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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html block”

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 “html block”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

Kwayy HTML Sitemap shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Custom HTML Block Extension 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #1 2 Insert Html Snippet 20K+ · 4.9★ (237) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #4 ↑5 1 too high 6 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #7 8 HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter 60K+ · 4.4★ (110) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #12 ↑2 1 too low 12 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #18 ↓7 6 too low 13 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #16 ↑3 2 too low 15 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #20 ↓8 5 too low 16 Minify HTML 10K+ · 4.7★ (33) wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too high 17 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #19 ↓11 1 too low 19 Hierarchical HTML Sitemap 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #13 ↑2 6 too high 20 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 Kwayy HTML Sitemap 6K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #11 ↑2 10 too high 22 Block Manager 4K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #15 ↑3 8 too high 24 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓1 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.