Stag Custom Sidebars
by Ram Ratan Maurya · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 3.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Create custom dynamic sidebars and use anywhere with shortcodes.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “custom sidebars”, “shortcodes” and “sidebars” 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.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,752 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.9%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 69.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 5+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.6.23.
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 2099 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.6.23; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2099 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| codestag your tag | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| mauryaratan your tag | #5 | #3 | 0 |
| custom sidebars your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcodes your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebars your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 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
- “custom sidebars”, “shortcodes” and “sidebars” 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 294 · 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
5.8y ago
latest release · v1.2.1 · 1 Feb 2021
15
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 96% 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 months ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Apr 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Betty_10.1y ago
Un plugin molto utile e semplicissimo da usare. Grazie per il grande lavoro!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ thewiseass10.6y ago
Easy to use and it works well with a floating widget plugin that I needed as well. Solved a “sticky” problem. Good job!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Noahj11.5y ago
The way this is implemented it should be part of the core and maybe just offer a way for devs to remove it for their themes. Anyhow this is ideal. Just simple and effective with the option to shortcode the sidebars into actual content layouts.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nga110512.5y ago
good
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Darren Cooney12.8y ago
Plugin works just as expected, so thank you!! This functionality should really be core. I’ll be bundling this up with TGM Activation Class for commercial releases!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mirizarry12.9y ago
Pretty sweet and simple plugin for creating widget areas in the new WordPress 3.8. Only now, how or what can I use to apply these new widget areas to pages!!! I currently use Custom Sidebars, but it doesn’t work for WP 3.8 – This plugin does. Only thing with this plugin is that you can’t apply the widget areas to pages. If this plugin could do that and maybe some other features like the ‘Custom Sidebars’ plugin, it would be a huge contender, HUGE.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ John Fraskos12.9y ago
Works without conflicts. Pretty good.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.1 Ensure compatibility with WordPress 5.6 Other minor improvements 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2 Ensure compability with WordPress 4.5 Fix sidebar delete button positioning Escape sidebar title in customizer 1.2
- — Version 1.1 Fixed an issue where sidebar wouldn’t delete Tweaked the delete icon 1.1
- — Version 1.0.11 Fix issue with undefined variables breaking the sidebars 1.0.11
- — Version 1.0.10 Fix issue with undefined option keys under customizer when no custom sidebars are present 1.0.10
- — Version 1.0.9 Ensure compatibility with WordPress 4.0 Fix an issue where plugin caused an error on customizer screen when no custom sidebars are created Introduced a new filter, to filter every registered sidebar arguments 1.0.9
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.6
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 26 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 2 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
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 "Create custom dynamic sidebars and use anywhere with shortcodes."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 852 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "custom sidebars", "mauryaratan" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-06 3K+ → 2K+ down after 512 days in tier
- 2023-11-11 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-11-10 3K+ → 4K+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2023-11-06 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-11-05 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-11-04 4K+ → 3K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2023-11-01 3K+ → 4K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2023-10-29 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 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).
-
Ocean Custom Sidebar 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Simple Page Sidebars 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags C -
Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes 1K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - M Multiple Sidebar Generator 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
WP Custom Sidebars 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D -
Acquaintsoft sidebar generator 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Stag Custom Sidebars into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/stag-custom-sidebars" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Stag Custom Sidebars — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Stag Custom Sidebars: 2K+ active installs, 5.0★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/stag-custom-sidebars
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