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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fixed background”

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 “fixed background”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Fixed And Sticky Header shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Full Screen Background 2K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #1 2 Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 Custom Background Changer 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #19 ↑1 13 too low 7 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #20 ↓2 13 too low 8 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #13 ↑3 5 too low 9 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #9 10 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #21 ↑1 10 too low 12 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 Email Templates Customizer and Designer for WordPress and WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (133) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16 All-in-One Sticky Anything – Click to Call, Fixed Widget, Sticky Header, Menu & Sidebar 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Video Background Block – Add Stunning Video Backgrounds to Any Section 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #5 ↓2 12 too high 18 Fixed HTML Toolbar 40+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Fixed And Sticky Header 1K+ · 3.3★ (7) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 Image Background Remover 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 14 too high 21 Admin Menus Fixed 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Marvy – Background Animations for Elementor 4K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Custom Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 Etchenet Scroll Video Background Builder 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 10 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.