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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multiple header”

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 “multiple header”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Header Footer Builder for Elementor shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1199 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #1 2 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #2 3 Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94) wp.org #3 4 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #12 7 too low 6 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #18 ↑1 10 too low 9 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199) wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 WC Multiple Email Recipients 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #5 ↑1 8 too high 14 U Unique Headers 10K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 WP Header Images 4K+ · 4.4★ (35) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 Header Footer Builder for Elementor 30K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #4 14 too high 19 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #21 ↓4 1 too low 21 Maximum, Minimum and Multiple Quantity for WooCommerce Shops 3K+ · 4.4★ (36) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Header Footer Script Adder 1K+ · 4.1★ (7) wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too high 23 CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓3 8 too high 24 Search Engines Blocked in Header 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.