Widgets on Pages
by toddhalfpenny · Uncategorized
Also makes 8 other plugins · 20.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
The easiest and highest rated way to Add Widgets or Sidebars to Posts and Pages using Visual editor, shortcodes or template tags.
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 60/100
Stale · Open vulnerability
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
+19%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “pages” for “ace”. “pages” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “ace” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
60 health vs 58 average across 25,753 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 676.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 718 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.0; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 161 reviews, smoothed to 4.56★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Last updated 718 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 24d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 24d
+0.8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ace | #14 | #8 | 0 |
| pages your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets in page your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets in post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
5 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 4 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 “pages” for “ace”. “pages” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “ace” sits at #14 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 20K · 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
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
2.0y ago
latest release · v1.9.0 · 13 Nov 2024
26
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 64% 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 “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.3 years ago; the previous band took 24 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Mar 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Karmi1.2y ago
Just what I needed … easy and stable.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eatnails1.6y ago
I wasn’t sure if this is what I needed. Talking to support, they made sure to understand my issue, and what I was trying to accomplish. You don’t get that level of help anywhere these days. Very much appreciated.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pnutb1.7y ago
So, this is a great light-weight plugin if you want to add a Widget with [shortcode] to a Page. I don’t know why WordPress or themes only allow a Widget in a Post or Sidebar. Kinda silly. But this thing works great! Easily add a Widget now to any Page. pretty cool x
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jimmy Lee1.7y ago
Widgets on Pages is a really nice plugin, thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Terry J2.6y ago
Working but not ready for PHP 8. Server updated to 8.2 and now got errors. Seems only way to get newer version is pay for the pro version. Not playing that game 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ j012ge2.7y ago
Excelente Plugin. Exactamente lo que necesitaba, integrar un widget dentro del contenido de un producto en woocommerce
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ j012ge2.7y ago
Excelente plugin, me funciono exactamente para lo que necesitaba y lo mejor, gratis!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ David Ogunbola3.1y ago
This plugin has really saved me in my recent project. Thanks for building this.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.9 Dep bump – Freemius SDK update to 2.9.0 Fixed issue with deprecated calls for showing contextual help Tested up to 6.7.0 1.9
- — Version 1.8.1 Fixed issue where TurboSidebars could not be shown when picking from the TinyMCE toolbar 1.8.1
- — Version 1.8 Dep bump – Freemius SDK update to 2.5.10 Tested up to 6.2.2 1.8
- — Version 1.7 Dep bump – Security Fix 1.7
- — Version 1.6 Dep bump – Security Fix 1.6
- — Version 1.4 Free version now supports TinyMCE button to add widgets 1.4
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.9.0). 3 of 4 disclosed are patched.
- 2026-04-30 CVE-2024-13362 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.7 No patch available
- 2023-07-18 CVE-2023-33999 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.7 Patched in 1.8
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Widgets on Pages <= 1.6.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-01-17 CVE-2022-4488 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.6.0 Patched in 1.7.0
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 6 languages, 3 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
6 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 "The easiest and highest rated way to Add Widgets or Sidebars to Posts and Pages using Visual editor, shortc..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("ideal for", "if you have").
- ! 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 2,311 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "widgets in page", "widgets in post" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-07-12 30K+ → 20K+ down after 711 days in tier
- 2022-08-01 40K+ → 30K+ down after 546 days in tier
- 2021-02-01 50K+ → 40K+ down after 386 days in tier
- 2020-01-12 60K+ → 50K+ down after 30 days in tier
- 2019-12-13 50K+ → 60K+ up after 43 days in tier
- 2019-10-31 60K+ → 50K+ down after 891 days in tier
- 2017-05-23 70K+ → 60K+ down after 648 days in tier
- 2015-08-14 80K+ → 70K+ down
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).
- W Widgetize Pages Light 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags F
-
Essential Widgets 10K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B - D Disable Author Pages 5K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Feature A Page Widget 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D - C Contact Form 7 Widget 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
- D Duplicate Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Widgets on Pages into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/widgets-on-pages" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Widgets on Pages — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Widgets on Pages: 20K+ active installs, 4.7★ (161 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/widgets-on-pages
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.