wp_head() cleaner
by jwilsson · Uncategorized
Remove unused tags from wp_head() output.
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Health
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
+6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “meta” and “remove” for “cleaner” and “output”. “meta” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “cleaner” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “remove” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “output” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 58 average across 25,752 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.7%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 73.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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 3 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 80 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 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.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
12%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| clean head | #2 | #8 | 0 |
| clean wp head | #2 | #9 | — |
| head your tag | #10 | #22 | 0 |
| wp head your tag | #10 | #19 | up 1 |
| cleaner | #11 | #17 | down 1 |
| head code | #12 | #21 | 0 |
| output | #19 | #21 | down 2 |
| clean your tag | #22 | #22 | 0 |
| head to head | #8 | #19 | 0 |
| database cleaner | #17 | #21 | down 2 |
| add to head | #10 | #20 | up 1 |
| head tags | #10 | #21 | up 1 |
| site cleaner | #13 | #19 | down 1 |
| wordpress cleaner | #15 | #20 | down 1 |
| meta your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| remove your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
19 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 14 listed. 5 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
- Swap “meta” and “remove” for “cleaner” and “output”. “meta” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “cleaner” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “remove” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “output” sits at #19 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 2.5K · 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
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.
3
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v3.1.0 · 13 Aug 2026
29
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 22 months ago; the previous band took 3.8 years to cross, which places it about 52% of the way through.
Install history since 20 Nov 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Alok Sharma4.8y ago
The plugin is clean, simple and very easy to use. I am using it on all my & customer sites as well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dan Zakirov5.4y ago
nice
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous5.6y ago
Amazing plug in, stripped a lot of unwanted junk out of the header
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ elenaandmeg6.8y ago
Sure beats hacking the WPcore! Easy to use and covers just about everything that ought to be pruned from the <head>. Saved me hours of work. Thanks for this plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ackilles9.6y ago
This shaved 2 seconds off my load time.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 38851610.9y ago
Good hygiene for your <head>.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.0.0 Tested with WordPress 7.0. Dropped support for WordPress versions below 6.0. Dropped support for PHP versions below 7.4. Improved language handling. All languages are now automatically loaded from wordpress.org. Plugin o 3.0.0
- — Version 2.0.9 Tested with WordPress 6.9. Prepared for PHP 8.5 compatbility. 2.0.9
- — Version 2.0.8 Tested with WordPress 6.8. 2.0.8
- — Version 2.0.7 Tested with WordPress 6.7. 2.0.7
- — Version 2.0.6 Tested with WordPress 6.6. 2.0.6
- — Version 2.0.5 Tested with WordPress 6.5. 2.0.5
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 128 languages, 3 at 90% or more
Plus 104 more locales with partial translations.
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 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Remove unused tags from wp_head() output."
- ! 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 541 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "clean" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-12-27 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1399 days in tier
- 2021-02-27 2K+ → 3K+ up after 439 days in tier
- 2019-12-16 30+ → 2K+ 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).
-
Head Trimmer 20+ installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags -
Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
Unbloater 5K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Remove WordPress Overhead 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D -
Remove Meta Generators 1K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B - T Tags to Keywords 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for wp_head() cleaner into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-head-cleaner" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="wp_head() cleaner — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> wp_head() cleaner: 2K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-head-cleaner
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