The Permalinker
by Andy Stratton · Backup
Also makes 3 other plugins · 2.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Use short codes to dynamically link to your WordPress pages and posts. All you need is the ID. This can come in handy when developing content for Word …
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
C 62/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
-7%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “development”, “linking” and “migration” 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.
62 health vs 75 average across 553 Backup plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 13.1K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Backup plugin keeps 1.6%, across 282 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Backup plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 687 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.4.14; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 687 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| development your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| linking your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| migration your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| permalinks your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| staging your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “development”, “linking” and “migration” 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 176 · 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.
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
1.9y ago
latest release · v1.9.0 · 13 Dec 2024
2
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 61% 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 11 months ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 8 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Rose Mckeon13.3y ago
simple and does just what it says.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ oinume13.8y ago
I was looking for such a plugin! Easy to link my past blog entry.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.9.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 The Permalinker <= 1.8.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-12-13 CVE-2024-11894 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.8.1 Patched in 1.9.0
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.2
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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,131 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("development", "linking", "permalinks", "staging" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-12-02 200+ → 100+ down after 517 days in tier
- 2024-07-03 300+ → 200+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2024-06-25 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-24 300+ → 200+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-06-22 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-21 300+ → 200+ down after 267 days in tier
- 2023-09-28 400+ → 300+ down after 152 days in tier
- 2023-04-29 500+ → 400+ down after 189 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).
-
Backup Migration 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
FastDup – Fastest WordPress Migration & Duplicator 5K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A - M Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Display Environment Type 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for The Permalinker into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/the-permalinker" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="The Permalinker — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> The Permalinker: 100+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/the-permalinker
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