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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pre publish checklist”

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

Double Check — Publish Check shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PPWP – Password Protect Pages places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 270 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 Pre-Publish Checklist 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #1 2 PublishPress Checklists: Pre-Publishing Approval Checklist – Validate Post Requirements 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #2 3 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (134) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Copy Anything to Clipboard for WordPress – Copy Button, Copy Text & Copy Code 10K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Autopost for X (formerly Autoshare for Twitter) 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 AI 50K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 PushEngage – Web Push Notifications, WooCommerce Automation & Chat Widget 9K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #8 9 Oasis Workflow 600+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 SchemaEngine AI – AI Schema Markup, Reviews & Rich Snippets for SEO 10K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI providers 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 15 bBlocks – Essential Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns Collection 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 PublishPress Statuses – Custom Post Status and Workflow 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Editorial Workflow Manager 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 LLMagnet – AI Visibility & AI SEO for Claude, ChatGPT & More 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Double Check — Publish Check 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Duplicate Title Validator 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Blogger Import Wizard – Blogger to WordPress Importer 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Newsroom OS – Google Discover, Google News, Schema & Editorial Workflow 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 SapphireIT Publish Guard for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Web200 Accessibility Audit 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 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.