SEO Smart Link Targets
by Andrew Gunn · SEO
Also makes 6 other plugins · 1.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Super lightweight solution to changing all external links and internal PDF attachments to open in a new tab.
45 health vs 64 average across 1,225 SEO plugins
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 4.5.33, well behind 6.8.
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
Biggest win: Update recency
To rank higher: Last updated 3692 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,426 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
54
now · peak 64
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
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
10.1y ago
latest release · v1.0
1
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “40+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2020-10-26 · 1,376 observations
Estimated value
What this plugin might earn a year, and what it might sell for. Modeled from public signals; we don't see anyone's books.
Est. annual revenue
Est. acquisition value
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. The recent download trend is too spiky to read.
Details
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ bioneer9.1y ago
Simple and effective solution for opening pdf files in new tabs. Works with WordPress 8.1.* and the Divi theme from Elegant Themes. Thank you for the effort.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Andrew Gunn10.1y ago
Automatically takes care of all external links
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-17 50+ → 40+ down after 9 days in tier
- 2026-04-08 40+ → 50+ up after 61 days in tier
- 2026-02-06 50+ → 40+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-05 40+ → 50+ up after 20 days in tier
- 2026-01-16 50+ → 40+ down after 177 days in tier
- 2025-07-23 60+ → 50+ down after 70 days in tier
- 2025-05-14 50+ → 60+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2025-05-10 60+ → 50+ down after 35 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).
-
External Links Overview 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SEO Smart Link Targets into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/seo-smart-link-targets" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SEO Smart Link Targets — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SEO Smart Link Targets: 40+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/seo-smart-link-targets