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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “links widget”

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 “links widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 too high 6 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too low 8 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 P Page Links To 100K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #10 ↑2 6 too high 17 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too low 20 GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 WP Telegram Widget and Join Link 4K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Easy Affiliate Links 6K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 Affiliate Links – Link Cloaking and Management 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Dashboard quick links widget 600+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.