Search Live
by itthinx · Search
Also makes 29 other plugins · 22.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Help visitors find what they need faster with instant search results as they type, including excerpts and thumbnails.
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 90/100
no flags
Active installs
600+
≈660 estimated
Momentum
+34%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “ajax” and “search” for “live” and “word search”. “ajax” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “live” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “search” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “word search” sits at #20 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
90 health vs 63 average across 979 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 39.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
This plugin shipped 2 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 11 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 30 reviews, smoothed to 4.44★
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.
44
Momentum
Holding steady
+0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
29%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| instant search your tag | #9 | #6 | up 8 |
| live search your tag | #9 | #12 | up 3 |
| live results | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| live | #16 | #15 | 0 |
| twitter search results | #6 | #8 | — |
| ajax search your tag | #23 | #19 | down 1 |
| live help | #11 | #11 | up 13 |
| word search | #20 | #13 | 0 |
| live visitors | #15 | #18 | down 1 |
| ajax live | #16 | #15 | 0 |
| live help widget | #20 | #21 | up 1 |
| live help plugin | #20 | #20 | up 2 |
| search using ajax | #23 | #17 | up 1 |
| ajax your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
29 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 13 listed. 16 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “ajax” and “search” for “live” and “word search”. “ajax” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “live” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “search” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “word search” sits at #20 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 609 · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
11d ago
latest release · v3.0.0 · 20 Oct 2026
25
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 63% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Jan 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ edwin123456784.2y ago
OK
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wpashu33635.5y ago
It works for me
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zelenka7.5y ago
I needed a search that’s not redirected to a classic search results page. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ merlind8.3y ago
Leicht zu handhaben – passt super.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ isabelleroger8.4y ago
Thanks for this wonderful and easy plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ibrahimbyalli8.9y ago
thanks to author
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lauravanoni9.0y ago
molto adattabile, anche con Pods
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rezadan9.0y ago
Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
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 "Help visitors find what they need faster with instant search results as they type, including excerpts and t..."
- ! 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 Names its audience or use cases ("if you want", "if you need").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WPML, YouTube, Twitter.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,199 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "ajax", "ajax search" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-18 700+ → 600+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-17 600+ → 700+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2026-06-07 700+ → 600+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-06 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-05 700+ → 600+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2026-05-30 600+ → 700+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-05-27 700+ → 600+ down after 11 days in tier
- 2026-05-16 600+ → 700+ up after 5 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).
-
Advance Product Search- Voice & Ajax Search for WooCommerce 9K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
Search in Place 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 60K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search Live into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-live" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search Live — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search Live: 600+ active installs, 5.0★ (30 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-live
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.