Require Post Category
by Josh Hartman · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 1.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Require users to choose a post category before updating or publishing a post.
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 54/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.9K estimated
Momentum
+68%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “category”, “post” and “require” 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.
54 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.1%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 32.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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
4.9★ over 11 reviews, smoothed to 4.24★ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| require your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tags your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| taxonomy 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
- “category”, “post” and “require” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.4K · 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 · v2.1 · 5 Apr 2024
14
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 91% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 10.6 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 17 May 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Daniel Hendricks6.5y ago
Simply install the plugin and activate. Works with both classic and block editors. Nice work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wpguillaume6.7y ago
And now with Gutenberg support. 🙂 No settings needed, install, activate, enjoy. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sanapaino6.7y ago
A plugin as a plugin should be: simple but useful.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Groovyx96.7y ago
I was so glad to have found this plugin a few years ago : as each post on my site is right away transformed into a newsletter according to categories, forgetting to add a category means a painful process of deleting and creating again. This plugin is just perfect to avoid such a situation… and now I can see it is updated 🙂 So 5 stars.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nsultan7.4y ago
perfect!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ seobootuz8.4y ago
Using for custom post type with custom taxonomy. Great plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ trevorNanders9.6y ago
Works great. Does exactly what I want. thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ net9.6y ago
Very useful plugin. It does exactly what its name says. Excellent support from plugin author Josh.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.5.1
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
4 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use this", "if you have").
- ! 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 661 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "tags" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2016-04-06 900+ → 1K+ up
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).
-
Search & Filter 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Radio Buttons for Taxonomies 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags C -
Term Management Tools 10K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
Bulk Move 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Taxonomy Images 8K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Require Post Category into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/require-post-category" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Require Post Category — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Require Post Category: 1K+ active installs, 4.9★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/require-post-category
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