wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post keywords”

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 “post keywords”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Meta Keywords for Each Page shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 1K+ 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

RSS Aggregator by Feedzy – Feed to Post, Autoblogging, News & YouTube Video Feeds Aggregator places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 361 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #1 2

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820) wp.org #2 3

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #3 4

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #4 5

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #8 1 too low 8

Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #11 2 too low 10

Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556) wp.org #21 10 too low 12

RSS Aggregator by Feedzy – Feed to Post, Autoblogging, News & YouTube Video Feeds Aggregator 40K+ · 4.6★ (361) wp.org #24 12 too low 13

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #20 7 too low 14

Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #23 9 too low 15

WP Dynamic Keywords Injector 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #5 10 too high 16

Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #10 6 too high 17

Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #13 4 too high 18

Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #15 3 too high 19

Generate Images (AI) – Magic Post Thumbnail 5K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #16 3 too high 20

WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #19 1 too high 21

Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too low 22

Keyword Research Tool 700+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Meta Keywords for Each Page 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #6 17 too high 24

Auto Focus Keyword for SEO 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #14 10 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.