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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “self trackback”

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 “self trackback”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

PRyC WP: Disable self trackback shows at wp.org #3 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 339 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 No Self Ping 10K+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #1 2 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets 10K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339) wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too low 6 Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Webmention 900+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode by Colorlib 5K+ · 4.7★ (42) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too low 11 Simple Disable XML-RPC 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 PRyC WP: Disable self trackback 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 9 too high 13 The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow) 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 Agency Toolkit 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15 WP Basic Elements 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Selfish Fresh Start 20+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #16 ↓2 17 Performance & Security 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too high 18 O Only Self Pings 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19 S Site Cleanup Controls 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 SpamKill – No-CAPTCHA, No-Signup Anti-Spam & Spam Protection for Comments & Reviews for WooCommerce 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 INI Protector 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Gatekeep – Universal CAPTCHA & Anti-Spam for All Forms & Comments 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 BotObservatory – Live Bot Tracker & Anti-Scraper — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 SiteNivo – Modular Site Toolkit — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.