Smart FAQ
by Ayebare Mucunguzi Brooks · Chat & Support
Also makes 8 other plugins · 310+ installs across the portfolio →
Provides A nice Frequently asked Questions Page with answers hidden untill the question is clicked then the desired answer fades smoothly into view.
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
-0%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “fade in”, “faq” and “frequently asked questions” 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.
45 health vs 64 average across 1,175 Chat & Support plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 11.9K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Chat & Support plugin keeps 0.8%, across 629 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Chat & Support 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.0.38, 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 4429 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.0.38; the current branch is 6.8
4.1★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4429 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| fade in your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| faq your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| frequently asked questions your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “fade in”, “faq” and “frequently asked questions” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 82 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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 21 Oct 2026.
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
12.1y ago
latest release · v1.4 · 16 Sep 2014
3
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 14 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 3 Mar 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ MJ-Jazze12.4y ago
I installed this plugin and used it for a few days. I did not like that it mixed its categories in with the blog categories, but I was prepared to live with that. However, the font size of the FAQ was terrible. I found a post about it in the forum but it was not clear where the code change needed to be made, and the poster had asked a follow-up question which had not been addressed in some time. Sorry, this looks too casual for my purposes.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Artem Frolov13.2y ago
So, some of them: Notice: Undefined index: post_type in /home/.../wp-content/plugins/smart-faq/smart-faq.php on line 143 Use following: if ( isset( $_POST['post_type'] ) && 'smart_faq' == $_POST['post_type'] ) Uet another: Notice: Undefined variable: paged in /home/.../wp-content/plugins/smart-faq/smart-faq.php on line 97 'paged' => $paged $paged is not defined! Test your plugin with enabled WP_DEBUG! Good luck! Great plugin anyway!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ freedomstudios13.2y ago
This is a really great plugin. Simple to install and use. It works very well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sanbaldo13.3y ago
1. linking a single FAQ 2. choosing the single FAQ template
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Vayu Robins13.4y ago
Thanks for sharing this plugin. 🙂 A few improvements could be: 1. Output css and javascript on relevant page only. 2. When opening a faq, then close last opened faq, so only one is open. Vayu
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stevesidea13.6y ago
Interesting that you link the categories with the general post categories. Generally, an FAQ category should relate to that anyway. Smart. This is very tidy work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ David Garcia Watkins13.6y ago
I was just looking for something like this, Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Harshad13.6y ago
Works for me!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 848 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "fade in" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-09-18 200+ → 100+ down after 13 days in tier
- 2025-09-05 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-09-04 200+ → 100+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2025-08-29 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-28 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-27 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-26 200+ → 100+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2025-08-20 100+ → 200+ up after 2 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).
-
Accordion FAQ – Compatible With All Page Builder (Elementor, Gutenberg) 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags B - S SFN Easy FAQ Manager 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B
-
FAQ Concertina 600+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
VS Knowledge Base 300+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A - W WP Super FAQ 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
-
FAQ Manager For Divi, Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Smart FAQ into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/smart-faq" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Smart FAQ — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Smart FAQ: 100+ active installs, 4.1★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/smart-faq
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