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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cls”

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 “cls”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 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

CL WP Info shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 640 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612) wp.org #1 2 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #2 3 External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) wp.org #3 4 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Speed Booster Pack ⚡ PageSpeed Optimization Suite 8K+ · 4.3★ (186) wp.org #12 7 too low 6 Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization 200K+ · 4.7★ (640) wp.org #20 ↑1 14 too low 7 JCH Optimize 4K+ · 4.4★ (69) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 Year Make Model Search for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 EasyFonts – Host Google Fonts Locally, Fast & Auto-Optimize, GDPR Compliant 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Raptive Ads 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 CL WP Info 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Insights from Google PageSpeed 10K+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 WPSSO Schema Product Metadata for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 CoffeeCode – Checkout for Getnet and WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 Flying Fonts: Remove Google Fonts & Use System Fonts for Faster Performance 600+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 CL Simplest SMTP 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Pixellize Image Optimizer 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Vibes 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 Sticky Elementor – Sticky Header, Menu Color After Sticky, Logo Swap & Back to Top Button 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 Wbcom Designs – Birthday Widget for BuddyPress 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.