WP Anchor Header
by Per Søderlind · Uncategorized
Also makes 10 other plugins · 610+ installs across the portfolio →
WP Anchor Header generates anchored headings.
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 84/100
Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈380 estimated
Momentum
+10%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “header” and “link” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.7%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 11.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,787 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.
This plugin shipped 2 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 82 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 6 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
8%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| anchor | #5 | #15 | down 1 |
| header your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| link your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
13 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 12 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “header” and “link” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 360 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
2
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v0.3.1 · 13 Aug 2026
10
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 41% 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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 months ago and the previous band took 18 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 400.
Install history since 8 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Anonymous8.5y ago
I installed and activated the plugin through the WordPress “Add New” Plugin wizard, with no special configuration. I am running the plugin with the MH Magazine Lite theme. As soon as it was activated, it caused all content from all pages to be removed from the site. The content is not served at all (it’s not just a stylesheet display:none issue). Fortunately deactivating the plugin allowed all my content to be served again (it was still stored in the database, but couldn’t be viewed by visitors).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alangrainger9.0y ago
Better than perfect, thanks so much!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Evan Scheingross9.4y ago
This plugin saved me a significant amount of time adding anchor links throughout an existing website. It worked exactly as expected. My only suggestion would be a settings panel in the admin where users can specify exactly which header elements get anchor links automatically associated with them. So for example, I can go in and select “apply anchor links to <H4> only.” The ability to have a setting to turn on/off the hover link icon would be very helpful too. I had to manually edit the CSS to hide these icons on everything but H4’s in my entry content.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ramtinsoltani10.3y ago
A very simple but effective plugin which saves a lot of time creating anchors for headings.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CMTV10.5y ago
To tell the truth I had no hope searching for a plugin that would add links to headers. And I was so surprised when this plugin did exactly what I wanted. Thank you, Per Soderlind, for this plugin! P.S.: Sorry for my English, I am Russian.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cmwwebfx11.7y ago
Does exactly what it says on the box. Handy for making everything in headings an anchor. Would love to see smooth scroll added to this.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 3 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "WP Anchor Header generates anchored headings."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 776 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-30 400+ → 300+ down after 545 days in tier
- 2025-03-03 500+ → 400+ down after 264 days in tier
- 2024-06-12 600+ → 500+ down after 309 days in tier
- 2023-08-08 700+ → 600+ down after 308 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 800+ → 700+ down after 198 days in tier
- 2022-03-20 90+ → 800+ 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).
-
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag B - S SOGO Add Script to Individual Pages Header Footer 20K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag D
- O Oceanwp sticky header 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Anchor Header into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-anchor-header" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Anchor Header — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Anchor Header: 300+ active installs, 4.3★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-anchor-header
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