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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom slug”

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 “custom slug”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 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.

Ranked above its merit

Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ 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

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Admin Slug Column 5K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 W WP Author Slug 3K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #20 ↑1 11 too low 10 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #23 ↓1 13 too low 11 Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Custom Product tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #14 ↓4 3 too high 18 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Slug Automator 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 R Remove Taxonomy Slug 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Slug Search and Admin Columns 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 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.