Shortcode in Menus

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.

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.

44 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 19 listed. 25 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn'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 · 99% 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 12 months ago; the previous band took 16 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ andrebell82

   8mo ago

   Interesting concept but adding the shortcode to the link as the images show generates a wordpress error: ‘Please provide a valid link.’ So, unfortunately, cannot add the shortcode to nav bar as the example images show 🙁

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Namaste

   2.6y ago

   I kindly ask the developers to maintain this plugin updated… please 🙂

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

   2.9y ago

   Didn’t work in shortcode menu item or custom link.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ pebworthbells

   3.1y ago

   The plugin seemed fine and I used it to create custom menu items for my websites headers and footers. v\Very happy with the results until complaints came in that blocks of buttons had stopped working on some pages. On investigation, I found that blocks of 4 or 5 buttons in adjacent columns were not working. The outer buttons worked fine, but any inner button (i.e. it had another button in the columns either side of it) would work once and then stop responding until the page was reloaded. In addition some page sections became unselectable to edit in Elementor. Very quickly it became apparent that this problem was universal to all blocks on all pages! I disabled the plugin and everything came back to work fine! luckily, it was the only change I had made in recent days, so the likely culprit was relatively obvious. I am guessing there is a compatibility issue with current version of Elementor.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ schroederskater

   3.2y ago

   Easy to use. Does what it is supposed to. Great! Than you very much! Thomas

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ basbuis

   3.7y ago

   Thanks, it’s working perfect and fast.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Wordaspect

   3.7y ago

   Does what it should wonderfully. Thanks a lot!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ aldhydany

   3.9y ago

   i combine this plugin with elemen**r, and with just that, you will get fully customisable menu content amazing simple useful plugin, thank you!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 3.5.1 Change plugin constants to follow naming conventions as recommended by WordPress Guidelines. Strict input filters for admin pages, for user input values. Adhere to more strict PHPCS ruleset. 3.5.1
2. — Version 3.5 Resolved some WPCS compatibility issues. Added resource version for static resources for busting cache in new releases. Added text domain to localisable text strings. Loading the custom JS in footer instead of header for 3.5
3. — Version 3.4 Escaping of output within a lot of functions. Made the code WordPress PHPCS Compatible. Patch to make it work with Max Mega Menu plugin. 3.4
4. — Version 3.3 Fixed a compatibility issue with Twenty Fifteen theme. Minified JS. Conditional loading of admin class for performance improvement. Some more code refactoring. Testing with WordPress 4.8.1 Changed minimum required WordPr 3.3
5. — Version 3.2 Code Refactoring. Changed tested upto. Corrected links in description. 3.2
6. — Version 3.1 Fixed the bug with clean_url filters as reported by Lee Willis Made the code translation ready. 3.1

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.6

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. 2025-10-28 60K+ → 50K+ down after 466 days in tier
2. 2024-07-19 70K+ → 60K+ down after 2 days in tier
3. 2024-07-17 60K+ → 70K+ up after 2 days in tier
4. 2024-07-15 70K+ → 60K+ down after 143 days in tier
5. 2024-02-23 60K+ → 70K+ up after 287 days in tier
6. 2023-05-12 70K+ → 60K+ down after 99 days in tier
7. 2023-02-02 60K+ → 70K+ up after 7 days in tier
8. 2023-01-26 70K+ → 60K+ down after 1 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 Shortcode in Menus into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Shortcode in Menus: 50K+ active installs, 4.7★ (82 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/shortcode-in-menus