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

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 class”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

AI to Elementor — HTML Importer for Elementor shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 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 Insert Html Snippet 20K+ · 4.9★ (237) wp.org #1 2 HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57) wp.org #2 3 HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #3 4 Hierarchical HTML Sitemap 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #17 ↑7 12 too low 6 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #19 ↓1 11 too low 9 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 CSV to HTML 300+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 C Custom Body Class 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #23 ↓4 6 too low 18 D Display HTML Sitemap 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 HTML Tag and Class Replace 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓1 14 too high 20 HTML Social Share Buttons 50+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 Jamie's Visual HTML Editor 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 AI to Elementor — HTML Importer for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 HTML Page Publisher 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 HTML Template for CF7 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #21 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.