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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “a11y”

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 “a11y”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

jwp-a11y shows at wp.org #1 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Image CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 and WPForms by HookAndHook (DSGVO/GDPR) 70K+ · 4.7★ (49) wp.org #3 4 WP Accessibility Helper (WAH) 10K+ · 4.7★ (57) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Flexy Breadcrumb 10K+ · 4.7★ (20) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Pressidium Cookie Consent 10K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #9 ↑5 2 too low 8 Accessibility New Window Warnings 1K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9 jwp-a11y 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 8 too high 10 C Contact Form 7: Accessible Defaults 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↑9 11 Accessibility Tool Kit: WP Accessibility checker plugin for WCAG, Section 508, ADA, EAA Compliance 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 Accesibilidad Web con el Widget de AccedeMe 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 Fast Cart – Ultralight Ajax Side Cart for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Tota11y WP 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 Accessibility Enabler 300+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Core A11Y – Accessibility for Elementor 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Widewalk – Accessibility Toolbar 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Sitelinx Accessibility Lite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 A11y Buttons 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too high 20 Snap Carousel — Block Style 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 SiteFix — Lighthouse & Accessibility Fixes On The Fly 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 AAArdvark Accessibility Reports 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 DSGN Accessibility Audit and Statement 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too high 24 WelcomingWeb Accessibility Widget — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.