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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “page import”

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 “page import”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

Advanced Import shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Customizer Export/Import 100K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #17 ↑2 10 too low 8 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (276) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #19 ↓2 9 too low 11 WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Import Social Events 3K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Comments Import & Export 2K+ · 4.9★ (68) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Import / Export Customizer Settings 50K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for Rank Math SEO 6K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for Yoast SEO 20K+ · 2.8★ (11) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for All In One SEO 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 WP All Import – Job Listing Import for WP Job Manager 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 P Page Optimize 200K+ · 3.0★ (5) wp.org #16 8 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.