Three Column Screen Layout
by Chad Hovell · Admin & Utilities
Three, four and five column screen layouts for the post editor.
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.8K estimated
Momentum
+32%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “column” and “columns” 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.
43 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.8%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 17.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.7.39, 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 3610 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 6.8
3.8★ over 16 reviews, smoothed to 4.03★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3610 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 | ||
| column your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| columns your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| edit your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| editor 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
- “admin”, “column” and “columns” 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 6 Oct 2022 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 233 · 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
9.9y ago
latest release · v4.2 · 12 Dec 2016
6
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 10 months ago and the previous band took 4.9 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 2K.
Install history since 16 Jul 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dotcominfo5.8y ago
I can’t seem to get rid of this plugin. I never installed it to begin with, but it keeps mysteriously showing back up in my plugins. There’s clearly a malware related issue with this plugin. Does anyone know how to prevent this plugin from getting installed again?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ selcukalbayrak145.8y ago
Virüs!!!!!! Spam!!!!!!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ selcukalbayrak145.8y ago
Virüs Lütfen Yükleme Virüs!!! This topic was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by selcukalbayrak14.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ somaat5.8y ago
100% hijacked to inject a virus into your site. Do not download.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ portrayalteam6.0y ago
Don’t INSTALL THIS – it is a backdoor virus. STAY AWAY!!!!!! This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by portrayalteam.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ expertcomputerhelp6.0y ago
I work inside my sites almost daily. This morning I login to WP and see a new plugin. A plugin I never installed. Godaddy had no answers. So why is this plugin installing itself on my site? I never asked for this plugin and never heard of it. Yet it was living on my site. To actually clean the site I had to restore it. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gianxgian6.0y ago
The Plugin got highjacked. It’s a virus installing a backdoor in your site. With our team, we have found a few theats related, including the Artemis backdoor and other connected/infected plugins, as SMRGUYU and OKMWYRP.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ AMX10.1y ago
I have just installed the plugin and it is exactly what I needed! Extremely useful when you have many custom fields and taxonomies. Thank you very much Chad, great work.
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
3 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 15 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 15 of 15 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 106 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin", "columns" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-12-28 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1799 days in tier
- 2021-01-24 1K+ → 2K+ 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).
-
Column Shortcodes 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D - R Require Featured Image 3K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Featured Image Column 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Sortable Word Count Reloaded 2K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Super Edit 2K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D - D Disable Visual Editor WYSIWYG 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Three Column Screen Layout into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/three-column-screen-layout" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Three Column Screen Layout — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Three Column Screen Layout: 1K+ active installs, 3.8★ (16 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/three-column-screen-layout
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