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

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 analytics script”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

Google Analytics for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.8★ average from 119 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 399 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #1 2 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #2 3 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #3 ↑2 4 GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #4 5 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 WEBKINDER Integration for Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #13 ↓2 14 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #15 ↓3 16 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17 Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #23 ↓3 6 too low 18 Google Analytics for WooCommerce 100K+ · 2.8★ (119) wp.org #9 ↓1 9 too high 19 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 ShareThis Dashboard for Google Analytics 80K+ · 3.6★ (138) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 Flying Analytics: Self-Host Google Analytics v4 with Speed Optimization 4K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #21 ↓2 22 HT Easy GA4 – Google Analytics WordPress Plugin 6K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Mailster Google Analytics 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.