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

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 reader”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Stylish Google Sheet Reader – Embed Google Sheets as Interactive Tables with Built-in Form Submissions shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 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 #3 1 too low 3 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too high 11 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #22 ↓3 8 too low 15 GN Publisher: Google News Compatible RSS Feeds 20K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 GAinWP Google Analytics Integration for WP 7K+ · 4.8★ (126) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Screen Reader Accessibility – WCAG, Text-to-Speech & AI Accessibility Fixes 600+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Stylish Google Sheet Reader – Embed Google Sheets as Interactive Tables with Built-in Form Submissions 200+ · 3.3★ (12) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Lightweight Google Analytics 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.