SearchWP Modal Search Form
by Syed Balkhi · Forms
Also makes 98 other plugins · 21.7M+ installs across the portfolio →
Quickly and easily insert modal search forms into Menus, as a Block, or directly within theme templates.
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 73/100
Few reviews
Active installs
5K+
≈5.5K estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “form” for “search form”. “form” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “search form” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
73 health vs 65 average across 2,510 Forms plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.7%
of downloads still active
At least 5K of 87.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Forms plugin keeps 1.3%, across 1,667 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Forms 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 1 release 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 320 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ 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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
15%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| searchwp your tag | #2 | #5 | 0 |
| searchform your tag | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| modal your tag | #8 | #15 | down 2 |
| search form | #14 | #22 | up 1 |
| modal forms | #8 | #19 | up 1 |
| modal page | #12 | #18 | 0 |
| search admin menus | #21 | #21 | — |
| form your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| search your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
16 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 9 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 “form” for “search form”. “form” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “search form” sits at #14 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 6.6K · 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
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.
1
releases in the last 12 months
11mo ago
latest release · v0.5.7 · 15 Dec 2025
21
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 98% 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 “5K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 19 Sep 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Bob3.3y ago
Very helpful support, thanks for everything that you do!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ commexjimmy4.0y ago
I have used this plugin on all my websites and it works great. Simple install and set-up. I even have it on the top right corner of my website and as a menu item so mobile users can easily access it. I highly recommend this plugin. Great job programmer’s!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SunnyDay4.4y ago
Very easy to install. Does exactly what it needs to. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kayamurer6.8y ago
The plugin works exactly as expected. The support is great and very friendly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Andy Smith7.2y ago
Had one minor (if a little strange) issue, but it was fixed within a few hours. Works really well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mimmt7.4y ago
Massive fan of SearchWP so I wound not expect anything other than a brilliant plugin that I’m sure I’ll use on many projects.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.5.7 0.5.6 – Adds an option to display the Search Modal trigger as an icon. – Adds an option to select a SearchWP form to use in the modal if SearchWP is active. – Minor UI improvements. – Drops SearchWP 3.x support. 0.5.5 – 0.5.7
- — Version 0.4.1 0.4.0 – Fixes issue with character encoding in some cases – Updates dependencies – Updates bundler and associated NPM commands 0.4.1
- — Version 0.3.4 0.3.4
- — Version 0.3.3 0.3.2 – SearchWP 4.0 compatibility (when it becomes available) – Fixes issue with HTML output of Menu items 0.3.1 – Removes unused stylesheet enqueue – Updates dependencies 0.3 – Updates dependencies – Adds jQuery events 0.3.3
- — Version 0.2.1 0.2 – Adds support for class argument – Fixes issue with button type 0.2.1
- — Version 0.1 0.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 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
7 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 "Quickly and easily insert modal search forms into Menus, as a Block, or directly within theme templates."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use it"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,507 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "searchform" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-29 6K+ → 5K+ down after 43 days in tier
- 2026-03-17 5K+ → 6K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-16 6K+ → 5K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-03-14 5K+ → 6K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-03-12 6K+ → 5K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-11 5K+ → 6K+ up after 40 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 6K+ → 5K+ down after 630 days in tier
- 2024-05-10 5K+ → 6K+ up after 364 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).
-
Improving Search Form Accessibility 700+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A - M MW WP Form 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Search Regex 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SearchWP Modal Search Form into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/searchwp-modal-search-form" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SearchWP Modal Search Form — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SearchWP Modal Search Form: 5K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/searchwp-modal-search-form
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