Easy search and use CC-licensed images
by lenasterg · Media
Also makes 9 other plugins · 2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Search millions of CC-licensed images without leaving WordPress editor. Use one into your post content or set as featured image very quickly.
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
B 82/100
Few reviews
Active installs
60+
≈70 estimated
Momentum
+20%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “free image”, “free photo” and “media library” for “openverse”, “colorbox” and “pexels”. “free image” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “openverse” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “free photo” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “colorbox” sits at #20 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media library” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pexels” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
82 health vs 62 average across 3,278 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.2%
of downloads still active
At least 60 of 4.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,317 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media 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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 114 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 1 review, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
27
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| creative commons your tag | #13 | #24 | down 1 |
| openverse | #12 | #18 | down 5 |
| colorbox | #20 | #24 | 0 |
| pexels | #24 | #23 | down 4 |
| free image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| free photo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media library your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
11 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 4 listed. 7 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “free image”, “free photo” and “media library” for “openverse”, “colorbox” and “pexels”. “free image” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “openverse” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “free photo” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “colorbox” sits at #20 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media library” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pexels” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “creative commons”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 181 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #19,100 to #20,000, alongside the other plugins at 60+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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 · v5.0 · 9 Jul 2026
7
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 50% 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 “60+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 10 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 70.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 6 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
4 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, WPML, Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,551 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "free image", "media library" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-21 70+ → 60+ down after 100 days in tier
- 2026-07-13 60+ → 70+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-07-11 80+ → 60+ down after 12 days in tier
- 2026-06-29 70+ → 80+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-28 80+ → 70+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-27 70+ → 80+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-26 80+ → 70+ down after 12 days in tier
- 2026-06-14 70+ → 80+ up after 5 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).
-
Creative Commons 700+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D - E Easy CC License 30+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
- L License 10+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
- C Creative Commons Media Tagger 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
Instant Images – One-click Image Uploads from Unsplash, Openverse, Pixabay, Pexels, and Giphy 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Easy search and use CC-licensed images into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/ls-wp-ccsearch" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Easy search and use CC-licensed images — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Easy search and use CC-licensed images: 60+ active installs, 5.0★ (1 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/ls-wp-ccsearch
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