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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mobile ad”

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 “mobile ad”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

Ad Auto Insert H shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 900+ 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

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1915 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 wp.org
1 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #2 3 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #3 4 AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Ad Invalid Click Protector (AICP) 10K+ · 4.7★ (62) wp.org #6 7 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #7 8 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Corner Ad 300+ · 4.7★ (32) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Ad Commander – Ad Manager for Banners, AdSense, Ad Networks 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 AdFlow – Ad Inserter & Ad Manager: AdSense, Banner Ads & ads.txt 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 AdX Ad Inserter – Adsense and Ad Manager Ads 80+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Ad Integration for mobile.de API 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Sticky Ads Lightweight 300+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Ad Auto Insert H 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Ad Engine – Gerenciador de Adx, Adsense e AdManager 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Advanced Ads for WPBakery Page Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Init Ad Engine – Flexible, Multi-Format, Secure 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.