Simple Shortcode for Google Maps
by fullworks · Uncategorized
Also makes 14 other plugins · 86.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
A simple shortcode for embedding Google Maps in any WordPress post, page or widget.
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 87/100
no flags
Active installs
3K+
≈3.6K estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “maps”, “google maps” and “google maps plugin” for “short code”, “short” and “lat”. “maps” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #19. “short code” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “google maps” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “short” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “google maps plugin” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “lat” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
87 health vs 58 average across 25,763 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 174.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
This plugin shipped 1 release 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 133 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 46 reviews, smoothed to 4.34★
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
12%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| geocoding | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| gmaps your tag | #5 | #3 | 0 |
| google maps shortcode your tag | #7 | #7 | down 2 |
| best google maps | #3 | #3 | up 1 |
| google maps your tag | #11 | #14 | down 2 |
| google maps plugin your tag | #11 | #13 | down 1 |
| short code | #7 | #9 | down 2 |
| short | #9 | #13 | down 2 |
| best maps | #6 | #8 | down 1 |
| lat | #10 | #6 | 0 |
| web maps | #7 | #8 | 0 |
| maps your tag | #19 | #18 | down 1 |
| gmap | #12 | #6 | up 1 |
| google maps iframe | #9 | #9 | down 1 |
| embedding | #23 | #21 | down 3 |
| easy google maps | #10 | #15 | 0 |
| google map shortcode | #10 | #13 | down 1 |
| google map | #18 | #19 | down 1 |
| street | #18 | #12 | down 1 |
| add google maps | #12 | #12 | down 1 |
91 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 62 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “maps”, “google maps” and “google maps plugin” for “short code”, “short” and “lat”. “maps” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #19. “short code” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “google maps” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “short” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “google maps plugin” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “lat” sits at #10 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 “google maps”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- One page off on “google maps plugin”. #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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.7K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v1.8.3 · 22 Jun 2026
26
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 53% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 55% of the way through.
Install history since 10 Dec 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Ulrich1.4y ago
Would be cool if there was a custom block but works with the shortcode also.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ brott2.4y ago
Needed something simple and easy to use on a webpage. This is it. Glad I found it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ greggalex2.5y ago
The title says it all – what more could you ask?!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jimbo26tp02.6y ago
Great addin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ itinfoservices2.8y ago
great little tool
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lizzielou3.6y ago
Easy to use. Works perfectly!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ashebashthecash4.1y ago
This was exactly what I needed. I’m using my page title to set the location and couldn’t do it with any of the Maps that require you to set the location in the block. Those are great if you are putting a map on a page and the address will never change. I’m using this shortcode map on a page I’ve created as a template, thus every page created on that template has a different address, ie a different map. Of course it took some coding on my end to use the page title but much less than if I did this without the plugin. Much appreciated!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Higginswp4.2y ago
Use this now since years, never a problem. great job!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.8.3 allow coordinates (lat,lng) to be used directly as the address, skipping the geocoding lookup tested up to WordPress 7.0 1.8.3
- — Version 1.8.2 allow for one key to be used for both geocoding and maps 1.8.2
- — Version 1.8.1 update free plugin lib 1.8.1
- — Version 1.8 remove donation lib and add free plugin lib 1.8
- — Version 1.7 added optional geokey so you can properly restrict keys 1.7
- — Version 1.6 escape output to better protect against CSRF ans XSS exploits 1.6
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.8.3). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps <= 1.5.4 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode ↗2024-11-07 CVE-2024-10621 Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page Affects <= 1.5.4 Patched in 1.6
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.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 languages, 0 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 10 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 10 of 10 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("ideal for", "use this").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Google Maps, Zoom.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,091 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "gmaps", "google maps shortcode" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-22 4K+ → 3K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-05-19 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-18 4K+ → 3K+ down after 419 days in tier
- 2025-03-25 5K+ → 4K+ down after 300 days in tier
- 2024-05-29 6K+ → 5K+ down after 373 days in tier
- 2023-05-22 7K+ → 6K+ down after 239 days in tier
- 2022-09-25 8K+ → 7K+ down after 407 days in tier
- 2021-08-14 9K+ → 8K+ down after 377 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).
- W WP Google Maps Shortcode 200+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
-
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B -
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Snazzy Maps 30K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C -
Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Shortcode for Google Maps into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-google-maps-short-code" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Shortcode for Google Maps — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Shortcode for Google Maps: 3K+ active installs, 4.6★ (46 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-google-maps-short-code
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