wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “data attributes”
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 attributes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Attributes Table shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 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
Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 838 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Attributes for Blocks 4K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 
Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater (Add Alt Text, Image Title For Image SEO) 100K+ · 4.8★ (93)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1072)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838)
wp.org #15 7 too low 9 
Block Data Attribute 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #2 7 too high 10 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
Markup by Attribute for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (28)
wp.org #7 6 too high 14 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 80K+ · 4.3★ (247)
wp.org #14 15 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
MDTF – Meta Data and Taxonomies Filter 900+ · 4.5★ (28)
wp.org #11 5 too high 17 D Data Exchange for WooCommerce and 1C:Enterprise/1С:Предприятие 1K+ · 4.6★ (29)
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Bulk Auto Image Alt Text (Alt tag, Alt attribute) optimizer (image SEO) 10K+ · 4.2★ (111)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36)
wp.org #20 21 
Data Source for Contact Form 7 300+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 11 too high 22 
Attribute Stock for WooCommerce – Shared Stock & Variable Quantities (Lite Version) 2K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 A Attributes Table 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 19 too high 24 
SheetDB – get your Google Spreadsheet data 600+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 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.