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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “site loader”

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 “site loader”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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

Vagizov Metrika Loader shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 40+ 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

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Safelayout Cute Preloader – CSS3 WordPress Preloader 10K+ · 5.0★ (84) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #16 ↑1 13 too low 4 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #18 14 too low 5 GTM Kit – Google Tag Manager & GA4 integration 30K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #20 ↓2 14 too low 7 Icons Font Loader – use web icons anywhere on your site, fast 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 WP Fastest Site Search 100+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 Powerkit – Supercharge your WordPress Site 10K+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 UWH Site Migrator – WP Migration, Backup & Restore 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑5 4 too high 13 Ajax loader + Cache 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Load Combined Core Block Assets 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 AboveWP Page Loader 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Quick Ajax Post Loader 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too high 17 Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 Site Assets 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 13 too high 19 Fleet Agent Site Manager – Securely Connects Your Sites to a WPMgr Dashboard 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓2 8 too high 20 CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Vagizov Metrika Loader 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Simple Fonts Loader 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Products Skeleton Loader for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Footprint – Find what slows your site 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.