Magazine Columns
by bandicootmarketing · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 6.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Divides your post or page content into two or more columns, like a magazine article.
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 42/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈650 estimated
Momentum
n/a
no downloads in the prior 30 days to compare with
Biggest opportunity: “columns”, “magazine” and “magazine columns” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.9%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 66.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.3.34, well behind 7.1.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 4095 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.3.34; the current branch is 7.1
3.0★ over 5 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.0★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4095 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| columns your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| magazine your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| magazine columns your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| multiple post columns your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post columns your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “columns”, “magazine” and “magazine columns” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 158 · 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
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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
11.2y ago
latest release · v1.0.7 · 18 Aug 2015
7
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 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 5 Jun 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Foliferous12.8y ago
Just what I wanted!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ EddieG12.8y ago
You can probably figure out how to use this script by trial and error, if you have the time. If not, look elsewhere.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ KirkGregor13.4y ago
There are no instructions to know two things: Is the plugin installed and working and is there a simple test to see if the plugin actually works. The plugin should provide a button or some kind of evidence should be easy to confirm so learning programmers can move forward. The level of communication and instruction from the originator is poor.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ RaymondDuke13.6y ago
I made a mistake.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Peter Massey-Plantinga13.9y ago
We just wanted a way to split posts into multiple columns, and this did that.
Read on wp.org ↗
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
0 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 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 67 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("magazine columns", "multiple post columns", "post columns" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-01-31 700+ → 600+ down after 244 days in tier
- 2025-06-01 800+ → 700+ down after 203 days in tier
- 2024-11-10 900+ → 800+ down after 175 days in tier
- 2024-05-19 1K+ → 900+ down after 1006 days in tier
- 2021-08-17 2K+ → 1K+ down after 668 days in tier
- 2019-10-19 3K+ → 2K+ down after 566 days in tier
- 2018-04-01 4K+ → 3K+ down
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).
- W WP Auto Columns 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
Admin Columns 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Column Shortcodes 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag D -
ACF Quick Edit Fields 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag C -
Lightweight Grid Columns 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag D -
Genesis Columns Advanced 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Magazine Columns into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/magazine-columns" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Magazine Columns — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Magazine Columns: 600+ active installs, 3.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/magazine-columns
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