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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “click fraud”

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 “click fraud”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20. 7 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

In-feed ads for Google AdSense shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 6K+ 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

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution places #9 on merit, 4.4★ from 590 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #4 ↑3 3 too low 2 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too low 3 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #6 ↓2 3 too low 4 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #2 ↑3 2 too high 5 ClickCease Click Fraud Protection 10K+ · 3.0★ (8) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #17 ↑4 11 too low 7 Fraud Prevention For WooCommerce and EDD 4K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 too high 8 Mercado Pago payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.9★ (693) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #21 ↓4 12 too low 10 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 Easy Google Adsense and Banner Ads Manager – AdsforWP 1K+ · 4.6★ (43) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #22 ↓3 10 too low 13 Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress – Get More Website Traffic, Email Subscribers, and Social Followers 20K+ · 3.9★ (43) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Revolut Gateway for WooCommerce 7K+ · 3.2★ (45) wp.org #20 ↓2 6 too low 15 Traffic Monitor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 FraudLabs Pro for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Fraud and Scam Detection For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↓2 12 too high 18 Fraud Blocker — Click Fraud Protection 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too high 19 Checkout Guard – Block Fake Orders, Spam & Fraud for WooCommerce 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑4 1 too high 20 ClickFraudFree 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 Clicks Manual Payment Gateways for Pakistan 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑2 9 too high 22 In-feed ads for Google AdSense 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 IronPhantom Fraud Defense 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Kount Fraud Prevention 30+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓2 10 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.