Search by Google
by webvitalii · Search
Also makes 14 other plugins · 105.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Search by Google widget.
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 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews · Open vulnerability
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+70%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “google”, “search” and “sidebar” 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.
50 health vs 63 average across 978 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 29.8K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 645 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.5.24.
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 2247 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.5.24; the current branch is 6.8
4.8★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description under 30 characters
To rank higher: Last updated 2247 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| google your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “google”, “search” and “sidebar” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 124 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
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.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 94% 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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 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 1 Jun 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ amirbani4.6y ago
Your plugin has a shortcode؟
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Howard Harkness9.8y ago
I installed this, hoping for simple search solution. However, no matter what keyword I entered for the search, it returns “not found”. Edit: I see that my site is not indexed. Must have suffered a penalty somewhere… Any rate, I have revised my rating to 3 (neutral). Here are the complete instructions given for the plugin: 1. install and activate the plugin on the Plugins page 2. add “Search by Google” widget to your sidebar and customize it You might want to consider adding something about having to be indexed in Google for this to work. This topic was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Howard Harkness. Reason: Revise from 1 to 3 stars
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rdswestnet10.3y ago
now users can do a google search not just of the wordpress part of the domain (the native search box only searches in wordpress), but they can search for products by part # or partial part # or product name etc. in the custom non-wordpress store in the same domain.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ webvitalii11.7y ago
Simple and effective.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ MarsArg11.9y ago
Just what I’ve been looking for to refine my WP sites.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ WebDezein11.9y ago
Trying to search my site. Properly set up with my url. Tried search on word – disability- and received no results. I entered http://www.yourtechwriter1.com Any ideas? Thanks, Jerry
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ master41216012.4y ago
Very good.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ romanticz013.9y ago
Google search engine is a machine that having of capabilities to find many words and links and easy to used. They are very simple and rich of reference.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.9). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- Open Medium · 4.4 Search by Google <= 1.9 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-09-05 CVE-2025-58832 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.9 No patch available
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 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
2 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 is 24 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 2 headings and 3 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 543 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "sidebar" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-03-15 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-14 100+ → 200+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-03-12 200+ → 100+ down after 553 days in tier
- 2024-09-05 300+ → 200+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-09-03 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-09-02 300+ → 200+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-08-31 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-08-30 300+ → 200+ 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).
-
Ad Widget for WordPress 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C -
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Image Widget 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Fixed Widget and Sticky Elements for WordPress 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D -
Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search by Google into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-google" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search by Google — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search by Google: 100+ active installs, 4.8★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-google
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