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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “menu columns”

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 “menu columns”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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.

S

Ranked above its merit

Simple Menu Order Column shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 2051 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #3 4 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Equal Height Columns 10K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 QuadMenu – Mega Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (270) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Fixed Bottom Menu 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Admin Slug Column 5K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering 2K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Add Featured Image Column 3K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Block Editor: Reverse Columns on Mobile 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Make Section & Column Clickable For Elementor 10K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Genesis Widget Column Classes 5K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Dashboard Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 HT Menu – WordPress Mega Menu Builder for Elementor 3K+ · 2.8★ (9) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 S Simple Menu Order Column 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 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.