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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “check backlinks”

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 “check backlinks”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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.

Ranked above its merit

Free Backlinks & Guest Post Exchange – Consolety shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 683 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 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (683) wp.org #14 ↓4 7 too low 8 Kama SpamBlock 4K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 SEO Backlink Monitor 700+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #2 ↓1 7 too high 10 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113) wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too high 12 Nelio Content – Editorial Calendar & Social Media Auto-Posting 3K+ · 4.4★ (104) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 ShareThis Dashboard for Google Analytics 80K+ · 3.6★ (138) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Free Backlinks & Guest Post Exchange – Consolety 40+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 ↑1 9 too high 16 Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 AI Infographic Maker 600+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 .html for all url 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Praison AI SEO 1K+ · 3.6★ (5) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Backlinks Patrol 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 L Legacy URL Suffix & SEO Preserver 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 BlogSEO 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 SEO Magic – Free AI SEO Assistant 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 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.