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

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 “fishing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

NERD WP Plugin shows at wp.org #16 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84) wp.org #1 2 Achievements sports league 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 3 USGS Steam Flow Data 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↓1 11 too low 4 UltimaTour Operator 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 SeaFishingCharters Calendar — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 6 Web Queenz Withdrawal Manager for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 BookingFish Calendar — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Online Games 70+ · 3.2★ (13) wp.org #17 ↓1 9 too low 9 Charter Booker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Woostify Sites Library 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 SeaLegs AI — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Limeboom Spin Wheel — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 SunnyTracker Widgets — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 Nestides Tide Chart — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 Yacht Booking System – Boat Charter Booking Plugin — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Dashly 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 U USGS River Conditions 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 C Charlie Sheen Quote Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 T Todayish in History 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 NERD WP Plugin — · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 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.