WordPress plugin intelligence profile

The Publisher Desk – Headlines Plus Widget

Headlines Plus: Free plugin for WordPress to grow your audience with traffic sharing, syndication, and lazy-loading widgets or shortcodes.

WP PlugIndex snapshot

Current directory snapshot

Tested up to WordPress 6.8
Current version1.0.8
WordPress coverageTested up to WordPress 6.8
Minimum stackWP 6.0.2 · PHP 7.0
Directory statusactive
Last directory update17 Sept 20251y ago
Active installations10Adoption metric — not a quality score
WordPress.org ratingNo WordPress.org ratings yet
Official packageDirect from WordPress.org

Repository metrics are context, not quality scores. Active installations measure adoption and can strongly reflect a plugin’s age and historical popularity. Ratings, recent updates and “Tested up to” metadata also do not guarantee modern code, error-free operation, security, feature completeness or suitability for a particular site. Why active installs don’t tell the whole story →

WP PlugIndex currently records The Publisher Desk – Headlines Plus Widget version 1.0.8 as active, updated 1y ago and tested up to WordPress 6.8.

Overview

About this plugin

Unlock the potential of your content with Headlines Plus, the ultimate free plugin designed to help WordPress publishers grow their audience. With tools for syndication, content sharing, and performance optimization, Headlines Plus connects you to a network of quality publishers to boost your reach and engagement—at no cost.

Why Choose Headlines Plus?

  • Free Traffic Sharing: Gain access to a trusted network of publishers to exchange traffic and grow your audience organically.
  • Effortless Syndication: Share and receive content seamlessly, driving quality traffic to your site.
  • Flexible Integration: Use customizable widgets, shortcodes, or SDK snippets to display syndicated content anywhere on your site.
  • Lazy Load for Performance: Reduce initial page load time with lazy-loaded widgets that fetch content dynamically when visible.
  • Simple and Intuitive: Designed specifically for WordPress, the plugin is easy to install, configure, and use.

Headlines Plus is your solution to building meaningful traffic without compromising on quality.

Join the growing community of publishers and start sharing for free with Headlines Plus today!

External Services

This plugin connects to various external services to provide its functionality. Below is an outline of the services used, the data collected, and their purpose:

-

Publisher Details Submission:

  • Service: https://www.publisherdesk.com/wp-json/headlines-plus/v1/*
  • Purpose: Collects publisher details during initial plugin setup to improve service quality and track publisher activity.
  • Data Collected: Name, email, domain, and feed URL (provided during setup).
  • Storage: This data is securely stored in the WordPress database and shared with our API for service enhancement.
  • Privacy: All data is handled in compliance with applicable privacy standards.

-

Content Recommendations with PubExchange:

  • Service: https://module.pubexchange.com/json/*
  • Purpose: Enhances content recommendations using AI-powered analysis of reader behavior to deliver personalized story recommendations.
  • Data Collected: Articles being read (via feed data and plugin settings) and metadata.
  • Privacy Policy: PubExchange API

-

Feed URL Integration:

  • Service: https://rss.app/feeds/_uGSbjZRP8ggLzOLF.xml
  • Purpose: Fetches data during the approval process to create a grid of posts.
  • Data Collected: None (the feed URL provides publicly available content).

-

Headlines Plus SDK Integration:

  • Service: https://sdk.headlinesplus.com/headlines-plus-sdk.min.js
  • Purpose: Collects data from SDK widget attributes to pass to Dappier’s API and retrieve relevant content recommendations.
  • Data Collected: Metadata and configuration parameters from the SDK.
  • Privacy: Data is sent securely to the API.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policies:

– Publisher Desk API: Privacy Policy

– PubExchange API: Privacy Policy

All external integrations are designed to enhance functionality and user experience. Data transmission is conducted securely and in accordance with privacy regulations. Users are encouraged to review the terms and privacy policies of these services.

How the Widget Works

com. Depending on the publisher’s settings, the widget pulls content from:

– Your website’s feed URL upon aproval (submitted during form setup),

– Curated articles sourced via the Headlines Plus publisher network.

Usage

Widgets:

  • Go to Appearance > Widgets.
  • Add the “Headlines Plus Widget” to your sidebar or footer area.
  • Configure options like headline, lazy loading, and display style.

Shortcodes:

  • Add the following shortcode to any post or page:

[headlines_plus_shortcode lazy_load=”true” view_style=”grid” query=”your-query”]

  • Parameters:
  • similarity_top_k: Number of total articles to display.
  • lazy_load: Enable lazy loading ( true or false ).
  • view_style: Display content in grid or list format.
  • query: Custom search query to fetch specific content. Normally defaults to the post slug.
  • logo_style: full-size-logo, short-logo
  • internal_articles: Number of internal articles to include in the recommendations.
WordPress.org metadata

Plugin tags

Topics listed for this plugin in the WordPress.org directory.

  • content sharing
  • content syndication
  • traffic sharing
  • wordpress widget
Compatibility & maintenance

Compatibility & maintenance

Tested up to WordPress 6.8

Not yet marked as tested with WordPress 7.1. WordPress.org currently lists Tested up to 6.8.

Current WordPress releaseWordPress 7.1
WordPress.org Tested up to6.8
Minimum requirementsWordPress 6.0.2 · PHP 7.0
Update activity17 Sept 20251y ago

“Tested up to” is directory metadata supplied by the plugin author. WP PlugIndex does not turn an older declaration into a claim that the plugin is incompatible.

Changes recorded by WP PlugIndex

Recent tracked changes

No tracked version or compatibility changes have been recorded by WP PlugIndex yet.

Tracking & source

WP PlugIndex tracks public WordPress.org directory metadata and records selected version, compatibility and availability changes as they are detected.

Plugin watchlist

Watch this plugin

Sign in to your WP PlugIndex account or create a free account. Free accounts can watch up to 5 plugins and see what changed.

Watch limit

Watchlist limit reached

You have reached your current active watch limit.