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

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 “lang”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Language Attribute for Container Blocks and Pages/Posts shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 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

Checkout Field Editor for WooCommerce – Checkout Manager places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 165 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 WP Multilang – Translation and Multilingual Plugin 10K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Lang Attribute for the Block Editor 90+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 Server IP & Memory Usage Display 20K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Checkout Field Editor for WooCommerce – Checkout Manager 20K+ · 4.9★ (165) wp.org #20 ↓3 14 too low 7 Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & Cookie Notice) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 Goaffpro Affiliate Marketing 4K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #19 ↓3 11 too low 9 wp-forecast 4K+ · 4.2★ (23) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #23 ↓2 13 too low 11 WP WooCommerce Mailchimp 5K+ · 4.3★ (35) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 Responsive Tabs 4K+ · 4.2★ (41) wp.org #18 ↓4 6 too low 13 Top Bar 10K+ · 4.0★ (43) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too low 14 VigIA – AI Visibility, Analytics & Control 2K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #21 ↓3 7 too low 15 eRecht24 Legal Texts 50K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 CHL-Change HTML Lang 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↑1 8 too high 17 Abbreviation Button for the Block Editor 300+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #9 ↑2 8 too high 18 BMI Adult & Kid Calculator 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Nepali Date Utilities 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Language Attribute for Container Blocks and Pages/Posts 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 14 too high 21 LegalBlink 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Slope Widgets 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓4 2 too low 23 Juiz Lang Attribute 1K+ · 2.5★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓2 13 too high 24 Tranzly™ – AI Translation & Multilingual 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.