We have an incredible opportunity in the WordPress plugin ecosystem, and I think we can tap into it with a simple experiment.
The Untapped Potential
WordPress.org gets millions of plugin directory visits. Talented developers are shipping quality plugins every week. And we have prime real estate—the Featured tab—that could be doing so much more.
Right now, the Featured tab showcases many of the same plugins year after year. These are great plugins, absolutely. But they already have millions of installs. They’ve already succeeded. They don’t need the Featured tab anymore.
What if we used that space to launch the next generation of essential plugins?
Look at what other platforms have figured out:
- The Shopify App Store gives newcomers visibility through “Recently Added” sections
- The Mac App Store uses editorial featuring to help new apps find their audience
- The Chrome Web Store regularly rotates featured extensions to showcase fresh options
They’ve realized something important: featuring established winners is fine, but featuring promising newcomers creates a healthier, more dynamic ecosystem.
We can do this too.
The Experiment
Here’s what I’m proposing:
Let’s feature 8 different plugins for one week and track what happens to their install numbers.
That’s it. Simple, measurable, and reversible. We select 8 quality plugins that deserve a shot at visibility, give them Featured placement for exactly one week, and watch what happens.
What We’ll Learn
- How much does Featured placement actually impact installs?
- Does the effect last beyond the featured week?
- Can this be a reliable launchpad for quality plugins?
- Should we rotate Featured plugins regularly?
We’ll publish all the data. Complete transparency.
“But What About…?”
Anytime someone proposes changing anything on WordPress.org, questions come up. Let me address them:
“How will the 8 plugins be chosen?”
I’ll pick them. I’ll look through recently submitted and underutilized plugins, verify they’re quality work, and select 8 that deserve a shot.
“What about corruption? Conflicts of interest?”
I have no agenda here. No friends in the plugin business asking for favor. I have zero reason to do anything untoward.
I just want to see what happens when we give good, overlooked plugins a chance. That’s it.
“What if you pick bad plugins?”
They’ll be vetted for quality, security, and usefulness first. And remember—we’re talking about one week. If something doesn’t work, we learn from it and adjust. That’s valuable data too.
“This seems chaotic.”
Maybe a little. But sometimes you need to try something new to discover what’s possible. This is a small, controlled experiment with clear success metrics. We’re not overhauling anything—we’re testing an opportunity.
What This Could Mean
Here’s what gets me excited: imagine if quality plugins could actually break through.
A developer spends months building something genuinely useful. Under the current system, they might get 200 installs in their first year, buried under thousands of other plugins. With Featured placement for just one week, maybe they get 10,000 installs. Maybe they find their audience. Maybe their plugin becomes something thousands of sites depend on.
That’s not just good for that developer—it’s good for everyone using WordPress.
And we have the platform to make it happen. The Featured tab gets enormous traffic. It’s the first thing people see when they click “Add Plugins.” Right now, we’re using that reach to promote plugins that have already won.
What if we used it to create new winners?
What if we made WordPress more rewarding for people who build great things? What if we made the ecosystem more dynamic, more exciting, more full of possibility?
This experiment could show us the way.
Let’s Do This
We’re not fixing something broken—we’re seizing an opportunity that’s been sitting there all along.
One week. Eight plugins. Real data.
If it works, we’ll have evidence to support regular rotation and maybe even build this into an ongoing system. If the results surprise us, we’ll learn something valuable and iterate from there.
Either way, we move forward with knowledge instead of assumptions.
The Featured tab shouldn’t be a monument to past success. It should be a launchpad for what comes next.
Let’s run the experiment and see what’s possible.
What do you think? Would this kind of visibility have made a difference for your plugin? Do you want to see WordPress give more opportunities to newcomers? Let me know in the comments.