Open Links In New Tab
by Reza Khan · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 800+ installs across the portfolio →
Opens external links and internal links in a new window depending on user settings. Manage all external & internal links on your site.
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 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
800+
≈880 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “external links”, “new tab” and “new window” 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.
50 health vs 58 average across 25,763 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.6%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 12.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 939 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.5.14; the current branch is 6.8
4.3★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 939 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| external links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| new tab your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| new window your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| open links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| target blank 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
- “external links”, “new tab” and “new window” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 867 · 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
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
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
2.6y ago
latest release · v1.2.0 · 7 Apr 2024
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 87% 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 “800+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 900.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dobem2.2y ago
Simple, practical and free. Works perfectly!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ RussiaCristiana3.6y ago
unfortunately it does not work. This topic was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by RussiaCristiana.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ HowToSolutionsNet3.8y ago
It’s simple and it does the job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Emran3.9y ago
Very good plugin. Does a little but in a perfect way. Totally recommend this.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Enamul Mohon4.5y ago
Some sites just need the links to open on External window/tabs. A perfect solution for this type of situation.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stevenjx5.0y ago
Couldn’t be simpler
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 2 languages, 1 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
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Opens external links and internal links in a new window depending on user settings. Manage all external & i..."
- ! 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 995 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "target blank" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-31 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-30 800+ → 900+ up after 15 days in tier
- 2026-08-15 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-14 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-13 900+ → 800+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2026-08-06 800+ → 900+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-04 900+ → 800+ down after 113 days in tier
- 2026-04-13 1K+ → 900+ down after 1101 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).
-
External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 4 shared tags A -
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 80K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
External Links Manager – Open new window in a new tab + nofollow, noreferrer 50+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
Codious External Links Opener 10+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
Affiliatize Me — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Easy External Links 300+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Open Links In New Tab into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/open-links-in-new-tab" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Open Links In New Tab — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Open Links In New Tab: 800+ active installs, 4.3★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/open-links-in-new-tab
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