VS Meta Description
by Guido · SEO
Also makes 7 other plugins · 17.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
With this lightweight plugin you can add a meta description to your website.
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
A 86/100
no flags
Active installs
3K+
≈3.6K estimated
Momentum
+2%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “classicpress”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
86 health vs 65 average across 2,230 SEO plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.2%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 137.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median SEO plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,194 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other SEO 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 3 releases 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 79 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.4★ over 16 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
42
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
27%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| description | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| meta description your tag | #3 | #8 | 0 |
| meta | #14 | #18 | 0 |
| classicpress your tag | #14 | #16 | 0 |
| plugin description | #6 | #16 | — |
| product description | #11 | #17 | up 1 |
| meta box | #12 | #20 | down 2 |
| meta tags | #17 | #18 | up 3 |
| meta tag | #18 | #20 | up 3 |
| simple post meta | #14 | #24 | 0 |
| meta plugin | #18 | #20 | 0 |
| page meta | #20 | #21 | up 3 |
| post meta | #22 | #22 | up 1 |
| bing your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| google your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| seo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
36 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 13 listed. 23 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “classicpress”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “bing”, “google” and “seo” 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.
- Already on top for “description”. #3 without listing it. A tag would change little there; your slots are better spent on a search you don't yet win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.3K · 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.
3
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v8.2 · 15 Aug 2026
13
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 58% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Mar 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ fedor7711mo ago
Поторопился с выводами. This topic was modified 7 months ago by fedor77. Reason: Поторопился с отзывом
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Matija1.3y ago
Perfect for adding basic meta to your website.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris Lovie-Tyler2.5y ago
This allowed me to avoid all the other bloated SEO plugins. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User3.1y ago
It inserts the same description for all pages, basically ruining the SEO of the entire site. This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Anonymous User.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wbxpress4.5y ago
it’s perfect solution for me.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gabbsmo5.0y ago
Migrated from Yoast to this plugin to get rid of bloat in the admin area. I also like that it uses the built in post excerpt instead of custom meta like Yoast.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pablopiano5.8y ago
Simple and exactly what I needed. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ knecker6.5y ago
works
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 8.1 Minor changes in code 8.1
- — Version 8.0 Minor changes in code 8.0
- — Version 7.9 Removed wrong header from main plugin file 7.9
- — Version 7.8 Code improvements Bumped the “requires PHP” version to 7.4 Bumped the “Requires at least” version to 6.0 7.8
- — Version 7.7 Textual changes 7.7
- — Version 7.6 Minor changes in code 7.6
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 39 languages, 3 at 90% or more
Plus 15 more locales with partial translations.
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
5 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 "With this lightweight plugin you can add a meta description to your website."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 10 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 10 of 10 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 Mentions WooCommerce.
- ! Headings and lists 5 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 958 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "ClassicPress", "seo" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-03 4K+ → 3K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-30 3K+ → 4K+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-26 4K+ → 3K+ down after 40 days in tier
- 2026-04-16 3K+ → 4K+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2026-04-10 4K+ → 3K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-04-07 3K+ → 4K+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2026-03-28 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-27 3K+ → 4K+ up after 4 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).
-
ReCrawler 3K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
多合一搜索自动推送管理插件-支持Baidu/Google/Bing/IndexNow/Yandex/头条 2K+ installs · 3.5★ · 3 shared tags B -
SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
AI Powered Marketing 50K+ installs · 3.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Simple SEO 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for VS Meta Description into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/very-simple-meta-description" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="VS Meta Description — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> VS Meta Description: 3K+ active installs, 4.4★ (16 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/very-simple-meta-description
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