wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google map short code”

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 map short code”, 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

QR Code Composer – Automatic QR code generation shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 4699 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 ↑1 2

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5

Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7

WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too low 8

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 ↑3 9

exovia GDPR Google Maps 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #4 5 too high 10

Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode 600K+ · 4.9★ (4699) wp.org #22 ↑2 12 too low 11

Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓4 1 too high 12

Cookiebot – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 100K+ · 4.4★ (440) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too low 13

EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) not PHP-current wp.org #16 3 too low 14

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #21 ↓3 7 too low 15

Copy Anything to Clipboard for WordPress – Copy Button, Copy Text & Copy Code 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #12 ↓3 3 too high 16

Kikote – Location Picker at Checkout & Google Address AutoFill Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (65) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17

Interactive Image Map Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18

Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #13 ↓3 5 too high 19

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20

WP GPX Maps 4K+ · 4.1★ (59) not PHP-current wp.org #19 1 too high 21

QR Code Composer – Automatic QR code generation 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 ↓2 12 too high 22 S Slick Google Map 50+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23

Easy Map – Store Locator, OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Mapbox 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24

MatrixMap – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Store Locator & World Maps 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 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.