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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “import markdown”

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 “import markdown”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Spraynt Markdown to HTML shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 20+ 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

SEO Booster places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 54 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #5 ↓2 2 too low 4 Ultimate Markdown – Markdown Editor, Importer, & Exporter 2K+ · 4.0★ (10) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets 10K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too low 6 SEO Booster 800+ · 4.8★ (54) wp.org #16 ↓2 10 too low 7 Import Markdown – Versatile Markdown Importer 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #13 ↓5 5 too low 9 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Noted! 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #21 ↓3 10 too low 12 DocxToPost – Import Word (DOCX) & Markdown to Posts, Pages & Custom Post Types 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓2 5 too high 13 ALD – Dropshipping and Fulfillment for AliExpress and WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.7★ (138) wp.org #22 ↓3 9 too low 14 LLMs.txt Curator 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 FormsCRM – Connect Forms to CRM directly 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓2 16 ERA Markdown Importer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓2 10 too high 17 Knowledge Base 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓4 3 too high 18 DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Odyssey LLMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too high 20 CBX Changelog & Release Note 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 Markdown Renderer for GitHub 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 Spraynt Markdown to HTML 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓4 12 too high 23 Marklane – Batch Markdown Import for WordPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 HBmarkdown For Editors 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.