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

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 “shorten”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

WP URLs Shortener + Social icons [Official] shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.0★ from 556 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #1 2 BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85) wp.org #2 3 URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (169) wp.org #3 4 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #4 5 LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 ShortLinks Pro – Affiliate Links, Link Shortening, Click Tracking & Marketing 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 BNE Testimonials 1K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 FV Simpler SEO 2K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Link Shortner 700+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #10 ↓3 5 too high 16 No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Hum 500+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Bitly's WordPress Plugin 2K+ · 4.2★ (23) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 BulkGate SMS Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #19 20 Connect CF7 to HubSpot – Contact Form 7 CRM Integration 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 utm.codes 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 WP Pocket URLs 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Royal Links – Affiliate Link Cloaking, Shortener & Tracker 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 WP URLs Shortener + Social icons [Official] 10+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #12 12 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.