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

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 “geographic”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

Simple Location shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 334 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #1 2

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #2 3

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #3 ↑1 4

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5

Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too low 7

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too low 8

Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) heavy footprint wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9

Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑8 3 too low 10

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #16 6 too low 11

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12

WPIDE – File Manager & Code Editor 40K+ · 4.8★ (306) wp.org #17 5 too low 13

CloudGuard 1K+ · 4.9★ (30) wp.org #10 3 too high 14

GEO my WP 3K+ · 4.6★ (139) not PHP-current wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15

Geo Controller – Geolocation & Geotargeting 1K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16

MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17

Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓2 6 too low 18

LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.1★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 4 too high 19

Geo Mashup 1K+ · 4.7★ (33) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 3 too low 20

Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓2 9 too high 21

Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security 700+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22

Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23

Lead Generation Contact Widget & AI Chatbot: Chat Button, Phone Call, Telegram, Email – SiteLeads 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24

International Telephone Field For Elementor Form 300+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓3 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.