Smart Syntax
by Smartpixels · Blocks
Also makes 2 other plugins · 20+ installs across the portfolio →
Automatic google prettify syntax highlighting for jetpack markdown fenced code blocks
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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈17 estimated
Momentum
-1%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “code blocks” for “prettify”. “code blocks” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “prettify” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
46 health vs 71 average across 2,527 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.2%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 5.4K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Blocks plugin keeps 2.1%, across 1,580 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Blocks 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.6.30, 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 3688 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.6.30; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3688 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.
38
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 11d
17%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 11d
0.0
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 prettify your tag | #10 | #8 | 0 |
| prettify | #17 | #14 | 0 |
| google code prettify | #10 | #8 | 0 |
| code prettify | #17 | #14 | 0 |
| markdown highlighter | #19 | #12 | down 1 |
| code blocks your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| jetpack markdown your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| markdown your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| syntax highlighter your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
6 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “code blocks” for “prettify”. “code blocks” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “prettify” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 2 Nov 2024 · 730 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 151 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Modeled within the band wp.org reports; tightens as we track daily.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Automatic google prettify syntax highlighting for jetpack markdown fenced code blocks"
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 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 Mentions Jetpack.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 368 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "syntax highlighter" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
No tier crossings observed yet.
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-Markdown 300+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
MarkBlocks – Markdown for Elementor 20+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Vaaky Highlighter — Syntax Highlighter, Code Blocks, Line Numbers for Gutenberg 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B - M Markdown Highlighter 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter 60K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Enlighter – Customizable Syntax Highlighter 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Smart Syntax into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/smart-syntax" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Smart Syntax — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Smart Syntax: 10+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/smart-syntax
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