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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “layout inspector”

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 “layout inspector”, we and wp.org disagree 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

SAC Database Inspector shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10+ 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

AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 434 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 WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 SiteOrigin CSS 100K+ · 4.9★ (153) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Variable Inspector 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Content Blocks Builder – Create blocks, repeater blocks with carousel, grid, popup layouts 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Gallery Block by Galleryberg: Lightbox with Tiles, Masonry, Square, & Justified Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #17 ↑3 9 too low 9 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy 3K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Custom Block Builder – Lazy Blocks 20K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) wp.org #23 ↓6 10 too low 14 Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ · 3.9★ (95) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #21 ↑3 6 too low 16 Block Responsive – Make Editor Blocks Responsive Easily 800+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Dashboard Cleaner 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 Dynamic ACF Repeater for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Visual Block Inspector 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↑1 12 too high 20 DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 SAC Database Inspector 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 13 too high 22 BlockFlow – FSE Blocks, Site Builder & Starter Templates 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too high 23 BanzaiStyle — Layout Inspector for Elementor — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Dynamic Inspector for Elementor – Performance Profiler & Debugger 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑2 4 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.