Multiple Category Selection Widget
by zackdesign · Search
Also makes 4 other plugins · 190+ installs across the portfolio →
Filter posts by selecting multiple categories using dropdown menus. Available as a widget, block, or shortcode.
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
C 69/100
no flags
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+21%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “category”, “filter” and “post” 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.
69 health vs 63 average across 979 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.1%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 78.5K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 646 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Search 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 2 releases 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 251 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
2.9★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 3.84★ 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.
31
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 25d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 25d
+0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| selection | #4 | #17 | 0 |
| subcategory your tag | #23 | #22 | 0 |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| filter your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
7 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “category”, “filter” and “post” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 929 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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.
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.
2
releases in the last 12 months
8mo ago
latest release · v4.0.0 · 23 Feb 2026
23
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 28% 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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 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 12 Apr 2016
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Filter posts by selecting multiple categories using dropdown menus. Available as a widget, block, or shortc..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 2 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use case"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 3 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,578 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "subcategory" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-14 200+ → 100+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-04-10 100+ → 200+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-08 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-07 100+ → 200+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-04-03 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-02 100+ → 200+ up after 16 days in tier
- 2026-03-17 200+ → 100+ down after 20 days in tier
- 2026-02-25 100+ → 200+ up after 1 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).
-
Search & Filter 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Bulk Move 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A - R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Beautiful taxonomy filters 2K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Multiple Category Selection Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/multiple-category-selection-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Multiple Category Selection Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Multiple Category Selection Widget: 100+ active installs, 2.9★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/multiple-category-selection-widget
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