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

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 maps plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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

exovia GDPR Google Maps shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 504 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #2 3 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too low 5 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #10 ↓4 3 too low 8 API KEY for Google Maps 30K+ · 4.9★ (55) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #3 ↓2 7 too high 11 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #20 ↑5 9 too low 12 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Sitemap by BestWebSoft – WordPress XML Site Map Page Generator Plugin 20K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #16 ↑7 1 too high 18 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #17 ↓4 1 too high 19 Map Block for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #14 ↑5 5 too high 20 GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129) wp.org #18 ↓9 2 too high 21 exovia GDPR Google Maps 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 Very Simple Google Maps 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 WP Go Maps Block 3K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 M Map Block 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 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.