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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “link checker”

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 “link checker”, we agree with wp.org 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

Dead Link Checker – SEO and 404 error Fix shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 80+ 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

404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 321 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 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #1 2 Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) wp.org #2 3 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #4 5 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 Link Checker 4K+ · 3.2★ (30) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (171) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Easy Affiliate Links 6K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 1K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #24 ↓2 7 too low 18 PHP Compatibility Checker 200K+ · 2.7★ (131) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 iNext Woo Pincode Checker 600+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Simple Link Checker 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 Dead Link Checker – SEO and 404 error Fix 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↑1 14 too high 22 DevDome Link Monitor: Broken Link Checker, Dead Link Checker, Broken Link Finder 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Unused Media Checker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 Extend Link 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.