SearchWP API
by Josh Pollock · Search
Also makes 8 other plugins · 650+ installs across the portfolio →
Run advanced searches via the WordPress REST API and SearchWP.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈210 estimated
Momentum
+16%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “json”, “rest api” 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.
47 health vs 63 average across 980 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.3%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 15.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 647 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.4.34, well behind 6.8.
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 3952 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.4.34; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3952 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.
31
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 11d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 11d
-0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| json your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rest api your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| searchwp your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp api your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “json”, “rest api” 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 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 205 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
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 · 100% 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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 22 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 200.
At the current install trend, crossing 300+ in roughly 189 days.
Install history since 8 Jan 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mattiasf6.7y ago
Despite this plugin haven’t been maintained for several years, it is still working with my version of WordPress and WooCommerce (which is the latest at the time of writing). I was even able to customize the response format using the rest_prepare_post filter.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ con9.0y ago
Thank you very much for being so thoughtful and providing this.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ajpark9.1y ago
This Search is waaaaaay better than the Standard Woo search that I was using on my ecoommerce store, A-MainLand Hobbies. Highly recommended. Johnathan is great at Customer Service too.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Rory Michael Heaney10.4y ago
This plugin is awesome. I have it running on 3 sites currently and love it. Makes my search API request so much more reliable
Read on wp.org ↗
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 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Run advanced searches via the WordPress REST API and SearchWP."
- ! 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 Mentions REST API.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,242 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
- 2026-10-11 100+ → 200+ up after 244 days in tier
- 2026-02-09 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-08 100+ → 200+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-02-06 200+ → 100+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-02-04 100+ → 200+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2026-01-29 200+ → 100+ down after 11 days in tier
- 2026-01-18 100+ → 200+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-01-15 200+ → 100+ down after 1 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).
-
Disable REST API 80K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D -
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
Disable WP REST API 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
WordPress REST API (Version 2) 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP REST API – OAuth 1.0a Server 7K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D -
SearchWP Modal Search Form 5K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SearchWP API into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/searchwp-api" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SearchWP API — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SearchWP API: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/searchwp-api
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