Widget Areas for LearnDash
by Dave Warfel · Education
Also makes 1 other plugin · 6.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add unlimited blocks/widgets to several areas of LearnDash Focus Mode, plus course & group pages.
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 67/100
Stale
Active installs
600+
≈680 estimated
Momentum
+69%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “learning management system”, “lms” and “online courses” 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.
67 health vs 70 average across 281 Education plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.1%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 11.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Education plugin keeps 1.1%, across 177 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Education 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 476 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.25★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 476 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.
22
Momentum
Losing ground
-2.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-2.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| widget areas | #15 | #22 | down 5 |
| learndash your tag | #17 | #15 | down 4 |
| learning management system your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| lms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| online courses your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
4 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “learning management system”, “lms” and “online courses” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 572 · 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
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
1.3y ago
latest release · v1.2 · 13 Jul 2025
3
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 59% 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 58 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 10 Aug 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ robhoe19654.0y ago
Perfect to customize your LD views.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ haytov5.1y ago
I have a big website for my online courses. using this plugin helped me customize the focus mode, which is very essential. Works perfect, very useful. and GREAT support
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ guy15.6y ago
Not only is the plugin great, but its creator also went more than the extra mile to help me.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ martenti5.6y ago
This is Very Important Plugin (VIP) for all LD users. Works great. And please dont abandon the development, it’s very,very needed. Thank you! This topic was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by martenti.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lahlahlande6.2y ago
Great little plugin helping you to add additional content on Learndash screens. Very easy to use.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jorge Ocampo6.3y ago
This is a must for anyone using LearnDash
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lorilself6.6y ago
Just used this plugin to add a forum button to my LearnDash course sidebar. Super easy to use, and now I’m trying to think of other ways I might want to customize my courses with this plugin. Thanks Dave!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Aline Mendes6.8y ago
Just out of the box. Exactly what I needed to add a widget to Focus Mode.
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 at 90% or more · development strings
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Add unlimited blocks/widgets to several areas of LearnDash Focus Mode, plus course & group pages."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you need"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Elementor, Block editor, LearnDash.
- ✓ Headings and lists 9 headings and 8 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 5,237 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("learning management system", "lms", "online courses" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-04 700+ → 600+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-01 600+ → 700+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-30 700+ → 600+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-28 600+ → 700+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-08-25 700+ → 600+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-08-21 600+ → 700+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-08-17 700+ → 600+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-08-14 600+ → 700+ 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).
-
Design Upgrade for LearnDash 6K+ installs · 4.8★ · 4 shared tags D -
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Academy LMS – AI Course Builder, Quizzes, Certificates & eLearning 2K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags B -
BuddyPress for LearnDash 1K+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags D -
Dashboard Widgets for LearnDash 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Widget Areas for LearnDash into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/widget-areas-learndash" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Widget Areas for LearnDash — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Widget Areas for LearnDash: 600+ active installs, 5.0★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/widget-areas-learndash
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