Link Manager
by Andrew Nacin · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 21.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Enables the Link Manager that existed in WordPress until version 3.5.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
+30%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “blogroll”, “link manager” and “links” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.7%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 422.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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
53/100Maintenance 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16.
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 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16; the current branch is 6.8
4.5★ over 33 reviews, smoothed to 4.26★
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| blogroll your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| link manager your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “blogroll”, “link manager” and “links” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 906 · 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
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.
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 “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 18 Jun 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ lenasterg4.0y ago
It still works with WordPress 6.1
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chrisconcoco4.2y ago
Does what it says on the tin, and lets you categorise and organise links. If it was not for this nonsensical ‘rating’, and especially the output (a number value), which cannot be turned off, this would be 100% the plugin I require. Can this be fixed?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dmsr4.3y ago
Demeure dans ma boite à outils car le gestionnaire de liens natif de WP est simple à utiliser
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tobyw77.8y ago
Still works on the latest versions of WordPress and does what it says on the tin! Thanks for this 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Richard8.5y ago
This plugin needs an uninstall option. It’s out of date and not working/needed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ LucicX10.7y ago
Links widget is missing in wp-admin of wordpress 4.4.2
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Quantum*Bleep*10.8y ago
Even though this plugin has not been updated in quite a while, it works quite well in 4.4.1 wp.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ voldby11.8y ago
And still needed 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Enables the Link Manager that existed in WordPress until version 3.5."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you have", "use this").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 313 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-26 30K+ → 20K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-24 20K+ → 30K+ up after 48 days in tier
- 2026-03-07 30K+ → 20K+ down after 322 days in tier
- 2025-04-19 40K+ → 30K+ down after 117 days in tier
- 2024-12-23 30K+ → 40K+ up after 341 days in tier
- 2024-01-17 40K+ → 30K+ down after 524 days in tier
- 2022-08-11 50K+ → 40K+ down after 245 days in tier
- 2021-12-09 60K+ → 50K+ down after 364 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).
-
VS Link Manager 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
Eazy Enable Blogroll 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
Link View 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D - B Blogroll Links 300+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
- B Blogroll Widget with RSS Feeds 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
- H Hierarchical Link Categories 80+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Link Manager into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/link-manager" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Link Manager — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Link Manager: 20K+ active installs, 4.5★ (33 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/link-manager
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