Simple Google Photos Grid
by josheli · Media
Provides a widget and shortcode to display photos from a public Google Photos album in a simple grid.
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
C 65/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
900+
≈1K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “album”, “gallery” and “photos” 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.
65 health vs 62 average across 3,287 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.1%
of downloads still active
At least 900 of 12.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,321 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 546 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.5★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 546 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.
44
Momentum
Holding steady
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
33%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| google photos your tag | #21 | #24 | down 1 |
| album your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| photos your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 2 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
- “album”, “gallery” and “photos” 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 688 · 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
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
1.5y ago
latest release · v1.6 · 4 May 2025
3
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 80% 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 12 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 1K.
Install history since 16 Sep 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ GMRobbins3.2y ago
I am not sure why this plugin has not gotten more attention. I have searched for a similar plug that would take third-party images (Google Photos) and create a gallery. Few offer it and those that do, are quite proud of their plugin ($$$). Yes, the gallery isn’t great and I wish it would open the images in a lightbox, but I am extremely please with the plugin. My server is getting approching capacity and this plugin keeps a gazillion photos off of it. Thanks for the plugin. I sure wish you’d consider updating it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stefanbommeli8.8y ago
Perfect for simple and easy integration and use. Maybe you can ad a Link on the foto to go to the fotodetail instead of the gallery-overview?
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.6). Sites still on an older version should update.
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.
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 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Provides a widget and shortcode to display photos from a public Google Photos album in a simple grid."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,378 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 4 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-20 1K+ → 900+ down after 317 days in tier
- 2025-12-07 900+ → 1K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-06 1K+ → 900+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2025-12-02 900+ → 1K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-01 1K+ → 900+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-11-28 900+ → 1K+ up after 98 days in tier
- 2025-08-22 800+ → 900+ up after 379 days in tier
- 2024-08-08 900+ → 800+ down 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).
-
Gallery for Google Photos – share your albums right on your site 1K+ installs · 3.5★ · 4 shared tags B -
WoowGallery 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags B -
Shared Albums for Google Photos 500+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A - S Social Photo Fetcher 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B
- E Easy Photo Album 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
- P Photo Galleria 700+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Google Photos Grid into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-google-photos-grid" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Google Photos Grid — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Google Photos Grid: 900+ active installs, 4.5★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-google-photos-grid
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