No noopener noreferrer – Don’t add rel="noopener noreferrer"
by matthewtatumwordpress · Uncategorized
Prevent Wordpress from adding noreferrer and noopener to external links.
Health
D 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈280 estimated
Momentum
-2%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “noopener” and “noreferrer” 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 →3.6%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 5.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 16,017 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.7.39, 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 3476 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 7.1
4.0★ over 4 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3476 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| noopener your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| noreferrer your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “noopener” and “noreferrer” 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 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 169 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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
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.
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and the previous band took 18 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 300.
Install history since 16 Sep 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Larry9.2y ago
I can’t give a review because when I went to install this on my site it is an old version. Tells me that this plugin, no-opener, isn’t tested on the new version of WordPress, 4.8.1 which I have installed and probably most of you do too. Seems like the author has given up on users. Some of these old versions are a security risk. This topic was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Larry. This topic was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Larry.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ magazeeny9.4y ago
Thank you, this is AWESOME! Just what I needed. Saved me a lot of headaches, easy & works perfect. Hope you keep it updated so we can keep using it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ryanbose9.5y ago
Great plugin.. really want to donate money for this.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bloggingcrew9.5y ago
The plugin is really simple to install and use and it works like charm! Once we activated it the rel=”noopener noreferrer” was no longer added to new links set to open in new window. Just a friendly note, if you can add an option to search and replace the existing posts/pages for the tag and remove it that would be great! Thanks again for the useful plugin!
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
1 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! 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 125 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-13 300+ → 200+ down after 549 days in tier
- 2025-02-10 400+ → 300+ down after 468 days in tier
- 2023-10-31 500+ → 400+ down after 214 days in tier
- 2023-03-31 600+ → 500+ down after 178 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 900+ → 600+ down
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for No noopener noreferrer – Don’t add rel="noopener noreferrer" into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/no-noopener-noreferrer-dont-add-relnoopener-noreferrer" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="No noopener noreferrer – Don’t add rel="noopener noreferrer" — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> No noopener noreferrer – Don’t add rel="noopener noreferrer": 200+ active installs, 4.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-06. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/no-noopener-noreferrer-dont-add-relnoopener-noreferrer
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