Search Exclude
by quadlayers · Search
Also makes 16 other plugins · 602.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Hide any post or page from the search results.
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 91/100
no flags
Active installs
50K+
≈57K estimated
Momentum
+9%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Rating quality scores 93/100. Lift the average: resolve the issues driving the low reviews.
91 health vs 63 average across 980 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.2%
of downloads still active
At least 50K of 2.3M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 647 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Search 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 10 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
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 30 reviews to 2026-10-29Reviewers say it's simple and does one job well, hiding pages from search, though the newest review is a 1★ complaint about admin ads and one reviewer notes slower search.
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 29 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 218 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.7★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
3 of 3 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
62
Momentum
Gaining ground
+2.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
64%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| exclude | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| exclude page your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| exclude post your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| search exclude your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| search results | #2 | #2 | up 3 |
| exclude from search | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| search your tag | #4 | #3 | up 6 |
| wordpress search your tag | #6 | #6 | up 4 |
| site name in search results | #3 | #3 | up 1 |
| post search | #3 | #3 | up 2 |
| hide from search | #3 | #2 | up 2 |
| site search | #6 | #4 | up 5 |
| search tool | #4 | #4 | up 3 |
| woocommerce search results | #4 | #3 | up 6 |
| filter search results | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| product search | #7 | #7 | up 10 |
| search plugins | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| custom search | #7 | #8 | up 3 |
| woocommerce search | #8 | #6 | up 6 |
| in page search | #5 | #5 | up 6 |
117 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 87 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Your five tags are all earning their place. Each gets you onto page 1 of its own search, so none is worth giving up. “custom search”, “product search” and “advanced search” (#7, #7 and #9 untagged) would be the next worth testing if a slot frees up.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 125.5K · 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.
10
releases in the last 12 months
29d ago
latest release · v2.6.8 · 5 Oct 2026
66
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 69% 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 “50K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 months ago; the previous band took 3.5 years to cross, which places it about 65% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Sep 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ moshade4mo ago
Does what it needs to do. Good and fit for purpose. I can hide pages and make sure its specific for an invited audience only.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ paulroberts7mo ago
Great plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ paarseolifant9mo ago
It took me literally years to find out that (for instance) the download pages of my freebies could and would come up in every search result on my page. Thanks to this plugin they don’t anymore and it was a breeze to install and to implement, so all 5 stars: well deserved! This topic was modified 5 months, 2 weeks ago by paarseolifant.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ onestudioteam11mo ago
Very helpful plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mrebel11mo ago
This plugin is THE key to helping our website visitors and customers find what they are looking for. (By blocking all the less important pages that happen to contain popular keywords.)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manjas11mo ago
Really great if you don’t want (part of) your site indexed by search engines.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stanleyboise12mo ago
This plugin is a must have.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Michael Kavanagh12mo ago
Works perfectly.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.6.5 WordPress 7.0 compatibility 2.6.5
- — Version 2.6.4 fix: include post types with exclude_from_search=false in search exclude settings 2.6.4
- — Version 2.6.3 fix: php errors 2.6.3
- — Version 2.6.2 Custom post type compatibility 2.6.2
- — Version 2.6.1 fix: REST API permission error for Editors in Block Editor 2.6.1
- — Version 2.6.0 WordPress compatibility 2.6.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 4 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.6.8). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 5.5 Search Exclude <= 1.2.6 - Authenticated (Editor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2022-08-22 CVE-2022-36282 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.2.6 Patched in 1.2.7
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 11 languages, 2 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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 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 "Hide any post or page from the search results."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 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 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 326 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("exclude page", "exclude post", "search exclude" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-08-16 60K+ → 50K+ down after 1270 days in tier
- 2022-02-23 50K+ → 60K+ up after 337 days in tier
- 2021-03-23 40K+ → 50K+ up after 468 days in tier
- 2019-12-11 30K+ → 40K+ up after 434 days in tier
- 2018-10-03 20K+ → 30K+ up after 454 days in tier
- 2017-07-06 10K+ → 20K+ up after 465 days in tier
- 2016-03-28 8K+ → 10K+ up after 106 days in tier
- 2015-12-13 6K+ → 8K+ up after 112 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).
-
Exclude Search 80+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
Search in Place 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Site Search 360 300+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
Easy Full Screen Search 10+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D -
Search Regex 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search Exclude into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-exclude" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search Exclude — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search Exclude: 50K+ active installs, 4.8★ (218 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-exclude
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