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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ppc”

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

EdgeTariff – Duty and Tax for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10+ 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

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) places #4 on merit, 4.5★ from 3157 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #1 2 Event Espresso – Event Registration & Ticketing Sales 500+ · 4.4★ (136) wp.org #2 3 Coupon & Discount Code Reveal Button 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #22 ↓1 18 too low 5 Posts per Cat 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 CubeWP Framework 3K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 ChannelSale – Sell & Grow Across Marketplaces, Sales Channels & AI Commerce 20+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 PitchPrint 300+ · 3.7★ (30) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 TrafficGuard PPC Fraud Prevention 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 Veracity Bot Detection Tag for WordPress 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 The Insertr 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↓1 5 too high 12 Sitelinx Accessibility Lite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 AnyTrack Affiliate Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↑1 8 too high 14 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 stopfakeclicks – Bot Blocker for Google Ads — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 DataFeedWatch Connector for WooCommerce 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 Nimbata Call Tracking 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 CubeWP Forms 3K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 BudgetGuard 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Zyflora landing page templates 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 EdgeTariff – Duty and Tax for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Webmarka Ad Click Protection for Google Ads 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 INVOX Call Tracking 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Optimyzee AI Google Ads for WooCommerce – PMax & Search Campaign Builder — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.