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

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 suggestions”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

Exclude Attachment Link Suggestions shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 80+ 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

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 1267 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) 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 #4 1 too low 4

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5

Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #19 12 too low 8

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #18 ↑6 10 too low 9

WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195) wp.org #21 ↓2 12 too low 10

External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11

Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 1 too high 12

Products Suggestions for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13

Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #9 4 too high 14

Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 1 too low 15

Shipping Simulator for WooCommerce 6K+ · 5.0★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 ↑7 1 too high 16

EXMAGE – WordPress Image Links 5K+ · 5.0★ (33) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17

Force Authentification Before Checkout for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (57) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 18

Exclude Attachment Link Suggestions 80+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #3 15 too high 19

White Label – WordPress Custom Admin, Custom Login Page, and Custom Dashboard 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓5 3 too low 20

Link Manager – Analyze, Automate, and Monitor Links 1K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21

Auto Affiliate Links 2K+ · 4.1★ (39) wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22

Interlinks Manager – Internal Links Optimizer 7K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too high 24

Interlink – Internal Links Manager, Orphan Page Finder & SEO Link Suggestions 40+ · 3.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓3 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.