Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ad fraud”

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 “ad fraud”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

In-feed ads for Google AdSense shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 6K+ 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

Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 80 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 wp.org
1 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #2 3 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Ads.txt Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #15 ↑1 10 too low 6 Ads.txt & App-ads.txt Manager for WordPress 2K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Easy Google Adsense and Banner Ads Manager – AdsforWP 1K+ · 4.6★ (43) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress – Get More Website Traffic, Email Subscribers, and Social Followers 20K+ · 3.9★ (43) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 ClickCease Click Fraud Protection 10K+ · 3.0★ (8) wp.org #3 ↑3 6 too high 10 Ad Commander – Ad Manager for Banners, AdSense, Ad Networks 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 WP AdCenter – Ad Manager & Adsense Ads 900+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Eway Payment Gateway 800+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 Traffic Monitor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Veracity Bot Detection Tag for WordPress 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Mediavine Control Panel 10K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 Fraud Blocker — Click Fraud Protection 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too high 18 In-feed ads for Google AdSense 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 RankShield — Ranking & Ad-Spend Attack Protection 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 ClickFraudFree 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too high 21 BudgetGuard 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 TrafficGuard PPC Fraud Prevention 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 HapiGuard – Invalid Click Protection for AdSense, Ad Manager & Auto Ads 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Redkirin Ad Click Verification 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.