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

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 “satellite”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Gmap Block shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Leaflet Maps Marker (Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps) places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 244 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 wp.org
1 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 YaMaps for WordPress Plugin 10K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #3 4 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Maps from Yandex for Elementor 7K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 WP GPX Maps 4K+ · 4.1★ (59) wp.org #10 11 BMLT WordPress Satellite 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 10 too high 12 Leaflet Maps Marker (Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps) 9K+ · 4.6★ (244) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (59) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 LocateAndFilter 200+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 WP Map Block – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store & Shop Locator, Directory, Listings & Filters 20K+ · 4.0★ (21) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Basic Google Maps Placemarks 2K+ · 4.4★ (51) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Shipping Zones by Drawing for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.1★ (24) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 immonex Kickstart 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 21 CBX Map for Google Map & OpenStreetMap 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Add To Cart redirect for WooCommerce 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Advanced OSM for Toolset Maps 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Quick Maps – Google Maps Without API Key 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 6 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.