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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google adsense”

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 “google adsense”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 4 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

In-feed ads for Google AdSense shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 6K+ 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

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #2 ↑4 3 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #12 ↑3 3 too low 10 Quick Adsense 20K+ · 3.9★ (74) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ · 5.0★ (135) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Easy Google AdSense 5K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #5 ↓2 9 too high 15 Easy Google Adsense and Banner Ads Manager – AdsforWP 1K+ · 4.6★ (43) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Wp-Insert 9K+ · 4.5★ (142) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too high 18 AdFlow – Ad Inserter & Ad Manager: AdSense, Banner Ads & ads.txt 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19 Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #19 20 Universal Google Adsense and Ads manager 2K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 In-feed ads for Google AdSense 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 15 too high 22 YAHMAN Add-ons 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 Advanced Ads for WPBakery Page Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Ad Auto Insert H 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.