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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “404 error log”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “404 error log”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Custom 404 Pro shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Redirection places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 419 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #1 2 301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 301 Redirects & 404 Error Log 30K+ · 4.6★ (28) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5 All 404 Redirect to Homepage 200K+ · 4.1★ (96) wp.org #5 ↑2 6 Redirect 404 to Homepage 60K+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too low 8 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #13 ↑3 5 too low 9 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too low 12 Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419) wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #20 ↑2 7 too low 14 WP 404 Auto Redirect to Similar Post 30K+ · 4.9★ (113) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 Log cleaner for Kadence Security 7K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Redirect 404 Error Page to Homepage or Custom Page with Logs 10K+ · 5.0★ (45) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19 Custom 404 Pro 7K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 too high 20 Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager 7K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Link Juice Keeper 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Page as 404 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 Redirect 404 to parent 60+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 Auto Redirect 404 to Custom URL – 404 Redirect & Error Log 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑3 6 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.