URL & Path Shortcodes
by Gilbert Pellegrom · Uncategorized
Also makes 6 other plugins · 260+ installs across the portfolio →
This is a simple plugin that allows you to use common WordPress URL's and Paths in the post editor using 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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+33%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “path”, “shortcode” and “shortcodes” 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.
46 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.7%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 4.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 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.
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 14+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.4.2, 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 5145 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.4.2; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 5145 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| path your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcodes your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| url your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “path”, “shortcode” and “shortcodes” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 91 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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.
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
14.1y ago
latest release · v1.0 · 29 Sep 2012
1
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 18 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 17 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Steven Vachon13.8y ago
Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aalaap13.8y ago
Really works great. I wanted to include template URIs for layout images within the content area and this just worked right out of the box. It preserves the WP function names, so it feels like you’re using native WP codes! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ baignoire14.0y ago
does what is says, easily !
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
2 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 "This is a simple plugin that allows you to use common WordPress URL's and Paths in the post editor using sh..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 635 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 4 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-05-02 300+ → 200+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2025-04-26 200+ → 300+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2025-04-22 300+ → 200+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-04-19 200+ → 300+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2025-04-09 300+ → 200+ down after 588 days in tier
- 2023-08-30 400+ → 300+ down after 16 days in tier
- 2023-08-14 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-08-13 400+ → 300+ down after 2 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).
-
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Column Shortcodes 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D -
Meks Flexible Shortcodes 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C - C Contact Form 7 Shortcode Enabler 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
-
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Shortcode Redirect 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for URL & Path Shortcodes into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/url-path-shortcodes" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="URL & Path Shortcodes — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> URL & Path Shortcodes: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/url-path-shortcodes
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