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← Rankings

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

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 “geocoding”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 8 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

International Telephone Field For Elementor Form shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 70 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #1 2 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #2 3 Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (59) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WooReer 1K+ · 4.1★ (24) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Property Hive 3K+ · 4.9★ (96) wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too low 7 Leaflet Maps Marker (Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps) 9K+ · 4.6★ (244) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 Locatoraid Store Locator 1K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #21 12 too low 10 Geo Mashup 1K+ · 4.7★ (33) wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too high 11 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too low 12 Checkout Location Picker for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 Blacklist Manager – WooCommerce Anti-Fraud, Blacklist & Checkout Verification 2K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 Calculate Prices based on Distance For WooCommerce 300+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #20 ↑1 6 too low 15 Autocomplete Address and Location Picker for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #23 ↓7 8 too low 16 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓5 1 too high 17 g-FFL Checkout 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 International Telephone Field For Elementor Form 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 12 too high 20 WP Google Street View (with 360° virtual tour) & Google maps + Local SEO 300+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 Open Source Event Calendar 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Celestial Lunar Phase Widget 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑3 5 too high 23 VENTI Multi Location Marker for Elementor 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Epaka Shipping for WooCommerce 90+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.