Search Modal Block
by philhoyt · Blocks
Also makes 2 other plugins · 90+ installs across the portfolio →
A customizable search modal block that adds an elegant and accessible search experience to your WordPress site.
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 82/100
Few reviews
Active installs
70+
≈71 estimated
Momentum
+20%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “modal”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
82 health vs 71 average across 2,527 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.9%
of downloads still active
At least 70 of 1.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Blocks plugin keeps 2.1%, across 1,580 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Blocks plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 136 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
36
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
17%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| modal your tag | #14 | #22 | 0 |
| xl popup | #19 | #18 | — |
| custom modal | #23 | #24 | — |
| block your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| popup search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search form your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
9 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 3 listed. 6 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “modal”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “block”, “popup search” and “search” 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 22 Nov 2024 · 709 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 132 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #18,200 to #19,000, alongside the other plugins at 70+ 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.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “70+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 70.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
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
5 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A customizable search modal block that adds an elegant and accessible search experience to your WordPress s..."
- ! 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 One audience phrase ("perfect for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, Block editor.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 6 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,797 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "search form" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-09 60+ → 70+ up
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).
-
SearchWP Modal Search Form 5K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
Modal Guten Block 2K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D -
Light Modal Block 2K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
MakeITeasy Popup 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search Modal Block into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-modal-block" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search Modal Block — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search Modal Block: 70+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-modal-block
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