Widgets Control
by itthinx · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 29 other plugins · 22.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
A Widget toolbox that adds visibility management and helps to control where widgets, sidebars and content are shown efficiently.
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
B 75/100
no flags
Active installs
800+
≈850 estimated
Momentum
+50%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “context” and “sidebar” for “toolbox” and “control”. “context” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “toolbox” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “sidebar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “control” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
75 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.7%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 30K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,188 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.
This plugin shipped 1 release 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 315 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 15 reviews, smoothed to 4.24★ 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.
28
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.9
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 control | #8 | #17 | down 3 |
| control | #23 | #19 | down 1 |
| toolbox | #19 | #15 | down 2 |
| context sidebar | #16 | #18 | 0 |
| widget context | #21 | #19 | up 2 |
| context your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| theme your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| visibility your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
12 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 7 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “context” and “sidebar” for “toolbox” and “control”. “context” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “toolbox” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “sidebar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “control” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 469 · 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.
1
releases in the last 12 months
11mo ago
latest release · v3.0.0 · 20 Dec 2025
20
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 46% 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 “800+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 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 16 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ edwin123456784.2y ago
Widgets Control OK
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ blackf02284.3y ago
Very useful!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hikingtom6.9y ago
easy and direct access to widgets
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jakirhossainb7.6y ago
I am really grateful to WordPress. Its very useful for me. Nice site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anticosti8.0y ago
A must use plugin. Good job!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bruce8.1y ago
Just doing review so the damn thang will go the Hell away off my admin page.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mauryg8.8y ago
Very useful addon to Widget library
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bitpath8.8y ago
Does the job, and does it well.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 2 languages, 1 at 90% or more
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 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A Widget toolbox that adds visibility management and helps to control where widgets, sidebars and content a..."
- ! 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 ("if you need"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Elementor, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms and 6 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,377 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "context" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-17 900+ → 800+ down after 32 days in tier
- 2026-01-16 800+ → 900+ up after 34 days in tier
- 2025-12-13 900+ → 800+ down after 163 days in tier
- 2025-07-03 1K+ → 900+ down after 2920 days in tier
- 2017-07-05 400+ → 1K+ up after 522 days in tier
- 2016-01-30 200+ → 400+ 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).
-
Widget Context 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Image Widget 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Fixed Widget and Sticky Elements for WordPress 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D -
Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Widgets Control into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/widgets-control" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Widgets Control — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Widgets Control: 800+ active installs, 4.7★ (15 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/widgets-control
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