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

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 security headers”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

Security Headers shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 2051 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. 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 #1 2 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #2 3 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too low 4 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #7 ↑5 2 too low 6 Slim SEO – AI SEO Plugin, Lightweight, Fast & Automated 70K+ · 4.7★ (136) wp.org #6 ↑4 7 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #10 ↑4 2 too low 9 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #13 ↑5 4 too low 10 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #18 ↓2 7 too low 12 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #14 ↑5 1 too low 14 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 Xagio SEO & AEO – AI SEO for Google Rankings & AI Visibility 10K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too high 16 SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73) wp.org #16 ↑8 17 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #17 18 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 SOOZ – AI for SEO – Bulk Generate Focus Keyphrases, Metadata, Alt Text (SEO Autopilot) 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Header Footer Builder for Elementor 30K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 noindex SEO 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑3 9 too high 22 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Security Headers 800+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 BoldGrid Easy SEO – Simple and Effective SEO 40K+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑2 9 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.