Block Referral Spam
by WPDeveloper · Analytics
Also makes 47 other plugins · 2.8M+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugins blocks maximum Referral Spams. Now no more notice from Google and no more weird report in Google Analytics.
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “google analytics referral spam”, “referer spam” and “referral spam” 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.
45 health vs 67 average across 1,826 Analytics plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 9.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Analytics plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,006 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Analytics 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, 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 3432 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.1★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3432 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| google analytics referral spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| referer spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| referral spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| referral traffic your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| referrer spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “google analytics referral spam”, “referer spam” and “referral spam” 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 102 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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 21 Oct 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
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
9.4y ago
latest release · v1.2.1 · 8 Jun 2017
8
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 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 11 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Probeauty7.8y ago
.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ JoAnn Williams9.2y ago
Love it! Easy to install and I like the interface.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ceophoetography10.6y ago
While not instant or complete — mostly because there are always new “sources” appearing — this plugin greatly reduces the amount of ghost referral reports showing in WP GA.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Roger Rodrigo11.2y ago
You cannot add new spammers on the list Also, for each visit on the site, it will check if the referral is a spammer or not, even for admin users and returning users.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ RickeyBridges11.2y ago
Tried it but did nothing for me
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BrendanRog11.2y ago
This is the third spam blocker I have tried and it doesn’t work just like the others. Still seeing spam traffic.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ csmicfool11.3y ago
great work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Audio Gravy11.4y ago
Had referral spam from various sites and stopped it effectively. The regular updates are excellent! The Evils… buttons-for-website.com semalt.com
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
5 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugins blocks maximum Referral Spams. Now no more notice from Google and no more weird report in Goog..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 3 of 6 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,286 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "google analytics referral spam" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-08 300+ → 200+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-06 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-05 300+ → 200+ down after 629 days in tier
- 2024-07-15 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-07-14 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-07-13 400+ → 300+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-07-10 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-07-09 400+ → 300+ down after 2 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).
-
Block Referer Spam 500+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags B -
Analytics Spam Blocker 800+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP referrer spam blacklist (fight 2040+ Referrer Spammers in (Google/Matomo) Analytics) 600+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D -
Custom Referral Spam Blocker 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag D - R Referer Spam Blocker 60+ installs · 3.8★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Block Referral Spam into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-block-referral-spam" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Block Referral Spam — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Block Referral Spam: 200+ active installs, 4.1★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-block-referral-spam
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