Series
by Justin Tadlock · Uncategorized
Also makes 35 other plugins · 30.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Plugin that allows you to collect posts in a series.
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 · Open vulnerability
Active installs
1K+
≈1.9K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “series”, “shortcodes” and “widgets” 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 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.1%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 47.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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 5.0.31, 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 2875 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.0.31; the current branch is 6.8
4.2★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.11★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2875 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| series your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcodes your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “series”, “shortcodes” and “widgets” 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 296 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
7.9y ago
latest release · v2.0.1 · 17 Dec 2018
5
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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and the previous band took 24 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 2K.
Install history since 1 Nov 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ agilistandre2.8y ago
Installed the plugin, I can see the settings page, but the Series meta box on the post editing page is not showing. This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by agilistandre.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aldelpech6.5y ago
I’ve been using Series for ages and it still works great. Now I use PHP 7.1 and WordPress 5.4.1. Thanks to Justin Tadlock for this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marklcm8.4y ago
the widget to show related listings that only shows on relevant posts is great
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Yakti-R9.8y ago
Does what it needs to do and still works fine, even though not updated for a long time. Somewhere in the support forum of one of his plugins, Justin said he would only update a plugin when necessary (read: when it doesn’t work after a WP core upgrade or a vulnerability has been discovered). Although that is fine, since there is already too much change for the sake of change, it might be a good idea to do a WP-compatibility bump now and than. If it weren’t for Justin’s reputation, I would never consider using a plugin that hasn’t received updates for over two years.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Robert10.7y ago
This an A+ job. I do not know Justin Tadlock personally but he is probably the best maker of plugins in the world. This is another hole-in-one from the Tiger Woods of plugins: – it works just like it says on the box – it’s elegant and has no annoying promotional or other types of notifications
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (2.0.1). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- 2025-12-31 CVE-2025-62759 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.0.1 No patch available
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 7 languages, 5 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
5 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Plugin that allows you to collect posts in a series."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 12 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 8 of 12 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you need", "if you want").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 3 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,086 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 3 tags appear in the text ("shortcodes", "widgets" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-30 2K+ → 1K+ down after 705 days in tier
- 2024-08-24 3K+ → 2K+ down after 593 days in tier
- 2023-01-09 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-01-08 3K+ → 4K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2023-01-06 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1741 days in tier
- 2018-04-01 3K+ → 4K+ up after 268 days in tier
- 2017-07-07 2K+ → 3K+ up after 135 days in tier
- 2017-02-22 400+ → 2K+ up after 535 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).
-
Weaver Xtreme Theme Support 8K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B -
Popularis Extra 6K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C -
Weaver Show Posts 5K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B - W WordPress Widgets Shortcode 500+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Wishful Companion 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
One Click Demo Import 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Series into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/series" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Series — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Series: 1K+ active installs, 4.2★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/series
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