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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “discourage”

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 “discourage”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Discourage Search Engines – Dashboard notification shows at wp.org #5 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Featured Image from URL (FIFU) places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 264 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #1 2 Multi Step for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too low 3 Protect Uploads 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405) wp.org #15 ↓3 9 too low 7 WPCore Plugin Manager 9K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #7 8 Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 SiteCare – Search Engine Visibility 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 ↓1 6 too high 10 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #19 ↓2 8 too low 12 Disable Right Click RB – Content Copy Protection, Prevent Copy & No Right Click 600+ · 4.2★ (14) wp.org #11 ↑5 1 too high 13 Ebook Store 700+ · 4.4★ (60) wp.org #24 ↓3 11 too low 14 VdoCipher: Secure Video Player and Hosting 2K+ · 4.2★ (14) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too high 15 Discourage Search Engines – Dashboard notification 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓1 10 too high 16 Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 8 too high 17 AI Scrape Protect 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too high 18 JetHost Total Care – Security & Enhancements 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 Simple SEO 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 On Page SEO + Social Live Chat 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21 T Tailored Tools 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 Search engines blocked warning 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 Selective Image Guard | A deterrent for unauthorized downloads and scraping 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 AI Deny 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.