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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ga tracking code”

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 “ga tracking code”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Stape Conversion Tracking shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1072 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #1 2 GAinWP Google Analytics Integration for WP 7K+ · 4.8★ (126) wp.org #2 3 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 TrueAna – True Analytics Dashboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1072) wp.org #17 ↓2 8 too low 10 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too low 12 Tracking and Consent Manager – WP Full Picture 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 Analytics Germanized for Google Analytics (GDPR / DSGVO) 7K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too high 14 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓2 8 too high 16 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17 Goolytics – Simple Google Analytics 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Contact Form 7 Google Analytics 6K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 Goal Tracker – Custom Event Tracking for GA4 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 TrackSure Cloud – Server-Side Tracking, Meta CAPI & GA4 for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 HTML Editor for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 My Agile Pixel® – Self-Hosted Server-Side Tracking for WordPress 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 Universal WP Lead Tracking 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 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.