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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “faculty directory”

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 “faculty directory”, 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

Campus Directory – Faculty, Staff & Student Directory Plugin for WordPress shows at wp.org #3 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 402 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #1 2 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #2 3 SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #4 5 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin with Amazon SES, Postmark, and Other Providers 200K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Shibboleth 3K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 StaffList 100+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Authorizer 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 C Commons In A Box 20+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 WPYog Team 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Campus Directory – Faculty, Staff & Student Directory Plugin for WordPress 80+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 Team Builder Member Showcase 1K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 MIS-Tech Team Directory – Staff Directory, Team Members & Employee Profile Plugin — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Employee Directory – Staff Directory and Listing 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑3 7 too high 17 W WP-ViperGB 300+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Adler Business Directory – Business, Member, Staff & Community Directory — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Scholar Sync – Academic Publications & Researcher Profiles 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 QR Code Generator & Scanner – Dynamic QR Codes for WordPress 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 Papex University Schedule 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 Achla AI Search – Cited AI Answers from Your WordPress Content — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Contact Camo 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Dream University Management 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.