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

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 fixer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Broken Link Fixer shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 1146 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SSL Insecure Content Fixer 100K+ · 4.8★ (221) wp.org #1 2 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 LinkBoss – Semantic AI Internal Linking 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer 1K+ · 3.8★ (8) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Easy HTTPS Redirection (SSL) 100K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 iOS images fixer 6K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 Codesala Broken Link Fixer 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Vantorix – Subfolder Link Fixer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑10 5 too high 13 404Zen – Broken Link Fixer & Monitor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 Stella 404 Fixer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 15 Dragon Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & 404 Fixer 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too low 16 Bluearctic HTTPS Fixer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 LinkRail Redirects, 404 & Security 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 DominoPost – Advanced Post Editor with AI Writer, Link Building Suite, Free Google Search Console & GA4 Analytics 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 NituLabs AI Content Fixer – Smart AI to Boost Your Content Quality — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 Volixta SSL & Security Headers – Free SSL Certificates, HTTPS & Mixed Content Fixer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 U2Code Product Multicurrency for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 a11yfy – PDF Accessibility Checker & Fixer — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Zen Site Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Broken Link Fixer 40+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓2 13 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.