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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “css3 preloader”

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 “css3 preloader”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

TCBD Preloader shows at wp.org #12 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its — 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

Firelight Lightbox places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 360 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Safelayout Cute Preloader – CSS3 WordPress Preloader 10K+ · 5.0★ (83) wp.org #1 2 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (360) wp.org #14 11 too low 4 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 BH Custom CSS3 Preloader – Just play and play 800+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Page Animations And Transitions 1K+ · 2.8★ (32) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 P Page Loading Effects 2K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 WP Counter Up – Animated Number Counter & Milestone Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 WP Page Loading 700+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 WP SmartCrop 4K+ · 3.7★ (9) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Fade 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Safelayout Brilliant Buttons – WordPress Buttons 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 W WP Simple and Nice Preloader 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Ultimate WordPress Preloader 40+ · 2.9★ (8) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 All-in-One WP Preloader 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 TCBD Preloader — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Quick Preloader 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 W WP easy and supper Preloader — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 W WP BlueLevel PlugNPlay Preloader — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 S Slyd 10+ · 1.0★ (5) wp.org #21

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.