External Links

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

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.

2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

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.

Crossed into this band 57 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 9K.

1. ★★★★★ Jimmy Lee

   3.4y ago

   Hope this one never goes away!!!

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ yeoric

   6.1y 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

   6.3y 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

   8.1y 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

   8.3y 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

   8.7y ago

   Simple and does the job

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Ada

   9.0y 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

   9.6y 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 60 languages, 3 at 90% or more · development strings

Plus 36 more locales with partial translations.

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.

Growth timeline

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

1. 2026-09-04 9K+ → 8K+ down after 2 days in tier
2. 2026-09-02 8K+ → 9K+ up after 2 days in tier
3. 2026-08-31 9K+ → 8K+ down after 200 days in tier
4. 2026-02-12 10K+ → 9K+ down after 1223 days in tier
5. 2022-10-08 20K+ → 10K+ down after 1 days in tier
6. 2022-10-07 10K+ → 20K+ up after 3 days in tier
7. 2022-10-04 20K+ → 10K+ down after 781 days in tier
8. 2020-08-14 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1360 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).

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: 8K+ active installs, 4.8★ (36 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/sem-external-links