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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “blog layout”

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 “blog layout”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Classic Blog Grid shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 612 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 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #1 2 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7308) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Blogmentor – Blog Layouts for Elementor 4K+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2044) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1678) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2644) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4122) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #18 ↑4 7 too low 12 Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (114) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14 EleSpare – News, Magazine and Blog Addons for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 B Blog-in-Blog 800+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #16 17 BlogLentor – Blog Designer Pack for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Blogsqode – Blog Layouts and News Post Design 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 Layouts for Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Blog Floating Button 9K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Eleblog – Elementor Blog And Magazine Addons 1K+ · 3.0★ (6) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 Classic Blog Grid 4K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 AI Blog Automator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.