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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shadow dom”

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 “shadow dom”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

HappyVR – Virtual Tour Builder & 360 Panorama Viewer shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 334 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #2 3 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #19 14 too low 6 Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Style Kits for Elementor 10K+ · 4.7★ (44) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 Kaya QR Code Generator 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 ImageLinks – Interactive Image Builder with Hotspots 1K+ · 3.9★ (9) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 HappyVR – Virtual Tour Builder & 360 Panorama Viewer 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Ultimate FAQ Solution 600+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #12 13 Real Accessibility: Accessibility Widget & Toolbar 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Forms Rb 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 PicPoints – Interactive Image Map & Hotspot Builder 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Form Block 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 HeySpark – Live Chat and Call Now Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Vertical Image Slider – Responsive Thumbnail Slider with Lightbox 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Any Block Carousel Slider 200+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 PageProofer 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Social Share Block – Help Visitors Spread Your Content Everywhere 2K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 WFY24 Weather Widget 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 WeWidget – Reviews Widget for Google 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.