Read More Excerpt Link
by Tim Eckel · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 13.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Create "Read More" link after post excerpt instead of ellipsis [...] Also modify excerpt length.
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Health
B 79/100
Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+10%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “link” and “more” for “read more” and “excerpts”. “link” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “read more” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “more” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “excerpts” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
79 health vs 58 average across 25,736 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.4%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 68.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 274 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
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: 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.
40
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
24%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| excerpt your tag | #2 | #6 | 0 |
| excerpt length | #2 | #5 | 0 |
| read more link | #3 | #10 | 0 |
| ellipsis your tag | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| read more | #4 | #11 | 0 |
| read also | #2 | #6 | 0 |
| read your tag | #6 | #17 | 0 |
| wordpress excerpt | #3 | #9 | 0 |
| more link | #8 | #20 | up 1 |
| post excerpt | #8 | #15 | down 3 |
| excerpts | #6 | #16 | down 1 |
| update excerpt link | #5 | #17 | 0 |
| link excerpt | #5 | #13 | 0 |
| page excerpt | #6 | #15 | down 1 |
| show more | #14 | #17 | down 3 |
| length | #20 | #22 | down 2 |
| more tag | #20 | #21 | 0 |
| dummy text | #23 | #21 | up 1 |
| crop | #23 | #22 | down 4 |
| link your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
45 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 19 listed. 26 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
- Swap “link” and “more” for “read more” and “excerpts”. “link” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “read more” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “more” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “excerpts” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “more”. #15 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.7K · 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
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.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 85% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 20 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 8 Feb 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Mark Krieger7.4y ago
Still running fine under 5.2.1
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Madeline8.4y ago
Perfect plugin if you just need to change the length of excerpts or the “read more” text. Simple, easy to use, nothing superfluous.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pkazmercyk9.6y ago
After tearing my hair out for hours, I found this plugin. Easy to implement and customize. Exactly what I needed! Thanks!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nerdorturd9.7y ago
I signed up to wordpress.org just to do a review on this plugin. It works very well and really useful on my website [ link redacted, please do not post links in reviews ] Cheers Nerd
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hbee10.5y ago
Excellent plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ peakmarketing10.6y ago
This plugin is easy to use. I had a compatibility issue with my theme and the developer emailed me back right away with suggestions on how to fix the issue. It worked seamlessly. I recommend this for every WordPress site to get rid of the … and add a “Read More” link. You can check it out here at Jonnikolaicarlson.com Nice job Tim.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.6.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.2
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Create "Read More" link after post excerpt instead of ellipsis [...] Also modify excerpt length."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 854 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-02-25 4K+ → 3K+ down after 234 days in tier
- 2024-07-06 5K+ → 4K+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2024-06-28 4K+ → 5K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-27 5K+ → 4K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-06-23 4K+ → 5K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2024-06-20 5K+ → 4K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-06-17 4K+ → 5K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-06-15 5K+ → 4K+ down after 4 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).
- R Read More Read Less 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
- F First Post Full Length 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A - P Page Links To 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
-
Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A - A Advanced Excerpt 80K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Read More Excerpt Link into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/read-more-excerpt-link" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Read More Excerpt Link — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Read More Excerpt Link: 3K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/read-more-excerpt-link
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