EZ SHORTCURL Shortcodes to Fetch and Parse External Content
by Eli · Uncategorized
Also makes 8 other plugins · 101K+ installs across the portfolio →
Use the shortcodes remote_get and preg_replace to fetch external content and parse it to use on your page or post.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
70+
≈78 estimated
Momentum
-15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “curl”, “preg replace” and “shortcode” 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.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,763 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 70 of 13.9K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.9.35, 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 3243 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.18★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3243 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| curl your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| preg replace your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| str replace your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp remote get 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
- “curl”, “preg replace” and “shortcode” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 489 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #18,200 to #19,000, alongside the other plugins at 70+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
8.9y ago
latest release · v4.17.49 · 16 Dec 2017
12
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 “70+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 80.
Install history since 5 Apr 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ guibmx14.0y ago
for higher than php7.2 you need to change le last line of /wp-content/plugins/shortcurl/index.php old: add_action('widgets_init', create_function('', 'return register_widget("SHORTCURL_Widget_Class");')); new: add_action('widgets_init', function(){return register_widget("SHORTCURL_Widget_Class");});
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ JohnStaples7.5y ago
This is a BRILLIANT plugin! It does exactly what it promises with no muss no fuss! THANK YOU for this gem!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ truckracing11.0y ago
Very good job , is very useful in my project !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ striped13.1y ago
Replaced my need for iframes once and for all. Some more info about the usage might be nice. thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bob13.6y ago
It’s not for the feint of heart, but if you understand the concepts, this will solve what has been an ongoing issue with iFrames – auto height.
Read on wp.org ↗
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 2 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 478 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("curl", "str_replace", "wp_remote_get" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-07 80+ → 70+ down after 90 days in tier
- 2026-05-09 90+ → 80+ down after 81 days in tier
- 2026-02-17 100+ → 90+ down after 12 days in tier
- 2026-02-05 90+ → 100+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-02-01 100+ → 90+ down after 15 days in tier
- 2026-01-17 90+ → 100+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-01-15 100+ → 90+ down after 386 days in tier
- 2024-12-25 200+ → 100+ down after 539 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).
-
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A - M MW WP Form 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag C -
Better Font Awesome 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
Column Shortcodes 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for EZ SHORTCURL Shortcodes to Fetch and Parse External Content into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/shortcurl" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="EZ SHORTCURL Shortcodes to Fetch and Parse External Content — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> EZ SHORTCURL Shortcodes to Fetch and Parse External Content: 70+ active installs, 5.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/shortcurl
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