wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove p”

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 “remove p”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Remove Blank P Tag shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ 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

Smart Custom 404 Error Page places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1197 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #3 2 too low 2

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too low 3

Fast Velocity Minify 30K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5

All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #8 ↓3 3 too low 6

Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7

Empty P Tag 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #1 6 too high 8

Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9

Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #9 ↓1 10

Testimonial – Testimonial Slider and Showcase Plugin 20K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #10 ↓1 11

WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12

Lightweight Accordion 10K+ · 5.0★ (60) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13

Genesis Simple Hooks 20K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14

WPGlobus 8K+ · 4.5★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15

Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16

MultiLine Files for Contact Form 7 9K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17

Code and Core Remove Empty P Tags 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 15 too high 18

WP-UserOnline 10K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 R Restrict Usernames Emails Characters 1K+ · 4.5★ (25) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20

WP Subtitle 10K+ · 4.1★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 21

Remove Blank P Tag 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #4 17 too high 22

Blank Footnotes 300+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 too low 23

Disabler 900+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24

HTML Editor for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.