Taxonomy Dropdown Widget
by Erick Hitter · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 12 other plugins · 47K+ installs across the portfolio →
Creates a dropdown list of non-hierarchical taxonomies as an alternative to the term (tag) cloud. Formerly known as Tag Dropdown Widget.
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
B 75/100
Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈2K estimated
Momentum
+41%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “sidebar”, “tag” and “tags” for “dropdown”, “dropdown menu” and “tag cloud”. “sidebar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dropdown” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “tag” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dropdown menu” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “tags” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “tag cloud” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
75 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 60.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 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.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 285 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.19★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
26
Momentum
Losing ground
-2.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
7%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-1.4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropdown | #6 | #18 | down 1 |
| tag cloud | #19 | #21 | down 3 |
| taxonomy tag cloud | #8 | #17 | down 1 |
| dropdown menu | #19 | #22 | down 7 |
| tag cloud widget | #15 | #20 | up 1 |
| taxonomy widget | #16 | #23 | down 5 |
| custom dropdown | #17 | #22 | — |
| tag sidebar | #21 | #21 | down 8 |
| tag widget | #23 | #23 | 0 |
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tag your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| tags your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| taxonomy your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
19 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 9 listed. 10 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
- Swap “sidebar”, “tag” and “tags” for “dropdown”, “dropdown menu” and “tag cloud”. “sidebar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dropdown” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “tag” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “dropdown menu” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “tags” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “tag cloud” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 349 · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
10mo ago
latest release · v2.3.3 · 19 Jan 2026
19
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 99% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 2K.
Install history since 5 Sep 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ rowhouse6.0y ago
This was a life saver. Exactly, and I mean, exactly what I needed. The client was dead set against a Tag Cloud and after some rigorous searching, I kept coming back to this page. Thank you Erick. You made it look easy! This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by rowhouse.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ samcaio6.4y ago
This is great plugin but the problem is that it doe’s not sync with other filters and also reset button is not working.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kaisar106.5y ago
Fulfills my requirement.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Qualiweaver7.7y ago
Looks and works great. Could you just provide a tiny update to help get rid of the PHP 7.3 error message that I can’t remove and which is displayed in the top area of the login page? FYI, the error message is the following: Warning: “continue” targeting switch is equivalent to “break”. Did you mean to use “continue 2”? in /home/directory/www/module/wp-content/plugins/tag-dropdown-widget/tag-dropdown-widget.php on line 430. I could not find any info intelligible enough to fix this by myself. All I did so far is check that WP_DEBUG is set to false in wp-config.php. Many thanks in advance This topic was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Qualiweaver.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bjarni Wark9.5y ago
Thanks for your work and making it public, worked a treat.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ramakrishnan R9.7y ago
Very Usefull
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Porgalicabaixo11.1y ago
Funciona estupendamente y es muy bueno para las páginas que tienen muchas etiquetas. Muchísimas Gracias por desarrollar y mantener este pluging
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jeremy Tarpley11.2y ago
Thanks! I was just about to write code when I found your plugin. Does exactly what I needed, thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.3.3 Correct hook used to load plugin textdomain. 2.3.3
- — Version 2.3.2 Ready plugin for translation. 2.3.2
- — Version 2.3.1 PHP 7.3 compatibility 2.3.1
- — Version 2.3 Update for WordPress 4.3 by removing PHP4-style widget constructor usage (https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/07/02/deprecating-php4-style-constructors-in-wordpress-4-3/). 2.3
- — Version 2.2 Update for WordPress 4.2 to handle term splitting in the plugin’s include/exclude functionality. Details at https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/02/16/taxonomy-term-splitting-in-4-2-a-developer-guide/. 2.2
- — Version 2.1 Introduce filters on dropdown and its components for greater customizability. Implement plugin as a singleton for proper reusability. Improve adherence to WordPress coding standards. Improve translatability of plugin. Ge 2.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 6.0
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 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Creates a dropdown list of non-hierarchical taxonomies as an alternative to the term (tag) cloud. Formerly..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 7 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 852 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "sidebar" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-24 2K+ → 1K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-10-21 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-20 2K+ → 1K+ down after 873 days in tier
- 2024-05-30 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-29 2K+ → 3K+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2024-05-23 3K+ → 2K+ down
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).
- T Taxonomy List Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 5 shared tags B
-
Ad Widget for WordPress 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C -
Categorized Tag Cloud 1K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B - P Posts By Tag 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags D
- N NS Category Widget 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags B
-
TagPages 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Taxonomy Dropdown Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/tag-dropdown-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Taxonomy Dropdown Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Taxonomy Dropdown Widget: 1K+ active installs, 4.7★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/tag-dropdown-widget
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