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

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 “gclid”, 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

Integration for Google Sheets and Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor, Ninja Forms shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 91 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #1 2 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #2 3 SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73) wp.org #3 ↑2 4 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259) wp.org #7 ↑7 3 too low 5 Connector for Gravity Forms and Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.7★ (66) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 Integration for HubSpot and Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor, Ninja Forms 5K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 CRM Perks Integration for Gravity Forms and Salesforce 1K+ · 4.9★ (139) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too low 8 E Easy UTM tracking with contact form 7 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization 7K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 WP Gravity Forms Keap/Infusionsoft 300+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 WP Gravity Forms Zoho CRM and Bigin 400+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Connect CF7 to HubSpot – Contact Form 7 CRM Integration 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Remove Social ID for WP 100+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too high 15 WP Gravity Forms Dynamics CRM 300+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 WP Gravity Forms HubSpot 600+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 WP Performance 200+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 WP Gravity Forms Zendesk 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓4 3 too low 19 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 Traffic Monitor 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓3 9 too high 21 LeadSource – UTM Tracking & Lead Source Attribution for Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 Integration for Google Sheets and Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor, Ninja Forms 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 12 too high 23 WP Gravity Forms Constant Contact Plugin 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓4 9 too high 24 UTM & GCLID catcher 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.