wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sb clean”
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 “sb clean”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 15. 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
SB Simple Photo Gallery Block for Gutenberg shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Simple Blog Stats 4K+ · 4.9★ (38)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
FormsDB – Save Elementor Forms to Google Sheets & Post Type 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Section Blocks – Landing Page Sections for the Block Editor 10+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
SbS Settings 40+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
SB RSS feed plus 1K+ · 3.9★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
SurfacedBy AI Visibility – AI Traffic, Crawler Analytics & llms.txt — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
SB Clean 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
SB Login Page 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #9 10 
SB Comment 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
SB Tab Widget 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
SB Banner Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
SB Post Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 S Sweetberries WP Easy Hack — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 SB Simple Photo Gallery Block for Gutenberg 10+ · 3.0★ (1) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 11 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.