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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “localbusiness”

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 “localbusiness”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

BBH Custom Schema – Add Custom JSON-LD to Your Website shows at wp.org #2 but places #7 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 900+ 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

Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 138 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Local Business Schema Lite 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #1 2 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too low 3 Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 Structured Content (JSON-LD) #wpsc 30K+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 CrawlWP SEO – Complete WordPress SEO Plugin with AI, Indexing & Search Performance 30K+ · 4.7★ (62) wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too low 7 BBH Custom Schema – Add Custom JSON-LD to Your Website 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 ↑1 5 too high 8 OGEEAT 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑3 2 too high 10 Search Atlas SEO – OTTO AI SEO Automation for WordPress 7K+ · 3.3★ (24) wp.org #11 ↓4 1 too low 11 Local SEO By Ankit Rawat 40+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 SEO Fury – SEO & GEO: Schema, XML Sitemap, Redirects, 404 Monitor, llms.txt 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 Local Business Schema Generator 100+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 AEOmatic – AEO for AI Search: llms.txt, Schema & AI Crawler Check 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Firetap Knowledge Panel Schema 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 AEO Engine 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Schematiq 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Local Business Schema Widget 20+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑4 3 too high 19 Smart Schema Automation 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 SchemaNex 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Business Hours & Holiday Schedule Manager 100+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 PlexBlocks – Business Hours for Block Editor 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 WPLS Local SEO Schema Generator 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 ByTheWeb GEO – AI Visibility & SEO Toolkit 20+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.