List Custom Taxonomy Widget
by Nick Halsey · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 23 other plugins · 20.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
The List Custom Taxonomy Widget is a quick and easy way to display custom taxonomies. Simply choose the taxonomy name you want to display from an auto …
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Health
A 88/100
no flags
Active installs
8K+
≈9K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “category”, “sidebar” and “widget” for “list”, “custom taxonomies” and “custom widget”. “category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “list” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “sidebar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “custom taxonomies” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “widget” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “custom widget” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
88 health vs 56 average across 5,897 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.5%
of downloads still active
At least 8K of 122.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 1 release 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 105 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 21 reviews, smoothed to 4.28★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
16%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| taxonomy widget | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| custom taxonomy widget | #2 | #5 | down 1 |
| custom tax your tag | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| taxonomy | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| custom taxonomy your tag | #3 | #6 | down 1 |
| taxonomy list plugin | #2 | #4 | down 1 |
| taxonomy list | #2 | #4 | down 1 |
| list | #6 | #7 | 0 |
| taxonomy plugin | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| add taxonomy | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| custom taxonomies | #8 | #14 | down 2 |
| page taxonomy | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| taxonomies | #11 | #16 | down 1 |
| custom widget | #8 | #16 | 0 |
| list id | #5 | #6 | 0 |
| categories widget | #10 | #16 | 0 |
| custom list | #6 | #11 | — |
| category list | #12 | #15 | 0 |
| category widget | #13 | #17 | down 1 |
| custom sidebar | #13 | #16 | down 2 |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
105 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 63 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “category”, “sidebar” and “widget” for “list”, “custom taxonomies” and “custom widget”. “category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “list” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “sidebar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “custom taxonomies” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “widget” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “custom widget” sits at #8 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 5.3K · 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.
1
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v4.2 · 19 Jul 2026
11
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 71% 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 “8K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band yesterday and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 9K.
Install history since 13 May 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ julianoe3.4y ago
Always appreciate a simple 1 task plugin without too much fluff. It works well. Until WordPress implements this natively (I don’t really understand why it’s not the case), it’s my go to plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mladen Gradev7.7y ago
Great little tool. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ogral8.1y ago
Simple and Lite Plugin/Widget, that offers custom settings inside the widget. Works well and you can have multiple taxonomies instances/configurations.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Espace8.6y ago
Good! This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Espace. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Espace. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Espace. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Espace. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Espace.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ narycute10.2y ago
I just have to say taht I love u and keep going with plugins likes this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sublines10.3y ago
I love plugins that just do what they say and work out of the box. Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Alraune10.6y ago
Works like a charm, thanks a lot. With Genesis and Book Authors Pro Plugin. Perfect for different Lists in a Widget for Sidebar.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cr8tivNomad - Al Harji10.8y ago
Thanks for creating this amazing and easy to use plugin. Works well and nice to see functionality that should be in the core as a plugin that just works 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.2 Fix default extended options display. Add additional escaping and sanitization. 4.2
- — Version 4.1 Add support for selective refresh in the customizer, available in WordPress 4.5. 4.1
- — Version 4.0 Add option to show empty terms. Fix PHP strict standards warnings, present since WordPress 3.7. Fix broken navigation when displaying as a dropdown, and explicitly prevent built-in taxonomies from being displayed as drop 4.0
- — Version 3.3 Fixed bug where dropdown input 404d unless it was the built-in category taxonomy; dropdown option should work properly now Plugin is WordPress 3.6 compatible 3.3
- — Version 3.2.1 Added classes/ids and containers to widgets to alow easier selecting with CSS and JavaScript 3.2.1
- — Version 3.2 Added ability to display categories with dropdown (and go button) instead of as a list (the default), find it at the bottom of the “more options” section’ Improved documentation 3.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (4.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.4 List Custom Taxonomy Widget <= 4.1 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-04-22 CVE-2024-32833 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.1 Patched in 4.2
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.5.2
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "The List Custom Taxonomy Widget is a quick and easy way to display custom taxonomies. Simply choose the tax..."
- ! 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 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 483 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "category" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-31 9K+ → 8K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-10-27 8K+ → 9K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-26 9K+ → 8K+ down after 290 days in tier
- 2026-01-09 10K+ → 9K+ down after 3428 days in tier
- 2016-08-21 9K+ → 10K+ up after 146 days in tier
- 2016-03-28 8K+ → 9K+ up after 90 days in tier
- 2015-12-29 6K+ → 8K+ up after 132 days in tier
- 2015-08-19 5K+ → 6K+ 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).
- R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D
- N NS Category Widget 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags B
-
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Image Widget 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Fixed Widget and Sticky Elements for WordPress 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for List Custom Taxonomy Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/list-custom-taxonomy-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="List Custom Taxonomy Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> List Custom Taxonomy Widget: 8K+ active installs, 4.7★ (21 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/list-custom-taxonomy-widget
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