About this plugin
org plugin directory — and gives you the tools to improve it. Most developers have no idea where their work appears in the plugin repository search results, or what drives those positions. This changes that.
io ranking service. io’s servers — this plugin contains no ranking or analysis logic of its own. io is required for any scan or analysis to run.
org Plugin Directory API across a shared, rate-limited infrastructure, running a multi-signal scoring algorithm against hundreds of results, and caching those results in a shared pool so every user’s scan benefits from work already done for the same keyword. org. io absorbs that infrastructure cost centrally.
io Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (linked in the External Services section below).
The plugin directory indexes 7 specific fields in your readme and weighs them differently. Every field you’re missing is a ranking signal your competitors are using against you. WhoKnew shows you exactly which fields are covered and which aren’t — so you know precisely what to fix.
The free service plan includes:
- Keyword Scan — Enter your slug and a keyword to see your exact position in the plugin directory search. Track your plugin ranking for every term that matters to you.
- Readme Optimizer — See which of the 7 indexed readme fields contain your keyword and which don’t. Get concrete, field-by-field suggestions to improve your coverage and climb the repository rankings.
- How Ranking Works — A transparent explainer of the repository’s two-phase algorithm: relevance score (keyword coverage across your readme and metadata) and quality score (active installs, support threads, rating, freshness, compatibility).
io service plan includes 10 API credits per month. org Plugin Directory API, running the ranking algorithm, and caching results). Upgrade to a paid plan for higher credit limits, competitor keyword intelligence, AI readme suggestions, and full ranking history with visual diffs.
External Services
This plugin contacts the following external services. No connection is made until you perform an action that requires it (a scan, a readme analysis, or a daily background sync). No data is sent passively on page load.
WhoKnew.io Ranking API (whoknew.io)
io provides the ranking infrastructure this plugin depends on. org Plugin Directory API from its own servers, runs the multi-signal scoring algorithm, caches results in a shared pool, and returns ranked data to the plugin for display. None of this processing occurs inside the plugin or on the user’s WordPress installation.
When contacted:
- When you run a keyword scan — whoknew.io performs the full ranking analysis on its servers and records one API credit against your service account.
- When you run a Readme Analysis — whoknew.io analyses your readme content against a keyword on its servers.
- Once per day via a background task (WordPress Cron) — to sync your API credit balance locally so the plugin does not need to contact the service on every page load.
- When you click “Test connection” in Settings — to verify connectivity and retrieve the current credit balance.
- (Pro only) When you activate, deactivate, or refresh your licence — to validate the licence key and retrieve a JWT token used for higher service-tier credit limits.
Data sent: your site URL (used as an anonymous domain identifier for API credit tracking), the plugin slug and keyword you scan, and — for Pro users — a licence key and a signed JWT token. No personally identifiable visitor data is transmitted.
io
io/privacy/
io/terms/
WordPress.org Plugin Directory API (api.wordpress.org)
When contacted:
- When you run a keyword scan — whoknew.io contacts the WordPress.org Plugin Directory API from its own servers to retrieve live search results, then scores and returns your ranking position.
- When you look up a plugin by slug or name in the Scan or Readme Optimizer tabs — your browser contacts api.wordpress.org directly (client-side) to fetch public plugin metadata. No credits are consumed and whoknew.io is not involved.
- When the Readme Optimizer loads a plugin’s readme.txt — your WordPress installation fetches it directly from plugins.svn.wordpress.org. No credits are consumed and whoknew.io is not involved.
- When using the Competitor Keyword Spy feature (Pro) — whoknew.io contacts the WordPress.org Plugin Directory API on your behalf for each competitor keyword scan.
2/ and query_plugins endpoints. org.
Data sent: the search keyword, plugin slug, locale, and a standard WordPress HTTP user-agent string. No account credentials or personal data are sent.
org
org/about/privacy/
Affiliate Program
Earn 30% commission promoting WhoKnew™ plugins.
Instant approval, real-time tracking, monthly payouts.
io/affiliates/
Third-Party Libraries
WhoKnew Directory SEO includes the following third-party libraries to enhance functionality and provide a better user experience. All minified files below link to their publicly accessible source code:
1)
js Contributors
1
js
– License: MIT License
org/licenses/MIT
js
0)
– Author: Kevin Decker and contributors
0
js
– License: BSD 3-Clause License
org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause
js
0-or-later licensing.