WP Default Author
by Birgir Erlendsson (birgire) · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 300+ installs across the portfolio →
Changes the default author either gobally or for individual users.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈190 estimated
Momentum
+53%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “author” and “default author” 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.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,755 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 5.1K 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.
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 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.6.1, 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 4777 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.6.1; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4777 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| default author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “author” and “default author” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 81 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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.
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
13.1y ago
latest release · v1.0.6 · 3 Oct 2013
1
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and the previous band took 21 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 200.
Install history since 19 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ cadbloke11.2y ago
Because posting as posting as “admin” is nearly as dumb as calling your admin user “admin”. This plugin solves that problem perfectly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tobiasly11.7y ago
nice & simple
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Noahj12.0y ago
Thanks for this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Clifford Paulick13.1y ago
Works just as desired: – set global default author at Settings->Writing – set user-specific default author at each author’s profile Perfect for working on client sites or organization-specific blogs with multiple users writing as one author. Thanks for this plugin!!!
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.
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! 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 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 562 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
- 2026-08-07 200+ → 100+ down after 616 days in tier
- 2024-11-29 300+ → 200+ down after 226 days in tier
- 2024-04-17 400+ → 300+ down after 306 days in tier
- 2023-06-16 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-15 400+ → 500+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2023-06-13 500+ → 400+ down after 196 days in tier
- 2022-11-29 600+ → 500+ down after 307 days in tier
- 2022-01-26 700+ → 600+ 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).
-
Edit Author Slug 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag C - W WP Meta and Date Remover 80K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Hide/Remove Metadata 20K+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B - D Disable Author Archives 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Meks Smart Author Widget 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag C -
VK Post Author Display 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Default Author into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-default-author" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Default Author — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Default Author: 100+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-default-author
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