Search with Google
by rtCamp · Search
Also makes 22 other plugins · 217.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Replace WordPress default search with server-side rendered Google Custom 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
C 57/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
70+
≈79 estimated
Momentum
+10%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “custom search engine”, “google” 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.
57 health vs 63 average across 978 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.1%
of downloads still active
At least 70 of 6.6K 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.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 551 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
3.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.02★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 551 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| cse your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| custom search engine your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| google your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| programmable search your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 1 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
- “custom search engine”, “google” 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 1 Nov 2024 · 730 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 154 · 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 20 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 80.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 1 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 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Replace WordPress default search with server-side rendered Google Custom Search results."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 2 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Reporting a bug 🐞").
- ! 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 4 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,511 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "cse" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-12 100+ → 70+ 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).
-
Multipart robots.txt editor 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D -
Meta Description 400+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D -
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A -
Google for WooCommerce 800K+ installs · 2.8★ · 1 shared tag C -
GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search with Google into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-with-google" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search with Google — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search with Google: 70+ active installs, 3.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-with-google
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