Search Meter
by bennettmcelwee · Search
Also makes 5 other plugins · 21.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Search Meter tracks what your readers are searching for on your site. View full details of recent searches or stats for the last day, week or month.
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
B 76/100
no flags
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
+50%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “search” for “word search”. “search” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “word search” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
76 health vs 63 average across 978 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.5%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 439.7K 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 3 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 332 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 29 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★
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.
36
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 26d
10%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 26d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| search meter your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| meter your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| word search | #17 | #14 | 0 |
| full text search | #22 | #16 | 0 |
| recent tracks | #23 | #21 | down 2 |
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| statistics your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
15 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 10 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “search” for “word search”. “search” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “word search” sits at #17 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 9.5K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
11mo ago
latest release · v2.14.1 · 3 Dec 2025
23
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 37% 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 “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6.2 years ago; the previous band took 3.7 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 24 May 2020
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.14 Added Search Meter blocks for use when customizing the theme. 2.14
- — Version 2.13.5 Fixed error when saving settings in PHP 8. 2.13.5
- — Version 2.13.4 Remove deprecation warning. 2.13.4
- — Version 2.13.3 Work around Excel bug that could lead to exploits in downloaded search files. 2.13.3
- — Version 2.13.2 Restore compatibility with some older versions of PHP (probably back to 5.0). 2.13.2
- — Version 2.13.1 Some fixes for text and internationalization. 2.13.1
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.14.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
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 8.1.12 · WP 6.9
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 9 languages, 0 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 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Search Meter tracks what your readers are searching for on your site. View full details of recent searches..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you have", "if you want").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,692 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2020-08-14 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1335 days in tier
- 2016-12-18 40K+ → 30K+ down
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).
-
Statify Widget 4K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Search Insights – Privacy-Friendly Search Analytics 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Sitekit 3K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C -
WP-Stats 2K+ installs · 3.4★ · 2 shared tags B -
GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search Meter into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-meter" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search Meter — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search Meter: 20K+ active installs, 4.3★ (29 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-meter
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