wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “googleplus”

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 “googleplus”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 11 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

WP Conference shows at wp.org #9 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Social Comments by Heateor 600+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #1 2

Shariff Wrapper 30K+ · 4.9★ (101) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #3 4

Meks Smart Social Widget 10K+ · 4.6★ (10) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Schema 30K+ · 4.3★ (221) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

JW Player for WordPress 1K+ · 3.8★ (29) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

SEOLAT Tool Plus 100+ · 5.0★ (3) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #8 1 too low 8

Quoty 30+ · 4.6★ (9) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 11 too low 9 P Photo Express for Google 60+ · 4.4★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 11 too low 10

ShareMe 40+ · 3.8★ (5) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 3 too low 11

Perfectwpthemes Toolkit 100+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 5 too high 12 U User Social Profiles 200+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 1 too high 13

Name: Amazing Neo Brands 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #10 3 too high 14 M MB Social Sharing Plugin — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #12 2 too high 15

WP Conference 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #9 6 too high 16 S Sharedom — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 1 too high 17 R Rigororus Social Share 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 18 M Metronet Embed Google Plus 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 4 too high 19 S Social Hub – Social Share Buttons 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 3 too high 20

Dadi Shal — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 G GooglePlus Multi-Authorship 10+ · 4.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22

Wanapost Several Social Sharing 10+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23 S Social Share Buttons 40+ · 3.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24 A AH Social share 10+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk 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.