WP referrer spam blacklist (fight 2040+ Referrer Spammers in (Google/Matomo) Analytics)
by Umbrovskis.com · Security
Also makes 1 other plugin · 610+ installs across the portfolio →
WordPress plugin to fight with 2040+ referrer spammers (like semalt, buttons-for-website and many more).
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
600+
≈680 estimated
Momentum
n/a
no downloads in the prior 30 days to compare with
Biggest opportunity: “anti spam”, “antispam” and “comment moderation” 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 66 average across 1,779 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.9%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 20.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 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.
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 5+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.6.23, well behind 7.1.
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 2137 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.6.23; the current branch is 7.1
4.3★ over 3 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2137 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| semalt | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| anti spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| antispam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| comment moderation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| comment spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| referral spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 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
- “anti spam”, “antispam” and “comment moderation” 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 “semalt”. #3 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 177 · 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
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
5.9y ago
latest release · v1.3.0 · 27 Dec 2020
9
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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 days ago and the previous band took 14 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 14 Aug 2015
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions LinkedIn.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,003 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("anti-spam", "antispam", "comment moderation", "comment spam" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-31 700+ → 600+ down after 434 days in tier
- 2025-08-23 800+ → 700+ down after 122 days in tier
- 2025-04-23 900+ → 800+ down after 165 days in tier
- 2024-11-09 1K+ → 900+ down after 2923 days in tier
- 2016-11-08 700+ → 1K+ up after 178 days in tier
- 2016-05-14 500+ → 700+ up after 103 days in tier
- 2016-02-01 200+ → 500+ up after 92 days in tier
- 2015-11-01 40+ → 200+ 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).
-
ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Human Presence – Stop Form Spam Without ReCaptcha 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags C -
LH Zero Spam 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D - L Language-based Comment Spam Condom 30+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Antispam Bee 700K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP referrer spam blacklist (fight 2040+ Referrer Spammers in (Google/Matomo) Analytics) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-referrer-spam-blacklist" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP referrer spam blacklist (fight 2040+ Referrer Spammers in (Google/Matomo) Analytics) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP referrer spam blacklist (fight 2040+ Referrer Spammers in (Google/Matomo) Analytics): 600+ active installs, 4.3★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-referrer-spam-blacklist
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