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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “data attribute”

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 “data attribute”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Data Source for Contact Form 7 shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LiteSpeed Cache places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 2778 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Markup by Attribute for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #2 3 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Block Data Attribute 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Attributes for Blocks 4K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater (Add Alt Text, Image Title For Image SEO) 100K+ · 4.8★ (93) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Attribute Stock for WooCommerce – Shared Stock & Variable Quantities (Lite Version) 2K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 Bulk Auto Image Alt Text (Alt tag, Alt attribute) optimizer (image SEO) 10K+ · 4.2★ (111) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 MDTF – Meta Data and Taxonomies Filter 900+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 D Data Exchange for WooCommerce and 1C:Enterprise/1С:Предприятие 1K+ · 4.6★ (29) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Data Source for Contact Form 7 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 SheetDB – get your Google Spreadsheet data 600+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 A Attributes Table 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 WPC Smart Attribute Groups for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.