SF Author Url Control
by Grégory Viguier · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 5.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows administrators or capable users to change the users profile url.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+9%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “author”, “custom” and “customize” 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.
49 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.4%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 22.5K 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 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.
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 3863 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.5.33; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 11 reviews, smoothed to 4.26★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Last updated 3863 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| customize your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| permalink your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| slug 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). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “author”, “custom” and “customize” 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 267 · 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
10.6y ago
latest release · v1.2 · 3 Apr 2016
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare 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.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 22 months ago; the previous band took 2.8 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Joan Morci10.1y ago
Great work to make this plugin simple and intuitive way. I did an article written about this plugin in 2014, but took a time I’m going over old articles and video making to further facilitate things who don´t understand importance of some plugins. This plugin does a very important job. And I don´t understand how WordPress standard doesn´t solve this. The video is in Spanish: – WordPress: security failure Author URL (solution) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3n8PEvDPu4 Article in Spanish: WordPress: security failure Author URL (solution) http://joanmorci.com/fallo-seguridad-wordpress-author/ Greetings from Spain & thanks for this plugin! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Fredo7310.4y ago
Super plugin Pile ce que je cherchais. Associé à “Move Login” et “SX User Name Security”, c’est nickel !!! Merci
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ neptun2611.2y ago
Thanks man for the work you’ve done. I’ve been searching on the net since many days to fix what i considered a security breach. Your plugin did the work in a few seconds. Thanks one more time
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ afcab11.7y ago
Simple and effective – should be a native function ! Thanks a lot
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ YogieAnamCara12.3y ago
Along with SX User Name Security, SF Author Url Control makes WP a bit more secure!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ master41216012.4y ago
I like it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wallyO12.4y ago
Thanks very much. It has always seemed careless to me to publish user authentication credentials. You have given me control over this issue.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gotcha583212.9y ago
Merci Greg This topic was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by gotcha5832.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 104 languages, 1 at 90% or more · development strings
Plus 80 more locales with partial translations.
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows administrators or capable users to change the users profile url."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 4 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 833 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-12-31 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1017 days in tier
- 2022-03-20 3K+ → 2K+ down after 565 days in tier
- 2020-09-01 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1353 days in tier
- 2016-12-18 3K+ → 4K+ 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).
-
Custom Permalinks 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
Remove CPT base 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
Admin Slug Column 5K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Customize Login Image 3K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C - W WP Author Slug 3K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
-
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SF Author Url Control into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/sf-author-url-control" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SF Author Url Control — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SF Author Url Control: 1K+ active installs, 5.0★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/sf-author-url-control
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