Related Posts by Taxonomy
by keesiemeijer · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 11.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Display a list of related posts on your site based on the most terms in common. Supports thumbnails, shortcodes, a widget and more.
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
A 92/100
no flags
Active installs
10K+
≈15K estimated
Momentum
-11%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “thumbnails” and “posts” for “related articles” and “taxonomy image”. “thumbnails” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “related articles” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “posts” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “taxonomy image” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
92 health vs 58 average across 25,754 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 334.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 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.
This plugin shipped 4 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 72 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 77 reviews, smoothed to 4.52★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
16%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| expire posts | #2 | #2 | down 1 |
| related your tag | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| related posts your tag | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| taxonomy your tag | #4 | #3 | up 1 |
| related terms | #2 | #2 | — |
| custom related posts | #4 | #5 | up 1 |
| related articles | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| related post | #5 | #5 | up 1 |
| automatic related posts | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| taxonomy image | #5 | #4 | 0 |
| related posts thumbnails | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| thumbnail related posts | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| taxonomy list shortcode | #4 | #3 | 0 |
| related content | #8 | #8 | up 2 |
| related links | #8 | #8 | down 1 |
| related posts widget | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| related posts shortcode | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| related posts plugin | #5 | #6 | 0 |
| taxonomy widget | #5 | #7 | up 1 |
| similar related posts | #5 | #5 | down 1 |
| thumbnails your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
119 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 70 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 “thumbnails” and “posts” for “related articles” and “taxonomy image”. “thumbnails” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “related articles” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “posts” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “taxonomy image” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 9.1K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v2.7.10 · 21 Aug 2026
32
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% 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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 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 2 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Betty_9mo ago
Adoro questo plugin, funziona alla grande e ha molte funzionalità! Il supporto è fantastico! Grazie di cuore!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gaurav Tiwari1.9y ago
How on the Earth did I miss this related posts plugin? Maybe the name is too niche but it is a wonderful “allrounder” plugin. A six-stars out of five — tool. Rocking it on my primary website and soon to be added to all my client sites. Very well done and thanks for the documentation. Helps a fellow developer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SomniumLucidus3.2y ago
After having repeatedly tried and dumped a heap of plugins that didn’t quite do what they should—or needed convoluted work in order to do so—, what a relief it is to finally installing this plugin! I was wondering why I had chosen this one for a previous website I put together a while ago, and now I understand.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ laceybeach4.3y ago
I enjoyed RPbT while it worked. It used to be a 5 star plugin. But it seems to have finally wilted, ceased to be and is now an ex-plugin. Rest in Plugin-heaven
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous4.7y ago
I love that this plugin does exactly what I need it to do, the attributes are easily edited and you’re really thought of anything I would want to specify. I really like that it’s so lightweight and simple, I had given up on using these plugins a few years back because of the load on larger sites. I hope it gets updated if there are any issues with new versions of wp, but for me, it’s working great with 5.9.1 (classic admin) Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BigSamX5.5y ago
This is one of the best related post plugins I have on my WordPress site. it is fast in loading and highly customizable. I found this as the best alternative to the heavy jetpack related post that lacks many features; one which is to lazyload related post images, and it can make use of your already cropped images (300 x 250) instead of using the full-sized images.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mikoba5.9y ago
Pro: shows thumbnails of several post types depending on tags. Not much plugins do this. 🙂 Con: now and then I get double results in the related posts. 🙁 Quite above average.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ blade14076.5y ago
It still works fine
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.7.9 Enhancement New filter for the $expire attribute in wp_cache_set() This allows you to set your own expire time if needed Tested with WP 7.0 and PHP 8.5 2.7.9
- — Version 2.7.8 Bug Fixes Fix gallery tags being stripped from html output 2.7.8
- — Version 2.7.7 Bug Fixes Use wp_kses() to sanitize the html output of the shortcode, widget and rest api features 2.7.7
- — Version 2.7.6 Enhancement Add a filter to use any theme directory for custom related posts template files 2.7.6
- — Version 2.7.5 Enhancement Fix PHP 8 and up deprecated notices 2.7.5
- — Version 2.7.4 Enhancement Update the block gallery with the HTML changes made in WordPress 5.4 (again!). Use post title for aria-label only Display cache log in footer (because admin_bar_menu hook changed to wp_body_open) Getting read 2.7.4
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.7.10). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Related Posts by Taxonomy <= 2.7.6 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'related_posts_by_tax' Shortcode ↗2026-01-15 CVE-2026-0916 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.7.6 Patched in 2.7.7
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.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 130 languages, 3 at 90% or more
Plus 106 more locales with partial translations.
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 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Display a list of related posts on your site based on the most terms in common. Supports thumbnails, shortc..."
- ✓ 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 Mentions REST API.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 4 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,509 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "taxonomy" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-07-25 20K+ → 10K+ down after 61 days in tier
- 2025-05-25 10K+ → 20K+ up after 16 days in tier
- 2025-05-09 20K+ → 10K+ down after 50 days in tier
- 2025-03-20 10K+ → 20K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-03-19 20K+ → 10K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2025-03-15 10K+ → 20K+ up after 43 days in tier
- 2025-01-31 20K+ → 10K+ down after 1583 days in tier
- 2020-10-01 10K+ → 20K+ up after 1188 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).
-
YARPP – Yet Another Related Posts Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags C -
Contextual Related Posts 50K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Posts in Page 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C -
Post Category Filter (WP Admin) 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Manual Related Posts 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
xili-tidy-tags 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Related Posts by Taxonomy into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/related-posts-by-taxonomy" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Related Posts by Taxonomy — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Related Posts by Taxonomy: 10K+ active installs, 4.8★ (77 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/related-posts-by-taxonomy
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