SideMenu
by Oliver Campion · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 12 other plugins · 41K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add a responsive sliding SideMenu to your WordPress site with the SideMenu block.
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
A 88/100
no flags
Active installs
900+
≈970 estimated
Momentum
+11%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “mobile menu” and “side menu” for “sliding menus” and “hamburger menu”. “mobile menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sliding menus” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “side menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “hamburger menu” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
88 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.2%
of downloads still active
At least 900 of 73.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 4 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 78 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 25 reviews, smoothed to 4.33★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
42
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
27%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.5
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| sliding menu your tag | #7 | #9 | 0 |
| off canvas menu your tag | #11 | #18 | 0 |
| off canvas | #11 | #14 | up 1 |
| sliding menus | #12 | #14 | 0 |
| sliding | #20 | #18 | down 2 |
| hamburger menu | #21 | #15 | up 1 |
| mobile menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| side menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
23 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 6 listed. 17 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
- Swap “mobile menu” and “side menu” for “sliding menus” and “hamburger menu”. “mobile menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sliding menus” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “side menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “hamburger menu” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “off canvas menu”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.3K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v2.0 · 29 Jun 2026
79
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 47% 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 “900+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 73% of the way through.
Install history since 13 May 2020
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 1 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
6 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 "Add a responsive sliding SideMenu to your WordPress site with the SideMenu block."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("ideal for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Divi.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,877 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("off-canvas menu", "side menu", "sidebar menu", "sliding menu" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-25 1K+ → 900+ down after 15 days in tier
- 2026-07-10 900+ → 1K+ up after 19 days in tier
- 2026-06-21 1K+ → 900+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-20 900+ → 1K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-06-17 1K+ → 900+ down after 24 days in tier
- 2026-05-24 900+ → 1K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-23 1K+ → 900+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-05-21 900+ → 1K+ up after 3 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).
-
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Offcanvas Mobile Menu 800+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Responsive Sliding Menu 300+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C -
HSArticle Foldout Menu — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Max Mega Menu 300K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SideMenu into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/sidemenu" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SideMenu — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SideMenu: 900+ active installs, 4.8★ (25 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/sidemenu
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