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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “copyright shortcode”

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 “copyright shortcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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

Dynamic Copyright Year Customizer shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 200+ 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

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 2528 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 2 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #15 ↓2 11 too low 5 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #19 ↑4 14 too low 6 One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too low 8 Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress 30K+ · 4.3★ (69) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 Current Year Shortcode VICT 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #20 ↓3 8 too low 13 Genesis Simple Hooks 20K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #23 ↓3 10 too low 14 Footer Copyright 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 12 too high 15 Head Meta Data 10K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 Hide Broken Shortcodes 400+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Dynamic Copyright Year 800+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #4 13 too high 18 Smart Copyright Year (Lite) – Auto Current Year Updater Shortcode 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 Dynamic Copyright Year Customizer 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 16 too high 20 R Rescue Shortcodes 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too high 21 Copyright shortcode creator VICT 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑4 11 too high 22 Copyright notice 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Image Copyright Manager 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 Futurio Extra 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 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.