Simple Staff List
by Brett Shumaker · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 3.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
A simple plugin to build and display a staff listing for your website.
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 68/100
Stale
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “employee” for “staff listing”. “employee” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “staff listing” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
68 health vs 58 average across 25,752 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 161.3K 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.
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 559 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.0, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 40 reviews, smoothed to 4.32★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 559 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.
30
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| staff list your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| staff your tag | #4 | #6 | down 1 |
| employee list your tag | #5 | #4 | down 1 |
| staff listing | #6 | #7 | 0 |
| staff directory your tag | #13 | #13 | down 2 |
| employee your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
7 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “employee” for “staff listing”. “employee” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “staff listing” sits at #6 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 “staff directory”. #13 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.9K · 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
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 · v2.2.5 · 21 Apr 2025
24
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 92% 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 17 months ago; the previous band took 19 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 15 Feb 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ jonnyekholm7.2y ago
Thank you very much for creating this one. I would recommend this plugin to any wordpress developer out there. This plugin has been to great help both for staff and product listings. Categorizing is also very easy. For anyone very new to CSS, I would strongly recommend reading about flexbox before using this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ttrusty7.7y ago
An easy to use plugin with many features that does what it’s suppose to do very well. I had a couple of questions so I reached out for support and received a detailed response amazingly fast. Brett, is knowledgable, friendly and professional. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jefflabonte8.4y ago
posted on wrong plugin my bad This topic was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by jefflabonte.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rogeratbing9.5y ago
We work with a local arts council and they needed a WordPress plugin to feature artists, their skills, details about them, their contact info, and some of their work. This plugin did what we needed without all sorts of add-ons that we did not need or want. Since we’ve been using the plugin, Brett (the developer) has been exceptional in his speedy replies to questions and support needs. The latest update provides a very clean CSV export option that is something we had requested for some time. He delivered and is very much appreciated by our group and the arts council!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ masflojo10.2y ago
This plugin technically works. It is not broken or anything it just won’t do anything you need it to do practically. You can’t sort. There is no page template for the actual staff members. It literally just outputs a list of post titles, nothing else. If you have a large amount of members do not use this plugin as there is no pagination. Its like somebody started making a plugin and just got bored a quarter of the way in to it and just quit.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ damien050510.5y ago
While the plugin will successfully display staff, the order function does not sort them into ascending or descending order.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ asankaw10.5y ago
useful plug-in. we can customize as we wish.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jason King10.6y ago
Visually, I like it. Easy to use. But – for those of us who like to keep our code lean – it would be better if the plugin only loaded its own CSS and JS on pages where the shortcode is in use, not every page on the site?
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.2.5 FIXED: Added security nonces 2.2.5
- — Version 2.2.4 FIXED: Added additional escaping 2.2.4
- — Version 2.2.3 FIXED: Added additional escaping 2.2.3
- — Version 2.2.2 ADDED: sslp_after_staff_member_admin_fields which passes $post->ID so a user can add their own fields to the metabox ADDED: sslp_save_staff_member_details' which passes $post->ID and $_POST` so that users can save their 2.2.2
- — Version 2.2.1 ADDED: Use the filter sslp_staff_member_bio_kses_allowed_html to change which HTML tags are allowed in the Staff Member bio field – it currently defaults to the post context. Learn more . FIXED: Added some data sanitizat 2.2.1
- — Version 2.2.0 FEATURE: Use the id shortcode parameter to show a single Staff Member block FEATURE: Use the sslp_enable_staff_member_archive filter to disable the /staff-member archive page. This filter defaults to true – pass false to 2.2.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.2.5). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.4 Simple Staff List <= 2.2.3 - Authenticated (Editor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-08-17 CVE-2023-28790 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.2.3 Patched in 2.2.4
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Simple Staff List <= 2.2.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode ↗2023-01-20 CVE-2023-23686 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.2.2 Patched in 2.2.3
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.3.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 82 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 58 more locales with partial translations.
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 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A simple plugin to build and display a staff listing for your website."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 744 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "employee", "employee list" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-06-01 4K+ → 3K+ down after 574 days in tier
- 2023-11-05 5K+ → 4K+ down after 338 days in tier
- 2022-12-02 6K+ → 5K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2022-11-29 5K+ → 6K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2022-11-27 6K+ → 5K+ down after 590 days in tier
- 2021-04-16 8K+ → 6K+ down after 989 days in tier
- 2018-08-01 9K+ → 8K+ down after 152 days in tier
- 2018-03-02 8K+ → 9K+ up after 29 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).
- E EZ Staff List 20+ installs · 4.0★ · 4 shared tags D
-
Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ installs · 3.5★ · 3 shared tags B -
Organization chart 5K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
ShiftController Employee Shift Scheduling 600+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Staffer 500+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Staff List into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-staff-list" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Staff List — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Staff List: 3K+ active installs, 4.6★ (40 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-staff-list
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