wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “seo integration”

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 “seo integration”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

SiteSEO – SEO Simplified shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 400K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #1 2

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #2 3

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #3 4

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Slim SEO – AI SEO Plugin, Lightweight, Fast & Automated 70K+ · 4.7★ (136) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #6 7

The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #7 ↑1 8

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #8 ↓1 9

GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (683) wp.org #9 10

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #11 ↑4 1 too low 11

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12

SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (171) wp.org #12 ↓1 13

Xagio SEO & AEO – AI SEO for Google Rankings & AI Visibility 10K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #10 3 too high 14

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16

SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17

Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18

SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73) wp.org #16 ↑6 2 too high 19

ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #20 1 too low 20

FV Simpler SEO 2K+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21

SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22

Soro – SEO Autopilot & AI Content Writer 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23

noindex SEO 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24

SEO Rocket Integration 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews 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.