Markdown Shortcode
by JHoppe · Uncategorized
Damn simple markdown for wordpress via shortcode, uses parsedown (parsedown.org) and highlight.js (highlightjs.org).
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 72/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
80+
≈80 estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “shortcode” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
72 health vs 58 average across 25,753 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 80 of 4.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 406 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 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.
28
Momentum
Losing ground
-2.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+1.7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| parsedown your tag | #5 | #6 | 0 |
| markdown your tag | #21 | #20 | down 1 |
| highlight.js your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| shortcode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “shortcode” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 1 Nov 2024 · 730 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 225 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #17,400 to #18,100, alongside the other plugins at 80+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
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.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “80+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 80.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (0.2.3). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Markdown Shortcode <= 0.2.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-09-25 CVE-2025-10180 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 0.2.1 Patched in 0.2.3
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.
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
1 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 1 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("The WYSIWYG editor (TinyMCE) is removing empty spaces!").
- ! 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 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 587 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 4 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-28 70+ → 80+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-27 80+ → 70+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2026-10-21 70+ → 80+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-20 80+ → 70+ 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).
-
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A - M MW WP Form 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more 70K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag C -
Better Font Awesome 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
Column Shortcodes 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Markdown Shortcode into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/markdown-shortcode" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Markdown Shortcode — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Markdown Shortcode: 80+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/markdown-shortcode
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.