wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “conversion tracking”

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 “conversion tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Stape Conversion Tracking shows at wp.org #3 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #1 2

Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too low 3

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too low 4

Pixel Cat – Conversion Pixel Manager 40K+ · 4.0★ (41) wp.org #4 ↑2 5

CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538) wp.org #11 6 too low 6

Conversios – GA4, Google Ads & Meta Conversion Tracking with Product Feed for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (206) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7

Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58) wp.org #7 ↑1 8

Conversion Tracking for WooCommerce 20K+ · 3.0★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 6 too high 9

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #24 15 too low 10

Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #3 7 too high 11

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #17 ↑3 6 too low 12

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too low 13

Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #19 6 too low 14

CP Referrer and Conversion Tracking 300+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #22 7 too low 16

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↑3 3 too high 17

Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓5 7 too high 18

Controls for Contact Form 7 (Redirects, Analytics & Tracking) 10K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #21 3 too low 19

Tracking Script Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20

WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 3 too low 21

Wp Tracking Codes 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #14 7 too high 22

CallRail Phone Call Tracking 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #15 7 too high 23

Add Pinterest conversion tags for Pinterest Ads + Site verification 1K+ · 3.3★ (9) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #18 5 too high 24

Global Site Tag Tracking 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 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.