wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html sitemap”
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 sitemap”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Display HTML Sitemap shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1267 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 
Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72)
wp.org #1 ↑2 1 too high 3 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #9 5 too low 5 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too low 6 
Hierarchical HTML Sitemap 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Kwayy HTML Sitemap 6K+ · 4.7★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #20 ↑1 12 too low 9 
XML Sitemap & Google News 100K+ · 4.4★ (85)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #10 11 
HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13 
Companion Sitemap Generator – Simple, Smart, and SEO-Ready 6K+ · 4.7★ (55)
wp.org #13 ↑1 14 
WP Simple HTML Sitemap 3K+ · 4.9★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 8 too high 15 
Dynamic HTML Sitemap 60+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
Sitemap Generator 3K+ · 3.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 D Display HTML Sitemap 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 
HTML Page Publisher 500+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Whitespace Fixer for XML Sitemap 300+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
WP Sitemap Pages and Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 
Rapls Sitemap – HTML Sitemap & Post List 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑3 6 too high 23 
NaviTree HTML Sitemap 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 
Lightweight Sitemap Generator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.