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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “event tracker”

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 “event tracker”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 3 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

WhatsLink Click Tracker shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ 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

The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Email Tracker 800+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #7 5 too low 3 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 Events Tracker for Elementor 9K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #17 11 too low 7 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #22 ↓1 13 too low 10 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 GDPR 10K+ · 4.3★ (58) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 Analytics Tracker 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 Goal Tracker – Custom Event Tracking for GA4 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 15 Essential Classy Addons for Elementor – 150+ Widgets, Templates & Performance Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Remote Website Management by Watchful 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 WhatsLink Click Tracker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 12 too high 19 Smart Click Tracker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 Meta Pixel Event Tracker for WooCommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Leenkat Editorial Tracker 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 ConsentOwl — Cookie Consent & Tracker Blocker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Webwall QR Campaign Tracker 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.