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

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 “sdk”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 6 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

Make Section & Column Clickable For Elementor shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 172 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) wp.org #6 ↑5 3 too low 4 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too low 5 WPGraphQL 30K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #11 ↓5 6 too low 6 AI Provider for Anthropic 70K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Axeptio – Cookie Banner – GDPR Consent & Compliance with a friendly touch 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #21 ↑1 13 too low 9 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #19 ↑2 9 too low 11 Quantity Plus Minus Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too high 12 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #24 ↓5 12 too low 13 Bangladeshi Payment Gateways – Make Payment Using QR Code 4K+ · 5.0★ (92) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 Make Section & Column Clickable For Elementor 10K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Booking and Rental Manager for Bike | Car | Resort | Appointment | Dress | Equipment 1K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too high 16 Pdf Embed 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 HookMeUp for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 WPGraphQL Smart Cache 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 AI Provider For DeepSeek 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑2 7 too high 20 Conversion Tracking for WooCommerce 20K+ · 3.0★ (24) wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 Woostify Sites Library 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 Texty – SMS Notification for WordPress, WooCommerce, Dokan and more 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23 OnPay.io for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑2 7 too high 24 AI Provider for Google 50K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.