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← Rankings

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

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 “headings”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Advanced Heading shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 2051 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #2 3 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #3 ↑5 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #9 ↓4 2 too low 8 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #7 ↑6 1 too high 9 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #12 ↓5 1 too low 12 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too high 13 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too low 14 SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16 Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #16 17 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Joli Table Of Contents – Table of Contents with Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 7K+ · 4.9★ (43) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Advanced Heading 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↓1 16 too high 22 Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 Copy Link to Heading – Easily add Anchor links for Headings 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24 WP Heading Buttons 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓4 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.