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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “reading indicator”

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 “reading indicator”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Scroll to Top – Smooth Scroll Up, Back to Top & Reading Progress Bar shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 60+ 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

Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 80 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Reading Position Indicator 800+ · 5.0★ (66) wp.org #1 2 Reading progressbar 6K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #2 3 Orbit Fox: Duplicate Page, Menu Icons, SVG Support, Cookie Notice, Custom Fonts & More 100K+ · 4.8★ (317) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Joli Table Of Contents – Table of Contents with Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 7K+ · 4.9★ (43) wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 Worth The Read 3K+ · 4.3★ (27) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 CCI Posts Carousel All In One 2K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Accessible Carousel & Slider – WCAG AA Compliant Slideshow 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Open Graphite 3K+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 WP Sessions Time Monitoring Full Automatic 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Turnkey bbPress by WeaverTheme 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 Scroll to Top – Smooth Scroll Up, Back to Top & Reading Progress Bar 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 13 too high 22 Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 LandTech Extras for Elementor 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Reading Time by ReadyGo – Read Time, Progress Bar & Archive Support 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 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.