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

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 “shortlink”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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.

R

Ranked above its merit

Return shortlink button shows at wp.org #1 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 251 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #5 ↑1 4 too low 2 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #6 ↓2 4 too low 3 WP YouTube Lyte 20K+ · 4.8★ (206) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 ShortLinks Pro – Affiliate Links, Link Shortening, Click Tracking & Marketing 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Easy Affiliate Links 6K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 PublishPress Planner – Editorial Calendar, Marketing Content, Kanban Board 6K+ · 4.9★ (178) wp.org #12 ↑7 5 too low 8 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #20 ↑1 10 too low 11 PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #16 ↑6 5 too low 12 Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 PublishPress Shortlinks – The Link Manager for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 11 too high 14 R Return shortlink button 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 13 too high 15 Featherweight 10K+ · 4.1★ (45) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too high 16 WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets 10K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #21 ↓3 4 too low 18 Hum 500+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 My WP Customize Admin/Frontend 8K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Spam Protect for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too high 21 LWS Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Falcon – Cache, Performance, Security, Cleanup, and Tweaks 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 FlyWP Helper – Page Cache, Page Optimization, Emails for FlyWP Server Control Panel 4K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 T TGG – WP Optimizer 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.