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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “image maps”

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 “image maps”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 5 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

Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder shows at wp.org #16 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Featured Image from URL (FIFU) places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 264 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #1 2 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #2 3 MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 MapSVG – Vector maps, Image maps, Google Maps 1K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #4 ↑6 2 too high 7 Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 Leaflet Map 30K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #9 ↑4 1 too low 9 Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 MapGeo – Interactive Geo Maps 30K+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Image Hotspot – Map Image Annotation 3K+ · 4.9★ (22) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #11 ↓5 2 too high 14 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too low 16 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Interactive Image Map Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 Leaflet Maps Marker (Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps) 9K+ · 4.6★ (244) wp.org #23 ↓5 3 too low 21 WP GPX Maps 4K+ · 4.1★ (59) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 All In One Image Viewer – Zoom, Magnify, Maps & Rotation 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.