Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “store finder”

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 “store finder”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 5 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

BKoding – Orphan Page Finder shows at wp.org #8 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20+ 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

Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 184 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 WP Store Locator 50K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #1 2 Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #2 3 CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1149) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too low 5 Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder 3K+ · 4.9★ (69) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Custom WP Store Locator 400+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Store Locator for WordPress📍 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Locatoraid Store Locator 1K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Importify – AI Dropshipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Real Category Management: Content Management in Category Folders 2K+ · 4.1★ (17) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 Easy Feeds for X/Twitter – keep your site fresh with live social posts 2K+ · 3.9★ (11) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 BKoding – Orphan Page Finder 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑4 7 too high 16 Easy Map- Store Locator Plugin for WordPress (No API Key Required) 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 Store Finder for WooCommerce – help customers find your store locations 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too high 18 Storepoint Store Locator 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 StoreRocket Store Locator 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 AI Marketing Expert — AI Email Marketing, AI Content Generator, SEO Analyzer, AI Workflow Automation, Social Media & Ai Chatbot 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 Cliq Store Locator — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 PTI Store Locator — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Logo Carousel – showcase client logos professionally 800+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Auto Bulb Finder for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 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.