WP Help
by Mark Jaquith · Uncategorized
Also makes 28 other plugins · 165K+ installs across the portfolio →
Site operators can create detailed, hierarchical documentation for the site's authors, editors, and contributors, viewable in the WordPress admin.
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
C 56/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
9K+
≈9.7K estimated
Momentum
+19%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “client sites”, “clients” and “docs” 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.
56 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 9K of 301.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,764 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.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
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: Update recency
Updated 924 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.5.14; the current branch is 6.8
4.8★ over 54 reviews, smoothed to 4.46★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 924 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| client sites your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| clients your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| docs your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| documentation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| help your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “client sites”, “clients” and “docs” 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 12.8K · 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
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
2.5y ago
latest release · v1.7.5 · 20 Apr 2024
22
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% 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 “9K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 72% of the way through.
Install history since 2 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Morten Ellegaard Larsen1.6y ago
For an agency delivering a lot of websites for users with little or no knowledge of WordPress, this is a gem!I can combine general docs from a central hub, so I only have to maintain it one place, with local docs for the customized functions.It’s simple, but I can use most blocks in the help documents.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Brian Shim1.6y ago
I noticed that the images, CSS, and JS files were not loading properly (had 403 error) in the admin page for this plugin for my sites on Siteground hosting, so I contacted Siteground. Long story short, they have a security rule which blocks the WP Help directory due to a previous security issue. Although the plugin will technically still work, the images and formatting will be messed up, and you can’t save your preference settings. If you get on chat with SG and get a ticket created, a senior dev can disable this security setting to get WP Help to work properly, but it’s kind of a big pain. This topic was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Brian Shim.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ corpconv2.4y ago
This is an amazing plugin – the kind of thing you don’t know you need. For managed hosting, it’s perfect. I’ve created help articles for clients on our own website and I can push them out to all our hosted sites – how to create a new post, how to add a user, how to add a page to the menu, etc. I can also tailor how-to docs to a specific website and add them just to that website. Best of both worlds. Please keep this up – it’s saving me a ton of time and effort with client support. A+
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Knut Sparhell2.5y ago
This is one of the best plugins you can find. Does what is says, clean and nice. The sync feature is just elegant, bust also very useful. Good for anyone, and a must have for agents and their clients.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Cyrille Sanson2.6y ago
Congratulations on this practical plugin. Make a habit of installing it at the start of a site’s development and add the important points for the site’s documentation as you go along. Who hasn’t found themselves at a loss when returning to a site 3 months later, having forgotten why a particular extension was installed or a particular organisation chosen?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dgroskind3.1y ago
You can start creating documentation within a minute of installing the plugin. Intuitive UI. A critical feature is being able to reorganize the menu of pages by dragging them into place with the mouse. This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by dgroskind. This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by dgroskind.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ross Wintle5.5y ago
Not much to say really. Simple. Does the job great. Been working without fail for many years.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tomhart5.6y ago
I use this for clients but also for myself when i’ve got out of the ordinary or complex work flows…1 place to look and easily remind myself or the client how to do something.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.7.0 Block Editor (Gutenberg) support Video display improvements Smaller build 1.7.0
- — Version 1.6.0 CSS improvements (props @mrwweb). Switch from CoffeeScript to ES6 and Babel. Responsive styles. 1.6.0
- — Version 1.5.4 Bump supported WordPress version. 1.5.4
- — Version 1.5.3 Make add/manage buttons use proper permissions. Update styles. Bump minimum WordPress version. 1.5.3
- — Version 1.5.2 Make permissions more filterable. 1.5.2
- — Version 1.5.1 Fix a PHP error on the dashboard. 1.5.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.5.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 72 languages, 8 at 90% or more
Plus 48 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
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 "Site operators can create detailed, hierarchical documentation for the site's authors, editors, and contrib..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 9 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 9 of 9 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("perfect for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Multisite.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 657 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "clients", "docs" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-19 10K+ → 9K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-07-15 9K+ → 10K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-07-14 10K+ → 9K+ 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).
-
Help Manager 30+ installs · 4.1★ · 5 shared tags D - B Back End Instructions 30+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Admin Documentation 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
WP Help Docs — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
editant Docs — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
SimpleDocs – Documentation and Knowledge Base — installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Help into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-help" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Help — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Help: 9K+ active installs, 4.8★ (54 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-help
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