WP Remove Category Base
by ezraverheijen · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 7.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Removes the category base slug from the category archive permalinks (URL's).
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
6K+
≈6.8K estimated
Momentum
-38%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “category base”, “category prefix” and “category slug” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.1%
of downloads still active
At least 6K of 84.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,778 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.2.39, 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 3262 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.2.39; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 10 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3262 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| category base your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| category prefix your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| category slug your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “category base”, “category prefix” and “category slug” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.6K · 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
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
11.2y ago
latest release · v1.0 · 17 Aug 2015
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 “6K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 14 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 7K.
Install history since 12 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ GDY9.0y ago
No settings and just does what it should. Activated an voila: gone is the category base.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ neotrope9.9y ago
Thanks; was working on a new slim WP theme for our main business in house, and wanted to avoid Yoast or other SEO plugins and “roll my own.” This helped me sort out the pesky /category/ slug, which really should be a built in on/off option in WP by now! Bravo! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Pat K10.3y ago
Installed – activated and it works. Dead easy. Thanks for the plugin! PK
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Matt Scheidler10.5y ago
Literally 3 minutes ago I searched for “wordpress category base remove” in Google, found this one and installed. Success! Works with the latest 4.5.2.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ radgh11.0y ago
I honestly doubt this has any impact on SEO, especially since it’s only for category archive pages. The meat of SEO is on the content pages. But regardless, this plugin works just fine and does what it says without an issue. The SEO side affects are likely just a placebo however.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mark123011.0y ago
Really nice plugin http://wapkidclub.com/remove-category-wordpress-url.html
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jeffreyd00011.4y ago
Installed and activated and I was done! Works perfectly. Thank you !!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mister.Leeland11.6y ago
Just does what it says. Let’s you get rid of the /category/-slug.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Removes the category base slug from the category archive permalinks (URL's)."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 2 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 98 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 3 tags appear in the text ("category prefix", "category slug" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-20 7K+ → 6K+ down after 22 days in tier
- 2026-09-28 8K+ → 7K+ down after 145 days in tier
- 2026-05-06 9K+ → 8K+ down after 26 days in tier
- 2026-04-10 10K+ → 9K+ down after 199 days in tier
- 2025-09-23 20K+ → 10K+ down after 439 days in tier
- 2024-07-11 30K+ → 20K+ down after 484 days in tier
- 2023-03-15 20K+ → 30K+ up after 300 days in tier
- 2022-05-19 10K+ → 20K+ up after 895 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).
- W WP Remove Category prefix 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
-
No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A -
No Category Parents 6K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
CS Remove Category Base 30+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag - D Decategorizer 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Remove Category Base into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-remove-category-base" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Remove Category Base — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Remove Category Base: 6K+ active installs, 5.0★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-remove-category-base
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.