WhoKnew Directory SEO – Repository Ranking & Readme Optimizer
WhoKnew Directory SEO tracks your plugin ranking inside the WordPress.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. This plugin is a front
WhoKnew Directory SEO tracks your plugin ranking inside the WordPress.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.
This plugin is a frontend client for the whoknew.io ranking service. All keyword scans, readme analysis, ranking calculations, and keyword research are performed exclusively on whoknew.io’s servers — this plugin contains no ranking or analysis logic of its own. An internet connection to whoknew.io is required for any scan or analysis to run.
The ranking process requires querying the WordPress.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. This cannot be replicated locally inside a WordPress plugin — doing so would require every user’s own server IP to hit WordPress.org directly for each scan, risking individual rate-limiting or blocking by WordPress.org. whoknew.io absorbs that infrastructure cost centrally.
Usage is governed by the whoknew.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).
The free whoknew.io service plan includes 10 API credits per month. Each scan or readme analysis consumes one credit — this reflects real processing performed on whoknew.io’s servers (querying the WordPress.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.
