wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google pagespeed”
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 pagespeed”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Core Web Vitals & PageSpeed Booster shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF places #12 on merit, 4.3★ from 1656 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #1 2 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Insights from Google PageSpeed 10K+ · 4.8★ (28) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #6 7 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #8 9 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too low 11 
WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656)
wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 
Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488)
wp.org #24 ↓2 11 too low 14 
CAOS | Host Google Analytics Locally 10K+ · 4.9★ (128) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Helper Lite for PageSpeed 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213)
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
WPSpeed – WordPress Speed, Cache & Performance Optimization (Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed 100) 2K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #18 ↑5 1 too high 20 
LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139)
wp.org #23 ↓3 3 too low 21 
Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22 Core Web Vitals & PageSpeed Booster 1K+ · 3.9★ (15) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #11 11 too high 23 
ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
PageSpeed Module 200+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.