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

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 “cpc”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Writegen – ChatGPT AI Content Generator plugin shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Xagio SEO & AEO – AI SEO for Google Rankings & AI Visibility 10K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 UTM Tracker for Contact Form 7 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Add Pinterest conversion tags for Pinterest Ads + Site verification 1K+ · 3.3★ (9) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 1K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 FormsCRM – Connect Forms to CRM directly 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 BudgetGuard 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Yadore Widget 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Dynamic Keyword Insertion for WP 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Hey Trisha — · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓4 13 too low 12 W Wbcom Designs – WB Ad Manager 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Woosa – Marktplaats for WooCommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Xtreme Forms – WP Contact Form Builder, Lead Capture, Form to Email & Webhooks 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 fraew Custom Adverts 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 16 SEOBot AI – SEO Automation, Content Optimizer & Internal Linking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 UTM Manager – UTM Tracking, Lead Attribution & Campaign Analytics 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 TradeTracker Connect 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Redkirin Ad Click Verification 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Maple Parcel – Shipping Rates with Canada Post for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 Google Ads Conversion Tracking for WordPress Forms – TagFlux — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Tech Akhil Marketing ROI Calculator — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 Callback24 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Writegen – ChatGPT AI Content Generator plugin 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.