos <= 2.18.11 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2026-10-26 CVE-2026-115951 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.18.11 Patched in 2.18.12
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Lazy Load for Videos <= 2.18.7 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via data-video-title and href Attributes ↗2025-08-26 CVE-2025-7732 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.18.7 Patched in 2.18.8
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 124 languages, 2 at 90% or more
Plus 100 more locales with partial translations.
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
8 of 8 pass · checked 3 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Boost page speed by replacing embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos with a clickable preview image. Video scrip..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 15 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 13 of 15 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("great for", "if you have").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Google Analytics, Multisite, YouTube, Vimeo.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,389 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "performance" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-08 10K+ → 9K+ down after 2340 days in tier
- 2019-12-11 9K+ → 10K+ up after 22 days in tier
- 2019-11-19 8K+ → 9K+ up after 504 days in tier
- 2018-07-03 7K+ → 8K+ up after 105 days in tier
- 2018-03-20 6K+ → 7K+ up after 300 days in tier
- 2017-05-24 5K+ → 6K+ up after 152 days in tier
- 2016-12-23 4K+ → 5K+ up after 418 days in tier
- 2015-11-01 3K+ → 4K+ up after 159 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).
-
WP YouTube Lyte 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Presto Player 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - I iframe 60K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B
-
All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Simple Like Page – Fast & Privacy-Friendly Page Embeds 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Lazy Load for Videos into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/lazy-load-for-videos" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Lazy Load for Videos — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Lazy Load for Videos: 9K+ active installs, 4.4★ (105 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/lazy-load-for-videos
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