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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “insecure content”

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 “insecure content”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Content Mask shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SSL Insecure Content Fixer 100K+ · 4.8★ (221) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Easy HTTPS Redirection (SSL) 100K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too low 8 SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 WP Force SSL & HTTPS SSL Redirect 80K+ · 4.7★ (179) wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #18 ↑3 8 too low 11 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 One Click SSL 10K+ · 4.9★ (139) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 JSM Force HTTP to HTTPS / SSL – No Setup, Fast and Reliable 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #6 ↓1 8 too high 15 wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) wp.org #23 ↓3 8 too low 16 Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too high 18 Social Media Auto Poster – Schedule & Publish to Buffer 7K+ · 4.5★ (125) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Content Mask 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #7 12 too high 20 SSL Mixed Content Fix 8K+ · 4.1★ (34) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 F FeedWordPress 8K+ · 4.2★ (61) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Insecure Content Warning 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 Zen Site Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too high 24 Security Headers 800+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.