Security Headers
by SimonRWaters · Uncategorized
Plug-in to ease the setting of TLS headers for HSTS and similar
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.6K estimated
Momentum
+34%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “hsts”, “https” and “nosniff” 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.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.1%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 49.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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 7+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.1.28, 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 2804 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.1.28; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 8 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2804 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hsts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| https your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| nosniff your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tls your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “hsts”, “https” and “nosniff” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 466 · 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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
7.7y ago
latest release · v1.1 · 26 Feb 2019
2
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 97% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; the previous band took 14 months to cross, which places it about 61% of the way through.
Install history since 13 Feb 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ krsi786.5y ago
Just a quick warning: if you enable this plugin, the Tawk.to widget is no longer displayed in Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Edge is not affected (yet?).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ flch7.7y ago
Works great and makes security much easier. Thanks for this great plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tone_milazzo8.4y ago
My topic can’t be empty so I’m writing this to fill it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bozon9.4y ago
Works really well! Tested with [link removed] For the future releases it would be good to include Content-Security-Policy and the forthcoming Expect-CT options. This topic was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by bdbrown. Reason: Links not permitted in reviews
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ WebBever9.4y ago
Easy to use, works like a charm!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tjdurden10.2y ago
Thanks for this. Very easy to install and configure.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Turn On Social10.3y ago
Would be ideal if X-Frame-Options was also integrated
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ capturefour11.2y ago
For all you peeps that are doing SEO and have https sites running, this is a must..
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.1 Fix missing close anchor which breaks recent WordPress 1.1
- — Version 1.0 Add support for wp-login.php page Add support for Expect-CT header 1.0
- — Version 0.9 Removed unnecessary whitespace in HSTS header (thanks Thomas) Added Referrer-Policy header Corrected plugins name from “HTTP Headers” to “Security Header” (thanks Jamie) Removed trailing semi-colon from X-XSS-Protection 0.9
- — Version 0.8 Add headers to admin section of WordPress Added option to set the X-Frame-Options headers to main site Added HSTS Preload header (thanks to Jamie) 0.8
- — Version 0.7 Add report-uri Fix handling of non-numeric blank strings for HPKP max-age 0.7
- — Version 0.6 HPKP support Check for TLS before emitting HSTS or HPKP headers 0.6
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,440 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "nosniff" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-15 4K+ → 3K+ down after 430 days in tier
- 2025-03-11 5K+ → 4K+ down after 296 days in tier
- 2024-05-19 6K+ → 5K+ down after 393 days in tier
- 2023-04-22 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1230 days in tier
- 2019-12-09 1K+ → 7K+ up after 781 days in tier
- 2017-10-19 800+ → 1K+ 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).
-
HSTS Ready 3K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
LH HSTS 600+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D -
Simple HTTPS 400+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C -
Zen Site Security 70+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B - H HTTPS Mixed Content Detector 50+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
HTTPS Domain Alias 40+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Security Headers into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/security-headers" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Security Headers — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Security Headers: 3K+ active installs, 5.0★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/security-headers
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