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

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 class”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Extend Link shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SVG Support places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 356 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 signals wp.org

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2

Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3

Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) not PHP-current wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too low 8

Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208) wp.org #14 ↓6 6 too low 9

CSS Class Manager – An advanced autocomplete additional css class control for your blocks 500+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #7 2 too high 10

External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11

SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 1 too low 13 M MimeTypes Link Icons 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #18 5 too low 14

Hash Link Scroll Offset 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 5 too high 16

No External Links 4K+ · 4.8★ (16) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17

VK Link Target Controller 30K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #6 11 too high 18

Dashboard quick links widget 600+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19

GamiPress – Link 700+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21

VS Link Manager 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #19 2 too high 22

Extend Link 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑3 13 too high 23

Body Class By URL Parameter 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24

Change class in viewport: create animations with pure CSS 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 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.