Widget Instance
by Global · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 520+ installs across the portfolio →
Display an active widget added to a sidebar within the editor or by using a shortcode, function or action.
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 42/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
500+
≈550 estimated
Momentum
+14%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “display widget”, “widget” and “widget instance” 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.
42 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.5%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 14.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.9.35, 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 3034 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
3.4★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 3.99★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3034 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| display widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget instance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets 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
- “display widget”, “widget” and “widget instance” 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 162 · 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.
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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 7 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ jeroenm778.2y ago
Works, if you need a widget that doesn’t need parameters.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ luigitec9.5y ago
Nice plugin, it does what I needed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pierrechecy9.6y ago
use with other plugin “Category Posts Widget” and template Customizr very easy
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ireneml10.8y ago
This plugin has saved me a lot of work and has given me all the answers I was looking for a long time ago. Thank you very much Ben.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Immánuel Fodor10.9y ago
If anybody has the no widges in the dropdown issue, I posted a solution, just see here: [SOLVED] No widgets in the dropdown I hope this helps! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mymy_N11.7y ago
no widget appearing in the dropdown
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ signcarver12.7y ago
At least 2 posts on this problem. No real help from the developer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tech4Eleven13.0y ago
perfect solution for adding widget outside the sidebar. what i did was added my own custom sidebar and then added the widget i wanted to it and configured the options and then used this plugin to add that widget to my home page. thanks!
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 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Display an active widget added to a sidebar within the editor or by using a shortcode, function or action."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("for developers"); say who the plugin is for and 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 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 877 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "display widget" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-06 600+ → 500+ down after 460 days in tier
- 2024-11-03 700+ → 600+ down after 234 days in tier
- 2024-03-14 800+ → 700+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-03-13 700+ → 800+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-03-12 800+ → 700+ down after 244 days in tier
- 2023-07-12 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-07-11 800+ → 900+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2023-07-09 900+ → 800+ down after 180 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).
-
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Widget Context 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A - S SpiceBox 20K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
- C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Widget Content Blocks 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
AH Display Widgets 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Widget Instance into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/widget-instance" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Widget Instance — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Widget Instance: 500+ active installs, 3.4★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/widget-instance
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