Search box on Navigation Menu
by Rupok · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 1.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
The plugin displays search form in the navigation bar which can be configured from the admin area.
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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
400+
≈500 estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “menu”, “navigation menu” and “navigation menu search menu” 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.
46 health vs 56 average across 5,898 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.9%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 44.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,191 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, 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 3413 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.4★ over 13 reviews, smoothed to 4.16★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3413 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| navigation menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| navigation menu search menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search box on menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search box to menu 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
- “menu”, “navigation menu” and “navigation menu search menu” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 237 · 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
9.4y ago
latest release · v2.1 · 29 Jun 2017
3
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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 500.
Install history since 29 Dec 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Hostbay Intern10.9y ago
Simple and does what it says. There’s nothing else to comment.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cedrix12.0y ago
I have 3 menus in my website and the bar is added on all of my menu so I can’t use this plugin as I just want it on one menu. Also we can’t choose the width of the search bar and in my website it fall down on the second row.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ salvatore198612.3y ago
very useful but no config option.you have to use css directly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ilanaguttman12.6y ago
This plugin gets the job done but it would be nice if it was a bit more robust – i.e. you could align it left or right from the WP Dashboard.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tomasz12.7y ago
But there is one question from few guys, and I’m joining – how make it go to the right side of menu bar?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ paonefx12.9y ago
I installed plugins but nothing happened? Any reason for this ??
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vgleason2513.1y ago
I am new to web design and I have tried numerous time to add a search box to my nav area through various coding and they have either not returned results, not returned accurate results or don’t look the way I want. This plug in solved all my problems, thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ w3xperts13.4y ago
Never thought that would add a search box on menu so easily. I have searched for a long time to implement this one.
Read on wp.org ↗
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "The plugin displays search form in the navigation bar which can be configured from the admin area."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 4 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 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 321 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("navigation menu search menu", "search box on menu", "search box to menu" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-24 500+ → 400+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-10-22 400+ → 500+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-10-19 500+ → 400+ down after 390 days in tier
- 2025-09-24 600+ → 500+ down after 278 days in tier
- 2024-12-20 700+ → 600+ down after 188 days in tier
- 2024-06-15 800+ → 700+ down after 264 days in tier
- 2023-09-25 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-09-24 800+ → 900+ up after 1 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).
-
Mobile Menu Builder for WordPress 500+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Max Mega Menu 300K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Menu Image, Icons made easy 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag B - D Duplicate Menu 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search box on Navigation Menu into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-box-on-navigation-menu" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search box on Navigation Menu — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search box on Navigation Menu: 400+ active installs, 4.4★ (13 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-box-on-navigation-menu
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