Performance Optimization: Order Styles and Javascript
by Satya Prakash · Performance
Also makes 2 other plugins · 90+ installs across the portfolio →
Ordering StyleSheet and JavaScript (external and inline) for performance optimization.
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Health
D 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
70+
≈71 estimated
Momentum
+32%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “css”, “optimization” and “performance” 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.
47 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 70 of 13.8K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,103 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance 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 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.6.1, well behind 6.8.
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 4768 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.6.1; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4768 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| css your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| optimization your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| speed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| style your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “css”, “optimization” and “performance” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 75 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #18,200 to #19,000, alongside the other plugins at 70+ 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 21 Oct 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.
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
13.1y ago
latest release · v1.0 · 11 Oct 2013
2
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 “70+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 46 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 70.
Install history since 19 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ove10.4y ago
wow Amazing work 100% with php7 and latest wordpress Thankssss
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ danielwalter10.6y ago
Saved me a ton of grief. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ benedict198410.7y ago
just insert the code into the header as it says after install and boom. fix it 100%
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Samir M11.4y ago
just add the code provided in the settings into header.php
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ murekmurek11.8y ago
Thanks for nice plugin ! Works good with wordpress 4.0.1 at http://pensjonatpark.pila.pl, so I improve performance and get A score at GTMETRIX that still recommend me : Optimize the order of styles and scripts so I fixed that with that awesome plugin ! after installation of plugin , remember to modify manually head.php file as described http://www.satya-weblog.com/2010/08/website-performance-optimization-plugin-ordering-stylesheet-javascript.html
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manny77113.4y ago
This plugin is super. It fixes the issue of “Optimize the order of styles and scripts” which requires “Correctly ordering external stylesheets and external and inline scripts enables better parallelization of downloads and speeds up browser rendering time.” Thank you for this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 25 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 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 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 1,214 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "speed" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-15 60+ → 70+ up after 37 days in tier
- 2026-08-09 70+ → 60+ down after 80 days in tier
- 2026-05-21 80+ → 70+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-20 70+ → 80+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-16 80+ → 70+ down after 12 days in tier
- 2026-05-04 70+ → 80+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2026-04-22 80+ → 70+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-20 70+ → 80+ up after 15 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).
-
Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
ezCache 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Hosting Benchmark tool 4K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
DietPress 2K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Quicklink for WordPress 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags C -
GoCache 800+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Performance Optimization: Order Styles and Javascript into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/performance-optimization-order-styles-and-javascript" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Performance Optimization: Order Styles and Javascript — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Performance Optimization: Order Styles and Javascript: 70+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/performance-optimization-order-styles-and-javascript
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