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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “content monetisation”

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 “content monetisation”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 18. 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Affiliate Links – Link Cloaking and Management 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 Steady for WordPress 600+ · 3.0★ (10) wp.org #1 ↑2 1 too high 3 Affiliate Sales in Google Analytics and other tools 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 TNT AI Writer – AI Content Generator, Trending Topic Finder & SEO Draft Writer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 Inlay — Native Ad Monetisation 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 W webtonative 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 Content Ignite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 SFR Directory Analytics 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 10 Barika for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 11 Directory Spark – Business Directory & Listings — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 12 Imigino Video Connect 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 13 CarDojo Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 14 AccessType — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Relap – recommendation engine embedded into site 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 N Newer Not Better 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 A Adfever Monétisation 10+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Cuelinks – Affiliate Marketing Tool for Publishers 100+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #15 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.