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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “digital accessibility”

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 “digital accessibility”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 4 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

One Accessibility – WordPress Accessibility Plugin & ADA Compliance Widget shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ 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

Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #1 2 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #2 3 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #6 ↑3 2 too low 5 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (288) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #17 ↑3 10 too low 8 Accessibility New Window Warnings 1K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Complianz – Terms and Conditions 300K+ · 4.9★ (187) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #19 ↓7 6 too low 14 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Accessibility by AllAccessible 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #8 ↓2 7 too high 16 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Accessibility by AudioEye 2K+ · 3.3★ (7) wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 Accessibility Assistant – EAA ADA WCAG AODA 100+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 Accessibility Enabler 300+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 Music Player for Easy Digital Downloads 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 One Accessibility – WordPress Accessibility Plugin & ADA Compliance Widget 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 EDigital Accessibility Tools and Statement 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 Sa11y, the accessibility quality assurance assistant | Accessibility Checker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.