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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block notices”

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 “block notices”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

VK Block Patterns shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 216 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #1 2 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #2 3 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #4 ↑6 1 too low 4 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #5 6 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #6 ↓2 7 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #9 ↑4 2 too low 8 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #10 ↓4 11 GDPR Cookie Compliance – Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent, Cookie Notice for CCPA, EU Cookie Law 300K+ · 4.6★ (205) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #16 ↑5 4 too low 13 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #19 ↓5 6 too low 14 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #15 ↓4 1 too low 15 Blocks Animation: CSS Animations for Gutenberg Blocks 90K+ · 4.8★ (73) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 Create Block Theme 20K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 Dynamic Year Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 GDPR tools: Cookie notice + privacy 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 16 too high 24 Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 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.