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← Rankings

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

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 “advert”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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

Tabby Checkout shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 4K+ 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

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. 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 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #2 3 WPSSO Core – Complete Schema Markup and Meta Tags 4K+ · 4.6★ (306) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WPAdverts – Classifieds Plugin 4K+ · 4.8★ (160) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 PowerPack Lite for Beaver Builder 6K+ · 5.0★ (243) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #22 ↑1 15 too low 8 Open Currency Converter 900+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 Monetag Official Plugin 5K+ · 2.5★ (13) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 WP AdCenter – Ad Manager & Adsense Ads 900+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #18 ↑1 8 too low 11 Ads for Genesis 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑6 5 too high 12 Stop Search Spam 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 fraew Custom Adverts 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 FindWord TSW 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 advert广告 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 UseAdvert Affiliate Marketing & Sales — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Carticy SiteVitals – Security, Speed, Performance & Database Optimization — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Author Help Indie Ads 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Tabby Checkout 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 11 too high 20 AutoAds Premiere 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 Presencefactor Product Sync with OLX.bg for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too high 22 ambera Theme Builder 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 JobLookup Jobbox — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Exodox 80+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.