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

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 “abbr”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 5 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

Uplink Editorial Semantics shows at wp.org #3 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

BackUpWordPress places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 1373 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205) wp.org #8 7 too low 2

Abbreviation Button for the Block Editor 300+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

BackUpWordPress 80K+ · 4.7★ (1373) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk wp.org #15 12 too low 4 A Acronyms 2 100+ · 4.8★ (8) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 2 too low 5

RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #11 6 too low 6

WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses 7K+ · 4.6★ (33) closure risk wp.org #17 11 too low 7

Admin Options Pages 500+ · 5.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 2 too low 8 S Secure Paste 30+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #2 6 too high 9

Text Hover 1K+ · 4.5★ (17) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 11 too low 10

Uplink Editorial Semantics 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #3 7 too high 11

JuZ Rich Text Extender 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #4 7 too high 12

Abbreviations — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #5 7 too high 13 S SubHeading 900+ · 4.2★ (11) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #23 10 too low 14

Bible Verses References 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #7 7 too high 15

Remove layout destroying HTML-Tags 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Kakunin Modal for Contact Form 7 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 3 too high 17

Abbreviation button for TinyMCE 100+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 3 too high 18

RunThings Secrets 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #12 6 too high 19 D Djot Markup — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #16 3 too high 20

SPOSCOR Padel — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 2 too high 21 A ABBR Hint Content — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 2 too high 22

Eazy HTML5 Elements 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23 A Acronym Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #22 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.