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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin order columns”

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 “admin order columns”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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.

S

Ranked above its merit

Simple Menu Order Column shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ 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

CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 538 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #1 2 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #2 3 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #5 ↑5 1 too high 7 N Ni WooCommerce Admin Order Columns 500+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 too high 8 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Admin Columns for ACF Fields 9K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #12 13 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 WP Term Order 6K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16 Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Supplier Order Email 300+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too high 21 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #17 ↑6 4 too high 22 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Purchased Items Column for WooCommerce Orders 700+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 S Simple Menu Order Column 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 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.