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← Rankings

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

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 list”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

VK Link Target Controller shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Customer List for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 75 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #3 4 Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #4 5 VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Product Customer List for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.9★ (75) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Internal Links Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (33) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Plugins List 700+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 VK Link Target Controller 30K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Link Checker 4K+ · 3.2★ (30) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #13 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.