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

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 “json import”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Blocks Export Import – Backup & Move Gutenberg Blocks as JSON shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ 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

Perfect Brands for WooCommerce places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 414 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113) wp.org #4 5 Get Use APIs – JSON Content Importer 5K+ · 4.9★ (78) wp.org #5 6 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Perfect Brands for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.7★ (414) wp.org #23 11 too low 13 Import WP – CSV & XML Import Export for WordPress 4K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Import XML and RSS Feeds 2K+ · 3.8★ (24) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Import Export Menu 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 WP Smart Import : Import any XML File to WordPress 900+ · 3.9★ (12) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Simple Export Import for ACF Data 1K+ · 3.4★ (16) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Blocks Export Import – Backup & Move Gutenberg Blocks as JSON 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 Magic Export & Import 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 20 WP Taxonomy Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Export/Import Media – CSV Media Library Import & Export 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 H Hoot Import 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Menu Export Import 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Import Users & Customers with Meta | WP Ultimate CSV Importer Add-on 5K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #15 9 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.