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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dead link”

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 “dead link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 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

Dead Link Checker – SEO and 404 error Fix shows at wp.org #2 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 80+ 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

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) wp.org #1 2 Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #3 4 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 Link Checker 4K+ · 3.2★ (30) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #20 ↓1 10 too low 11 AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 StatCounter – Real Time Visitor Stats, Session Replay & Heatmaps 70K+ · 4.2★ (56) wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13 No External Links 4K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Affiliate Links – Link Cloaking and Management 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Dead Link Checker – SEO and 404 error Fix 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 1K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 GT Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Activity Link Preview For BuddyPress 100+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Extend Link 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 DevDome Link Monitor: Broken Link Checker, Dead Link Checker, Broken Link Finder 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 PublishPress Shortlinks – The Link Manager for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Redirect 404 to Home Page – Custom URL 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Codesala Broken Link Fixer 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Link Diagnostics – Broken Links, Redirects, and Link Insights 50+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #18 6 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.