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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “focal point”

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 “focal point”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

SlideCraft – Responsive Slider & Carousel shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 358 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 60K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Media Focus Point 6K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP Swiper 4K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #4 5 Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ 70K+ · 4.9★ (358) wp.org #10 ↓3 5 too low 6 Better image sizes 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #11 ↓3 4 too low 8 Gutenslider — Slider Block for the Block Editor 10K+ · 4.0★ (65) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Quill Forms | Conversational Multi Step Forms, Surveys & quizzes 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #16 ↓4 7 too low 10 Presswell Art Direction 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 Ultimate Watermark – Image Watermark, Image Protection & Bulk Watermarking 1K+ · 3.3★ (11) wp.org #17 ↓3 6 too low 12 Under The Weather 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 Focalio – Focal Point Cropping, WebP & AVIF Images 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑10 6 too high 14 Random Image Block for Block Editor 100+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓3 3 too high 16 WP SmartCrop 4K+ · 3.7★ (9) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 TZM Responsive Block Controls 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓2 9 too high 18 Mosne Hero 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 Sparkle for Divi 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 Animicro 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 too low 21 AGY Slider for Elementor 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 BellePopups 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Gallery for Google Photos – share your albums right on your site 1K+ · 2.7★ (6) wp.org #19 ↓3 4 too high 24 SlideCraft – Responsive Slider & Carousel 80+ · 1.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓3 11 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.