YOURLS Link Creator
by Andrew Norcross · Uncategorized
Also makes 20 other plugins · 1.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Creates a custom short URL when saving posts. Requires your own YOURLS install.
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
Active installs
500+
≈560 estimated
Momentum
n/a
no downloads in the prior 30 days to compare with
Biggest opportunity: “custom url” and “shortlink” 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 →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 27.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,785 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.4.34, 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 3905 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.4.34; the current branch is 7.1
4.5★ over 13 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Last updated 3905 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| yourls your tag | #10 | #9 | 0 |
| custom url your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortlink your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search 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
- “custom url” and “shortlink” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 417 · 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
10.7y ago
latest release · v2.1.1 · 25 Feb 2016
22
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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 63% of the way through.
Install history since 21 Jul 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ absoblogginlutely8.2y ago
Works fine on WordPress 4.9.8. Surprisingly I’ve not had anyone comment on my unusual shortened url as it’s not a common domain and not the same as my blog name but people click on it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ neotrope8.5y ago
Still works after couple of years since switching on with YOURLS in May of 2016. As of today still works with PHP 7.2 and WP Version 4.9.5.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dhuyvetter9.0y ago
Simple plugin that just works. Nice to have posts automagically create Yourls short links.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ apasionados11.2y ago
Great plugin for integrating YOURLS into your WordPress Site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jameycic11.3y ago
Works Extremel Well, Thank You So Much!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jon Henshaw11.8y ago
I love YOURLS and this works perfectly. Super happy I found it. Also happy that Norcross is the dev behind it, because he does a great job of keeping his plugins up to date.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ artshapedbox11.8y ago
I’ve tried so many other YOURLS WP plugins, and this is the only one that actually worked for me! It auto-generates the short url when a post is saved, is visible form the post’s edit page – where you can even set a custom url ending, and can be set to used by the jetpack share buttons (twitter, etc.)… this is really perfect! This should be the official YOURLS plugin for WP. Donating to the author because I’m that happy with this haha 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Nate12.6y ago
Generates shortlinks just fine. But it displays the long permalink, rather than the short URL on posts.
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 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 "Creates a custom short URL when saving posts. Requires your own YOURLS install."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 4 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 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 361 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "custom url" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-25 600+ → 500+ down after 517 days in tier
- 2024-11-24 700+ → 600+ down after 521 days in tier
- 2023-06-22 800+ → 700+ down after 219 days in tier
- 2022-11-15 900+ → 800+ down after 172 days in tier
- 2022-05-27 1K+ → 900+ 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).
- B Better YOURLS 200+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
WP Custom Author URL 5K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B - Y YOURLS: WordPress to Twitter 100+ installs · 3.8★ · 1 shared tag D
- U URL Shortener 80+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
-
WP Pocket URLs 70+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
kURL – Short URL Manager for YOURLS 40+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for YOURLS Link Creator into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/yourls-link-creator" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="YOURLS Link Creator — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> YOURLS Link Creator: 500+ active installs, 4.5★ (13 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/yourls-link-creator
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