Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 direction”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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 wp.org
1 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #1 2 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Google Authenticator 20K+ · 4.3★ (135) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #13 ↑3 4 too low 10 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Very Simple Google Maps 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Reviews Feed – Add Testimonials and Customer Reviews From Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and More 100K+ · 4.3★ (36) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 FlexStock – Product Stock Sync with Google Sheets for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 Kikote – Location Picker at Checkout & Google Address AutoFill Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (65) wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 Bulk Product Sync – Bulk Product Editor for WooCommerce with Google Sheets™ 300+ · 4.2★ (27) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 WP Google Street View (with 360° virtual tour) & Google maps + Local SEO 300+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 M MK Google Directions 100+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Gallery for Google Photos – share your albums right on your site 1K+ · 2.7★ (6) 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.