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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “accessibility checker”

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 “accessibility checker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Web Accessibility Toolkit – Accessibility Checker & ARIA for WCAG, Section 508 & ADA Compliance shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ 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.

Buried gem

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 1267 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #1 2 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #2 3 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Accessibility Helper (WAH) 10K+ · 4.7★ (57) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #17 ↑4 12 too low 6 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder 3K+ · 4.9★ (69) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Accessibility New Window Warnings 1K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Accessibility Tool Kit: WP Accessibility checker plugin for WCAG, Section 508, ADA, EAA Compliance 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #23 ↓3 12 too low 12 Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #18 ↓3 6 too low 13 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 EqualWeb Accessibility 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Filikod – Alt Text Checker & Bulk Image Alt Text Editor 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Web Accessibility Toolkit – Accessibility Checker & ARIA for WCAG, Section 508 & ADA Compliance 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Sa11y, the accessibility quality assurance assistant | Accessibility Checker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too high 18 MSACAlab Accessibility Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 One Accessibility – WordPress Accessibility Plugin & ADA Compliance Widget 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too high 20 Accessibility Guard 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓6 1 too high 21 AAArdvark Accessibility Reports 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22 Libration Accessibility Widget, Checker and Real Code Fixes – WCAG and EAA 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 BoardScribe – Accessible Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 a11yfy – PDF Accessibility Checker & Fixer — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓5

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.