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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple redirect”

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 “simple redirect”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

WP Post Redirect shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Shopping Cart places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 215 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #1 2 301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #2 3 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #3 4 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #5 6 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 All 404 Redirect to Homepage 200K+ · 4.1★ (96) wp.org #7 8 Simple Page Redirect 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 Simple Shopping Cart 10K+ · 4.6★ (215) wp.org #16 ↑6 5 too low 12 Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 Simple Page Ordering 100K+ · 4.7★ (131) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #20 ↓2 6 too low 15 Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 S Simple Membership After Login Redirection 10K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 Quick 301 Redirects 7K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #19 20 WP Post Redirect 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Simple Blog Card 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Redirect 404 to Home Page – Custom URL 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Simple Redirect – Contact Form 7 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.