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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “analytics call tracking”

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

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

CallRail Phone Call Tracking shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #1 2 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #2 3 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #3 ↑11 4 WP Call Button – Easy Click to Call Button for WordPress 40K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #12 ↓6 7 too low 6 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too low 7 Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #15 ↑3 7 too low 9 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 Clicky Analytics 10K+ · 4.5★ (25) wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too high 14 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #23 ↓3 9 too low 15 CallRail Phone Call Tracking 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 11 too high 16 Tracking and Consent Manager – WP Full Picture 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #17 ↑2 1 too low 17 WhatConverts 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑3 1 too low 19 Analytify – Dashboard Widget for Google Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑3 1 too high 20 Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 CallTrackingMetrics 3K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↑2 8 too high 22 Fathom Analytics Conversions 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 23 Simple Matomo Tracking Code 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑3 3 too high 24 Analytics Head 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑3 3 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.