WP Author Slug
by Konstantin Obenland · Security
Also makes 13 other plugins · 23.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add a layer of security and prevent your login name from being shown in the author archive's URL.
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
A 88/100
no flags
Active installs
3K+
≈3.1K estimated
Momentum
+12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Slipping on “author archive”. Down 6 places since 2026-09-29, now #10. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
88 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.6%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 39.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security 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 72 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 19 reviews, smoothed to 4.29★ 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.
36
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
13%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| author slug | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| slug your tag | #4 | #6 | down 1 |
| author archive your tag | #10 | #12 | down 6 |
| author your tag | #11 | #9 | up 1 |
| page slug | #7 | #10 | down 1 |
| custom slug | #7 | #7 | up 1 |
| author url | #10 | #12 | down 1 |
| author name | #11 | #15 | — |
| author by | #13 | #11 | up 1 |
| custom author name | #19 | #21 | 0 |
| plugin author | #20 | #17 | 0 |
| wordpress author | #21 | #18 | 0 |
| author page | #21 | #18 | down 2 |
| page author | #21 | #19 | — |
| author plugin | #21 | #17 | down 5 |
| custom author | #22 | #20 | down 2 |
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| url your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
35 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 16 listed. 19 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
- Slipping on “author archive”. Down 6 places since 2026-09-29, now #10. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
- One page off on “author”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “security” and “url” 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.
- Already on top for “author slug”. #1 without listing it. A tag would change little there; your slots are better spent on a search you don't yet win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.3K · 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
5mo ago
latest release · v6 · 28 May 2026
11
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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 40 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 3K.
At the current install trend, crossing 4K+ in roughly 168 days.
Install history since 12 Aug 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Peter5.3y ago
This plugin would probably work OK if you have a small number of users (e.g. if your site doesn’t allow public login). But if you have a large number of users (e.g. if you are running ecommerce or allow users to register for other reasons), this plugin will probably take down your site. The reason is that there are hooks that run when you activate or delete the plugin. It runs database fetch and update queries on every user in your database, all in-line on the request (rather than background via a cron). So if you have a thousand or more users it attempts to do a thousand or more database writes when you click Activate or Delete from the plugins list. This will likely grind your website to a halt. It would be better/useable if you could either choose to only apply these scripts to specific user types (e.g. Author) or if you could run the update in batches in the background.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cool_recep6.0y ago
Errors are fixed. This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by cool_recep.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Husgrove7.4y ago
Works as expected, recommend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Knut Sparhell9.2y ago
Easy way to add some obscurity to login guessing. But please update as it’s over 2 years now.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Terras Design10.4y ago
…works fine. Thank you 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pashaUSA10.6y ago
This plugin should be part of WordPress core. It really does help to hide usernames of Site Users in URL, Which makes hackers to get through the security.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sai Web Tech Hyderabad10.9y ago
Looks good. Try this once. just now installed, have to check how it works.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kelly11.8y ago
Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.3.0 Maintenance release. Tested with WordPress 4.0. 1.3.0
- — Version 1.2.2 Updated utility class. Tested with WordPress 3.4.1. 1.2.2
- — Version 1.2.1 Updated uninstall.php and activation hook to use WordPress User API instead of custom queries. Updated utility class. 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2 Tested for WordPress 3.3.1. 1.2
- — Version 1.1 Tested for WordPress 3.1.1. Added complete uninstall routine. Added compatibility for pre-3.1 multisite installs. 1.1
- — Version 1.0 Initial Release. 1.0
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 languages, 2 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
2 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 "Add a layer of security and prevent your login name from being shown in the author archive's URL."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use this"); 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 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 441 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-22 2K+ → 3K+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2026-09-14 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-13 2K+ → 3K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-12 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-11 2K+ → 3K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-08 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-07 2K+ → 3K+ up after 432 days in tier
- 2025-07-02 3K+ → 2K+ down after 2527 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).
-
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Automatically Update Permalinks 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D - L LONG URL MAKER 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
-
SF Author Url Control 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Hostinger Tools 3M+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Author Slug into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-author-slug" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Author Slug — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Author Slug: 3K+ active installs, 4.8★ (19 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-author-slug
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