wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “taxonomy support”

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 “taxonomy support”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 Taxonomy Order shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 1966 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162) wp.org #1 2

Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #2 3

List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ · 4.7★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #3 4

Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #7 ↑6 3 too low 5

Beautiful taxonomy filters 2K+ · 4.9★ (68) wp.org #5 6

Taxonomy Switcher 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #4 3 too high 8

PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #15 5 too low 11

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #21 ↑2 10 too low 12

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #18 6 too low 13

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #19 6 too low 14

Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194) not PHP-current wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15

Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #20 ↑4 5 too low 16

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint wp.org #16 17

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓7 5 too low 19

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20

WP Taxonomy Order 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #9 11 too high 21 S Simple Taxonomy Refreshed 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22

MDTF – Meta Data and Taxonomies Filter 900+ · 4.5★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 23

Remove Taxonomy URL 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #14 9 too high 24

WP Taxonomy Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 11 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.