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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “indexation”

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 “indexation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Backlinks Patrol shows at wp.org #7 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

XML Sitemap Generator for Google places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 2233 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Googlebot Visit 1K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233) wp.org #24 ↓4 22 too low 3 IndexMeNow 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Smart Search & Product Filter for WooCommerce – Searchanise 900+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #21 ↓2 17 too low 5 Noindex Parameters 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 Bare Bones SEO 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 SMiLE Basic Web 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Pixellize Site Issue Scanner — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 BotsMap – XML Sitemap Manager — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Site-First SEO 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 Backlinks Patrol 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12 Schema Star 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 Intelliwriter SEO — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 Essiow — AI SEO Suite for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 AI Internal Linking Manager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Inline Loan Calculator Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Category Indexer for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 Blogsmith API — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 SEOries Markdown Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 B BloomImages — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Pixel Office AEO Inoculator & AI Broadcaster — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 GatePass – Password Protect Pages, Posts, Entire Site & WooCommerce for WordPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Metronyx Headless CMS Connector — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 MUQ SEO Site Checker — · 0.0★ (0) 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.