External Links

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.

1. ★★★★★ Jimmy Lee

   3.3y ago

   Hope this one never goes away!!!

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ yeoric

   5.9y ago

   The only of all such plugins that I tried that works fine and did not break anything. Would be nice to have icons options, but hey, I’m thankful for it as it is, and the current icon is a good choice.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ FeliceAntonio

   6.1y ago

   Simple and comfortable to use, really nice style, I was looking for. I’m searching to improve my website, accessibility and usability too and I removed all the target="_blank" on my posts and I marked the external links with this plugin. Easy to use, and helpful.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ prodos

   8.0y ago

   Works perfectly! Nice & tidy little icon is automatically added after all external links. Can even configure external link/icons to open in a new browser page. Other configurations also available. Very nice.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Ramon

   8.2y ago

   Very easy to use, it fulfils its purpose perfectly. — Muy fácil de utilizar, cumple perfectamente con su cometido.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ Andy Feliciotti

   8.5y ago

   Simple and does the job

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Ada

   8.9y ago

   Will give 5-star rating if they will update the target=_blank to rel=noopener This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Ada.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ Clickart Group

   9.4y ago

   Utilizzo questo Plugin dal 2015 e mi sono trovato sempre bene …. consiglio a tutti il proprio utilizzo 😉 Mihail

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 6.8.1 Fix: Embedded Facebook urls no longer processed by Auto Convert text functionality 6.8.1
2. — Version 6.8 Change: Handle links that space multiple lines (props archon810) Fix: Add url found in a tag with a data- attribute prefix to the Auto convert Text Urls exclusion list (Fixes problem with addtoany) Fix: Do not convert te 6.8
3. — Version 6.7 Fix: Some links with affiliate code may not be correctly detected as an external link. Fix: Auto Convert Text Urls were being applied to Text Widgets regardless of Settings Fix: A lengthy page or long embedded form could 6.7
4. — Version 6.6 New option to exclude html code blocks (pre and code) from link processing Updated the text-domain to sem-external-links to match plugin’s slug to support internationalization efforts 6.6
5. — Version 6.5.1 No functionality changes in this release. WP 4.3 compat Tested against PHP 5.6 6.5.1
6. — Version 6.5 Domains to Exclude no longer assumes subdomains meaning subdomains need to be specifically excluded now. Entry of Domains to Exclude now allows separation by comma, space, newline/return, and tab. It will convert into a 6.5

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3

Translated into 59 languages, 3 at 90% or more · development strings

Plus 35 more locales with partial translations.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-02-12 10K+ → 9K+ down after 1223 days in tier
2. 2022-10-08 20K+ → 10K+ down after 1 days in tier
3. 2022-10-07 10K+ → 20K+ 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).

• External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
• B Better WordPress External Links 400+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
• External links new tab – nofollow 300+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
• Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A
• Customize External Links and add Icon 200+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags C
• N NoFollowr 200+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for External Links into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

External Links: 9K+ active installs, 4.8★ (36 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/sem-external-links