SubHeading
by Steve · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 3 other plugins · 2.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Adds the ability to easily add and display a sub title/heading on any public post type.
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
Active installs
900+
≈1K estimated
Momentum
+19%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “heading” and “sub” 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 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.4%
of downloads still active
At least 900 of 65.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.2.39, 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 3260 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.2.39; the current branch is 6.8
4.2★ over 11 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3260 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| heading your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sub your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| template your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| title your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “admin”, “heading” and “sub” 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 201 · 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
11.3y ago
latest release · v1.8.1 · 27 Jul 2015
36
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 94% 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 9 days ago and the previous band took 3.5 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 1K.
Install history since 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Stitchscape10.0y ago
I’ve just deleted the plugin as it did nothing. I still seemed to have to put something into the template? section and that isn’t shown in installation, so I don’t know how to do it. I looked in the support forum for ways to alter the colour and font of a sub-heading but nobody had answered that question.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mrinternet10.9y ago
Again I tried several other sub title plugins that just did not work – either due to needed upgrade to function with the latest WP version or conflict with another plugin I use. Use this one !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ phildazz11.2y ago
Thanks for helping me figure that one out.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ segacom11.3y ago
A question instead. How can I change the font and size without learning how to code?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Cameron Jones11.5y ago
Does what it says it does and does it well. A nice set of options available, particularly custom post types, perfect. One suggestion, perhaps add a placeholder that says “Enter optional subheading here” or something along those lines to the input box.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ charliwize11.7y ago
I love this plugin, gave me what I wanted instantly..
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Virgil Shelton13.0y ago
This plugin allows me to give my posts and pages instant context, thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jonsisk13.4y ago
Pretty slick. I’m also surprised that isn’t part of the wordpress core but this plugin feels very much like core code not a hack and the intuitive template tag works great. Just remember to enable it on posts in settings before you toss it out 🙂
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
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 "Adds the ability to easily add and display a sub title/heading on any public post type."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 11 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 10 of 11 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 755 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-23 1K+ → 900+ down after 1265 days in tier
- 2023-05-07 2K+ → 1K+ down after 734 days in tier
- 2021-05-03 3K+ → 2K+ down after 263 days in tier
- 2020-08-13 4K+ → 3K+ down after 620 days in tier
- 2018-12-02 5K+ → 4K+ down after 275 days in tier
- 2018-03-02 6K+ → 5K+ down after 238 days in tier
- 2017-07-07 7K+ → 6K+ down after 200 days in tier
- 2016-12-19 6K+ → 7K+ up
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).
-
Secondary Title 7K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Custom Archive Titles 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D - W Which Template 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Redux Framework 900K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Template Kit – Import 400K+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SubHeading into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/subheading" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SubHeading — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SubHeading: 900+ active installs, 4.2★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/subheading
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